15 August ‘09

Saturday

Boy last night turned out to be a long session, but I got most of it done.  Now to bring “us all” up-to-date.  Just after we got back to the coach from Saturday’s wedding we got an email from Laurie and Bob Lynch.  The last time we saw Bob and Laurie just outside of San Francisco last year.  They have been making a swing through the northwest and had just moved out of Montana and found a place to settle in Idaho.  I tried to call back but soon found that our phone service wasn’t the best.  The next morning Louise and I decided to head up north and join them for a couple of days just outside of Hope, Idaho.  This was our first time to camp in Sam Owen State Park and found it to be a great camping site and right on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille. 

 Bob and Laurie have been kayaking buddies for a number of paddles and this is giving us another opportunity to get on the water with them and that’s one reason we’re here.  Louise and I have paddled 2 or 3 places on Lake Pend Oreille, but not up here on the north end.  Laurie found a great book with some amazing locations to kayak and we were soon off to do a couple of them.  Our first outing took us out of Johnson’s Landing.  We followed the channels as they stayed close to the tall hills (small mountains…) and then out into the lake.  Crossing one of the larger channels we soon found ourselves paddling into a water path that was set up on both sides by tall reeds and trees that guided us around one bend to the next…we did this for well over 4 hours (including time off for eating lunch in the kayaks). 

 We did have a couple of times when the wind worked against us and sent whitecaps splashing hard against the paddles but most of the trip was just amazing.  We had been watching the Osprey pretty much all morning and as we rounded one of the corners we saw a very unusual site…a young Osprey sitting low to the water and hiding behind a stump (it thought it was hiding anyway).  Louise and I turned our kayak and headed back to get a photo and a better look.  We didn’t want to scare it, but I’m sure we did….sorry… 

The next morning we were off to kayak a river.  For a river run, we needed a drop-off vehicle and a pick-up vehicle so we loaded the kayaks into the back of Bob’s truck and after leaving our car behind at the exit of our paddle, we drove up to the beginning to get into the water.  The water level looked a little low but we decided that low or not, we were going to give it a try.  We hadn’t paddled but a hundred yards and we were out and pulling the kayaks. 

 We pulled for about 25 yards and then with the water deep enough, we got back in.  Now that wasn’t the last of the “shallow” water but we were able to get through most of the shallower areas by “raising our butts” and pushing with our paddles until free. 

 This was another great day of kayaking as we leisurely paddled the 9 miles of winding and twisting water of the Pack River. 

14 August ‘09

Friday

Once you get away from writing it is REALLY hard to get back to it.  I’ve felt so guilty and I’ve been beating myself up, but it still didn’t get done.  I’ve heard from friends and family asking “what the heck, are you “quitting”?.  Hell, I couldn’t quit if I wanted to.  The only problem tonight is, I’m watching the Neil Diamond New York concert on TV and it’s tough to write when such a great concert is on.  On the other hand, I should find this the perfect time to write as Louise, Joelle, and Amy went down to the Coeur d’Alene Casino to win the BIG jackpot for us. 

Well the catch up is this…Louise had the surgery on her throat and they took out a cyst about the size of a large marble…all is well and healing fine.  We “house/Smokey the bunny”

 sat for Mikleane and family while they enjoyed their European cruise.  On the 4^th of July, we drove up to Mt. Vernon and enjoyed a day with Doug and Bonnie Rohrer.  We picnicked on Lake Padden, just south of Bellingham.  The lake is beautiful, the crowds were light, and the water was inviting us to do a little kayaking…so we did. 

A week later, Louise and I drove up to Mt. Vernon again and spent the weekend at the Rohrers.  On Sunday all of us drove up to Bellingham for a great dinner on the deck, a few games of Bocce Ball, and great conversation with the Pearce family before driving back to Woodinville. 

After Mikleane, Ric, and the kids got back from their cruise, Ric, Drew, and I drove up to Rattlesnake Lake and spent a great morning paddling around the submerged logs and stumps that make up the far end of the lake. 

 After a couple of hours there, we drove down to the Snoqualmie River and put in just below falls.  The weather in the “Seattle” area was breaking records all over the place with temperatures running as high as 109, and this day of kayaking was going to be close to another by the time we walked off the beach.  The heat must have gotten to Ric as he decided to buy one of my kayaks… now I’ve got another kayaker to hit the water with. 

Louise has wanted to drive over to Manson, on Lake Chelan,

to see her mother and sister, so last week we packed up the coach and off we went.  We normally have parked at the Chelan Casino while there, but this time we were looking for another location that might afford us electrical power to run our air conditioners…it was going to be HOT !!!  Looking for a campground that had a spot for us was not to be, but luckily the church that Sue, Dean, and Lois

attend has about 8 water and electric hook-ups for use by their congregation/friends/family while there in the area.  It couldn’t have been better. 

Now it time to head over to Spokane for John and Jennifer’s wedding.

  Just outside of Moses Lake, we stopped by one of the rest stops on I-90.  We happened to pull alongside of a small class “C” motor home that looked like it had been totally devoid of all interior niceties. 

 Across the drive and under the trees, I noticed a group of 8 young adults entertaining some of those that stopped at this rest area.  All I could see immediately was a juggler and a violinist. 

That was until they finished up and headed back to their van.  I was still sitting in the driver’s seat when they walked by so I opened up the side window and started a conversation with them.  They are on their way back to South Carolina from Vancouver, Canada and are trying to make money from tips at any and all rest stops in-between through their performances.  They offered a “Special” performance for us that we could chose from a list located on piece of cardboard.  I looked into my wallet and all I happened to have was a twenty dollar bill…well, they are a bunch of kids with a need…M-O-N-E-Y…  They told me we had just bought the whole list.  We followed them back across the parking lot, found a seat on the grass, and got the “Whole Thing”…  They were very good entertainers and we thoroughly enjoyed their talents of juggling, dancing, acrobatics,

 violin soloist,

and a specialist with a stack of “hula hoop” while eating our lunch sitting on the grass in the parking lot of a rest stop along I-90.  Hell, are we having fun yet????