Day 20: Sandpoint, ID

Beutiful territory around here.
A giant lake where you would never expect it.
And I got the last room right ON THE BEACH,
so I feel right at home.

I'm visiting with friends Heather and Bruce & 3 great kids.
Bruce and Heather operate BookCrossing.com
which is an extraordinary and original concept
with a huge following.
Check it out and join the party!
That's just one of many hats they wear.
Also into other online businesses, plus real estate, plus...
Another claim to fame is that they vacationed in Paris
with their friend Mark Furhman,
the perjured detective in the OJ Simpson case.

Tonight I shot some pool on small bar tables with Bruce,
and got challenged by a young guy, Sean,
who was a good shot, but was missing the strategy of
safety in 8-ball.
We only played one game, and I coached Bruce to play
safe with 7 balls, with clusters, until he finally won.
Sean was appreciative for the opportunity to learn.

I remember when, not too long ago,
I had very little knowledge of safety play,
especially using safeties as an offensive strategy.
Thanks to the brilliance of Tony "El Maestro" Sorto,
and his unlimited patience in teaching a pig (me) to sing,
I'm starting to get the idea, and see the opportunities.

Sean and I will probably play again tomorrow night.
After that, I'm outta here,
and will most likely head to Missoula, Montana
for some serious pool on regulation tables.