Columnist bids a reluctant farewell to Sandpoint

I have enjoyed this space in the Bee and it is with sadness that I bid Sandpoint, and the surrounding communities, farewell … at least for now. Work has taken me away from the Sandpoint area for the time being and so I will no longer be "on the walk" in order to find material for this column.

As I write this I am overlooking the bright lights of the Simi Valley. Simi Valley sits on the edge of the megalopolis that is the Los Angeles basin. It is far from the clean air and beautiful views afforded in Sandpoint. I have been trekking into Chatsworth, Calif., in the San Fernando Valley to do some contract work in instructional design.

The culture shock has been far harder to cope with than I had expected. I have become used to the pace of Sandpoint and returning to the frenetic tempo of the city has not been easy. I find myself getting lost in the mass of humanity and, in some ways, it seems I have ceased to be an individual among the faceless and nameless throngs.

I am fighting the temptation to get overly sentimental but there is much to be said about life in a small town. In the mornings, I like to imagine myself walking down First Avenue, a cool breeze reminding of winter's impending arrival. In my mind's eye, I greet the familiar faces that have become friends and travel the paths that make Sandpoint so special to me.

I have been lucky here. So many people offered me so much. I cannot adequately express my gratitude to David Keyes for allowing me the opportunity to fill this space with my words. Caroline Lobsinger has been an incredible gift to me as well. So many special people touched me in so many ways I could seemingly write for years.

Dan McLaughlin and Debbie Ferguson factor large into my list of folks to thank. They took me under their wing and gave me an opportunity to learn a business about which I knew nothing. All of the folks at Century 21 on the Lake are first class and I will miss them.

The past year has afforded me the opportunity to renew my sense of family, in discovering a brother I never really knew, renewing a lost relationship with my sister and, most importantly, coming to understand that family is a whole lot bigger than a blood line. I discovered that an entire community can be your family if you live in a place like Sandpoint.

So thank you Sandpoint and Bonner County for the gift of family and community. And thank you for the feeling that no matter where I find myself, I can always call Sandpoint home.

? Tim Durnin can be reached at tdurnin@gmail.com.