Be Careful Out There!

North Idaho has some of the most beautiful water in all the world. Boaters, swimmers, jet skiiers, cruise boats, seaplanes and parasailers share the recreational enjoyment of Lake Coeur d'Alene in the summer. Keeping everyone safe and assisting when accidents happen are the Kootenai County Sheriffs Marine Division. The deputies patrol in boats and on wave runners.

Horses on Parade

In Native American culture the horse is an important creature. They are honored at the Julyamsh Pow Wow in the opening horse parade, dressed in regalia befitting their status. More photos from the 2009 Coeur d'Alene Tribal Julyamsh Pow Wow and Encampment HERE.

Julyamsh

Since 1998 the Coeur d'Alene Tribe has hosted the annual Julyamsh Pow Wow and Tribal Encampment at the Greyhoud Park Events Center. Friday through Sunday this weekend, several hundred Native American dancers and drummers will celebrate their traditions on land that was once the ancestral homeland of the Coeur d'Alenes. Open to the public, this is a spectacular and spiritual gathering. The Grand Entry and Horse Parade all three days features a Native American color guard, and the revered Eagle Feather Staff.

Cool Water

I love water. I love being in it, near it, hearing it flow over rocks or slap up on shore. I especially love to photograph the movement of the water from above, the abstract visual mosaic as the light and tide swirl beneath the surface. This image of the shoreline in Mica Bay on Lake Coeur d'Alene is the desktop background on my computer this week as the heat wave heads our way.

Beautiful bookends

Two sailboats "bookend" the Coeur d'Alene Resort golf course floating green on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Summer Camp

For thousands of children and families Camp Sweyolakan on Lake Coeur d'Alene has been the place of summer memories for 82-years. The rack of well-worn canoe oars stands in the ready for the current campers.

Sail away on a summer day ...

The parasail concession at Independence Point does a brisk business in the summer months. It's a colorful addition to the beautiful blues and greens of the Lake Coeur d'Alene landscape. After living in North Idaho for as many years as I have, I don't know why I've not taken a ride above the waves yet.

Simple pleasures ...

On a day when temperatures soar towards the century mark, there are no shortage of places to cool off in North Idaho. This youngster at Post Falls' Q'emiln Park on the Spokane River is happy as a clam in his shark flotation vest.

Soaring

Driving down my neighborhood street I heard a small engine overhead. The camera was on the seat and the top was down on the car so I snapped this shot of a motorized glider. The pilot must have seen me ... he made a turn and flew directly over my car again before heading northeast towards the Rathdrum prairie. Wistfully, I wished for a moment that we could trade places. It was a beautiful night for a glide above the rooftops.

Falls and shadows...

A hidden visual treasure is in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest, up the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River and it's an easy hike for everyone on a warm summer day. Shadow Falls and Fern Falls are both on a tributary of Yellow Dog Creek. Shadow Falls is about 20-25 feet high while Fern Falls is slightly smaller. Take the Kingston exit off of I-90 and drive north on Coeur d'Alene River Road to Beetle Creek Road and then 4 miles to the trailhead parking lot. The trail to Fern Falls is less than a quarter mile and Shadow Falls is about another quarter mile down the same trail. The lush greenery combined with the mist of the falls is picture postcard perfect.

Reflections ...

Sometimes the most extraordinary beauty of North Idaho plays second fiddle to simple scenes such as this horse enjoying a drink from the Coeur d'Alene River on a hot summer day.

Tom Sawyer kind of summer

a boy, a river and a frog ... summer.

Only in North Idaho

I see a lot of interesting things and meet a lot of interesting people OnLocation in North Idaho but this morning was memorable. At the Blackwell Island recreational area, across Hwy. 95 from the Cedars Floating Restaurant, there's a boat launch. I had to do a double take when I spotted this travel trailer turned pontoon boat in the parking lot. It's a piece of folk art with a dash of American ingenuity. The 30-year-old travel trailer has an outboard motor and is attached to makeshift fiberglass pontoons, which come down when it's on the water but come up and to rest on the roof when in transit. The astroturf on top of the pontoons is a nice touch, a bit of a floating patio. I sure would have loved to have seen this contraption on the lake!

Coming Home

When you live in such a beautiful place it's not difficult to lure your grown-up children back home in the summer. Daughters Sarah and Melani came back to the nest from Utah and western Washington for a weekend of fun in the sun on North Idaho's Spirit Lake.

Water and Fire

The Kootenai County Fire District fire boat put on a display on the Spokane River in front of city beach at Q'emiln Park in Post Falls.

No tan line

A local character around Coeur d'Alene in the summer is The Thong Man. For years he's basked in the sun at Independence Point, wearing not much more than a smile and some sunscreen. A peach-colored thong swimsuit is the only thing that comes between him and local ordinances.