I drove the TRPTA bus in Teton Valley, Idaho for 10 years, along with my driving buddy, Karen Huff. The company was based in Idaho Falls, about an hour and a half away, and we ran the show in the valley.

It was an on-demand service, if you needed a ride, call dispatch down in IF and set it up. In the morning as we started our busses, the onboard computer would come on and show us our route for the day. Very slick.

One of our regular runs throughout those years was the Teton Valley Community School. It was a charter school located at the top of the valley that took in kids from all over. We had a fixed morning and evening run between the school and downtown Driggs, the center of the valley.

The grades ranged from kindergarten to 8, and over the years I watched these amazing kids grow up. They were priveleged to be living in a special place, with cool parents, and a few of the parents were my friends.

The runs between Driggs and Victor were the highlight of my day. I love kids, I love their intensity, and lately I've been missing that.

Recently, my manager Liz, brought her niece to work for a couple of days, and Madeline gravitated back to my patch tubing area. I liked her immediately, vivid blue eyes, obviously had her act together, and smart.

She became my little assistant, and we worked great together! Liz said she might drop by today, but I guess I left too early.

Hanging with Maddie reminded me so much of my interaction with the Victor school kids. These young people are amazing and they should learn good values in life, self appreciation, and the tools to excel in the future.