Monday Masts

Sailboats in the harbor at Bayview signal summer's swan song. Formed by glaciers Lake Pend Oreille (pond-or-ey) is Idaho's largest lake and one of the largest inland lakes in North America. A renowned recreation and fishing mecca with a shoreline of 143 miles, its depth has been measured in excess of 1,170 feet. The name came from the early French trappers, referring to the earlobe pendants worn by the local Indian tribe.

Practice Makes Perfect

The Spirit Lake fireboat put on quite a show for those along the shore at Spirit Lake's Silver Beach while performing an equipment check on what might very well have been the last summer day with temperatures in the '90s.

Dog Days of Summer

As August comes to an end, near triple digit temperatures return making a swim in the lake the perfect way to spend the day. Pebbles, a long-haired Chihuahua, enjoys cooling off with a dog paddle in North Idaho's Spirit Lake.

Fair Food

The North Idaho Fair kicks off today at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds and runs through Sunday. A favorite fair treat is found at the award-winning Ekness booth ~ North Idaho Beer Balls. Add a little kraut and some onions and they're delish. There are the standby elephant ears, cotton candy, deep fried everything including Twinkies and Snickers bars. The Lutherans have a long-time favorite food-on-a-stick ... The Viking, which is breaded, deep-fried meatballs. If you want to eat something a little more diet friendly ... try a fresh ear of corn-on-the-cob from the Lions. What melted butter? :)

Monday in Paradise

As the dog days of summer begin to turn the corner into back to school, Monday afternoons are still time for play in North Idaho. On the Spokane River a boat pulled two tubes of thrill-seekers through the waves.

Simple Pleasures

We have an abundance of natural and spectacular beauty in North Idaho so sometimes it's good to be reminded of the simple yet special places. Rathdrum's city park is just such a place. Right on Hwy. 53, with a gazebo, pavilion and a playground, my favorite feature is the creek that runs through the center of the park. Rathdrum Creek is the quintessential small town swimming and fishing hole and in early evening on a summer's day, it's the perfect place for a picnic dinner.

On the water

Today and tomorrow is the free Wooden Boat Show at the Coeur d'Alene Resort's boardwalk marina. I never tire of seeing these beautiful boats so lovingly restored. And any excuse to be in or on or near the water in August is good.

Murray or Bust

This weekend the little North Idaho mining town of Murray rolls out the welcome mat for their annual celebration. It's everything Idaho used to be, and then some.In the 1800s there were more people living in Murray than in Spokane. I love that even now with a population in the double digits, Murray still boasts a post office and their own zip code. Not to miss: The Spragpole bar and museum and the historic cemetary where many of the Silver Valley's most colorful characters reside for eternity.
How to get there: Take Kingston Exit 43 from I-90 and follow the Coeur d'Alene River Road north about 30 miles.

History Revisited

The new Post Falls Historical Society Museum opened with much fanfare on Saturday. Located in the restored former Chapin Drugs building on the corner of Spokane Street and 4th Avenue on the Post Falls City Hall campus, it's filled with artifacts and mementos of this milltown on the Spokane River. For hours and information use this link.

Sparkly web

A remnant of overnight thundershowers in the Idaho panhandle were captured in a spider's web on my front porch steps.

Beautiful Boats

There are no shortage of beautiful boats on North Idaho waters and this classic wooden beauty was a vision at sunset. Coming into the dock at the Cedars Floating Restaurant at the convergence of Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River, it glowed golden brown.

Happy Birthday Athol!

Athol, Idaho has a colorful history which will be on display this weekend as the town celebrates its Centennial birthday!
Full Coeur d'Alene Press story HERE.

Cool Drinks

Outdoor on-the-water dining is a treat on Lake Coeur d'Alene. While local specialty drinks often include the Idaho state fruit, huckleberries ... a watermelon mojito at the Cedar's Floating Restaurant is mighty cool on a hot day.

Fashionable floating

The Park sisters, Marisa and Veronica, prove that floating the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River on a hot summer day is fashionable, indeed.

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.