Wishing I were there today

Here's a pic I snapped of our place in October on a rainy day. Sure looks cozy and inviting on the inside, huh?
Im back in California this week and its freezing cold outside. I know, I know, anyone in Sagle/Sandpoint would die laughing at what I call "cold". But freezing is freezing and if you cant be outside anyways, at least give me some snow. Guess I should be happy we have sunshine everyday, tho. I know I will miss that during winters in Idaho.

SANDPOINT READER's Pet of the Week...Chloe!

Look who made Pet of the Week in the Sandpoint Reader!  Our very own Chloe the wonder corgi!  I love the Sandpoint Reader. I love Sandpoint. I love Chloe. I'm in a very loving mood today.  This is from the November 12 2015 edition.  If you've never read the Sandpoint Reader, go check it out HERE.  It's only a few pages, published weekly, always interesting, and has a great home-town feel to it.

 

Here's a pic of Chloe in her new home, on the front deck, looking for squirrels, moose, deer, just about anything that moves. All these trees are sensory overload for her, having been a desert dog her whole life, she's used to wide open spaces, tumbleweeds, and an occational rabbit.... not an entire forest to terrorize.

Carpinteria, CA

We're still in California, counting down the days til Idaho. We're still working, but today we're playing hookie from work. It's November 6th and the beach is calling. I hear its snowing in Idaho. Guess we should enjoy this California weather while we can. Hubby says he'd rather be in Idaho  :-)   It's seriously nicer than June right now.

You're Gonna Need a Boat

We were not originally planning on buying a boat, but got tired of standing on the shore watching all the fun "out there" . With so many lakes around Sandpoint, it just made sense to buy a boat.

We stalked Craigslist for months and finally found a perfect boat and, Bonus! it was only 25 mi away at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. We were prepared to go 100's of miles to find one because it turns out the supply of used boats in Sandpoint is very limited. It's like people buy a boat and never get rid of it. The previous owners' love of the boat was obvious; it was in pristine condition and they were noticeably sad to be selling it (they decided to buy a houseboat). We all went for a 10 am test drive and the Cda fog was really thick at first, but by the end of the test drive, things were clearing up. What a beautiful lake Cda is! I can't wait to go back for a nice long leisurely day. We agreed on a price, hauled it out of Lake Coeur D'Alene, followed them to the bank, and off we we went to take our new baby home. But about half way home, we decided "why not?" and drove right past our street and kept on going to City Beach in Sandpoint where we dropped her in for our maiden voyage. It was a gloriously warm October late afternoon and It was fantastic. I can see us spending LOTS of time on this beauty.

Love the recliners...and they swivel for fishing! 

Videos of our Maiden Voyage, taking in Sandpoint's Fall Colors 

Can't wait until next summer when we can take advantage of being so close to these lakes:

Lake Pend Orielle Sandpoint sits on it. It's HUGE and beautiful.
     Hayden Lake 45 mins south,very popular beach in the summer.
          Lake Coeur d’Alene 1 hr south, beautiful resort lake.  Tons on coves to explore and lots of great homes to cruise by.
              Priest Lake 1 hour north, is the prettiest of all the lakes in the area, with a really cool 4th of July celebration. All kinds of boats bob around a certain area, and then fireworks are shot from a barge in the middle of the lake.

Closer to the Ducks,  Closer to the Ducks!!

Building our Pole Barn

In Summer 2015 we decided to build a “Pole Barn”. Pole Barns are pretty popular in Idaho. They are less expensive and much quicker to build than a traditional structure.  It seems like EVERYONE has one up here, especially if you're on any kind of acreage.  
In California we could just park the RV outside all year long, but doing that in Idaho seemed a bit harsh. Plus its always been my husbands dream to have a huge shop to go play in. Who am I to deny that?
We scoured our property and found the most logical spot to build it. Here is the "before" shot.  It was nice that we only had to take out a few trees, as this spot was a natural tiny meadow to begin with.

The whole thing only took 2 guys(father and son) and 3 weeks to do it. I was rather impressed with their efficiency and the quality of their work.

Here's the finished product. It's a beast at 2400 sq feet, and somebody's wife thinks this is overkill, but hey, if he's happy...

The roof color is "copper penny" something I had to fight the hubby tooth and nail for, but now that its done, he really likes it. It is beautiful and sparkles slightly in the sun. We were not huge fans of the grey color we picked, we initially wanted a light tan. But after tons of over-analyzing, we decided it was best to match the color of the house (see the house peeking out in the background? it's a ways away from the barn). I think we made the right choice, because the house and the shop look like they belong to the same property now, rather looking like a neighbors property. Still, the tan with the copper roof is beautiful, and it's what the entire Coeur d'Alene resort is done in.
Not knowing anything about pole barns, I used to think they were just metal poles holding up metal sheets. NOT TRUE. These are actually “stick-built” on the inside (meaning real big wooden posts, beams, and trusses) and then covered on the outside with sheets of steel.
Compared to California, getting plans approved in Idaho is wonderfully EASY. Hubby and I hand walked the plans through 3 agencies and got signatures all in one afternoon….and still had time for lunch. We could not believe how smooth and easy and NON-Red tape the whole process was. You can literally draw your plans on a napkin and it would get built. 

Here is the only diagram we used to get the shop built. Its from a free website that lets you do design layouts. 

FYI, Our builder was Bob Fuqua, Superior Building Systems, and I would HIGHLY recommend him. He is straight forward, honest, and his craftsmanship is top-notch. Its just he and his son and they are freaking work horses! Here is his info:

Superior Building Systems
2101 West Pine Glen Court
Athol, ID 83801
Phone: (208) 661-5380

The Long Bridge Swim

The Long Bridge is 2 miles and it connects Sandpoint to cities south of town: Sagle, Hayden, Coeur d'Alene.   It is a gorgeous trek and I cant help but smile every time I go over it thinking, "wow, I am so lucky to live here".  I get extra happy if a train crosses the lake at the same time on its own trestle in the distance. Once a year in August the Long Bridge plays host to a  1.76 mile swim from one end of the bridge to the other. (See all those people in the water?) Up on the bridge lots of people cheer them on and I like that it's safe up on the bridge because there is one whole lane just for bikes and pedestrians.   Here's a link to a great slideshow and some info if you are interested in particitpating in the swim.

This is near the end of the race, near Dog Beach.

Round Lake....aka "Our Lake"

A sweet little lake for kayaking, Summer 2015

I am in love with a little lake. I love that we can load up the truck with kayaks/dogs/chairs, etc and be there in 5 mins flat. That's something that never happens in So Cal (every adventurous thing is atleast an hour away)  
In the cooler months at Round Lake, it feels like you have the whole place to yourself (hence the nickname "Our Lake"). It's calm and serene wtih a meditative quality perfect for kayaking, hiking, fishing, or just reading a good book on the beach.   

Here are things I love most about Round Lake:

The Kayaking: Just about my absolute favorite thing to do at Round Lake! There's a sweet little spot back at the SW corner of the lake that is so peaceful and gorgeous to putt around in. We've spotted deer and other wildlife right on the banks. (click pix to enlarge)

The Beach: There's a nice little beach sandwhiched between two fishing docks which are perfect for jumping off of. Last summer there was an inflatable island tied up to one of the docks all summer long. Looked like anyone could take it out and use it. I was so happy to discover that the summertime water temps were WARM...Yay!!

Me and my sis, Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay, Wastin' Time......July 2015

Looks hazy becasue wildfires were raging nearby.

The beach is to the left of the dock, and the small boat launch to the right.

The Hiking: The easy "Trapper's Trail" goes 2 miles all the way around the lake. For the most part it's easy and flat and sticks to the shore for the most part. Small kids and older folks in normal, good shape should have no problem. There is one short part that is mildly steep.

There are 2 foot bridges to cross, and interesting signs here and there telling about the wildlife and environment.



 There's a longer "Stewardship Trail" that I haven’t taken, but I hear it's good for mountain bikes, shoeshoeing, etc. That one goes off into the woods more than the Trappers Trail, and I was too afraid to take it alone. Im still a desert gal getting used to all these scary woods. :-) 

Here's my better half taking a break and enjoying this bench halfway around the lake on the Trappers Trail. Its looks out across the lake, back to the beach/parking area where the trail begins. Great spot to watch Osprey dive-bombing their dinner.



Either trail brings takes you back to the campground where (in Summer) there is a Visitor's Center to grab popsicles, water, fridge magnets, coffee mugs, etc or just talk to a friendly ranger.

One thing I should warn you about is the end of the trail. 

In SPRINGTIME, it can be a wee bit flooded. After hiking almost 2 miles, we came upon this flooded area and tried going around it (it was a large flooded area, not just the trail part) but were afraid to cut thru a farmer's field (looking back we should've just done that), and we did not want to walk 2 miles back to the start. Soooo.... we forged ahead. The weather was warm so we didnt really care, we had a good laugh about it. Just a heads up. Here's a video, sorry for the one curse word.

The Fees: Only $5! (in 2015) Round Lake is within a State Park and ther is this small day-use fee.  We get in free because we paid $10 for a sticker that gets us into ALL Idaho State Parks for a whole year. To a So-Cal gal this was an incredible bargain, because in California that same type of pass costs $195! .... Did I mention I Love Idaho?!?

From Sandpoint, take the 95 for 10 miles south and turn right ontof Dufort Rd.  Then go about 2 miles, it will be on the Left. There will be signs for Round Lake State Park.

https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/round-lake

Schweitzer Mountain in Summer

Schweitzer Mountain ski resort is a must-do in the summer. Yes, I said Summer. My sister, sons, and nephew were visiting in July and I took them up to Schweitzer. Almost didn't go, but so glad we did, because at the end of their week-long visit they all ranked Schweitzer very high on their list of favorites. 13 mi from downtown Sandpoint, Schweitzer is a world-class ski resort featured in several magazines 

For $10 ea ($38 /family…or FREE if you go on opening day of the summer) you can ride the chairlift to the top of the mountain. It's a relaxing ride and the views of Lake Pend Orielle and Sandpoint are stunning from up there. I wanted to fling my arms and sing "The Hills are Aliiiiive !!!!" (i.e. Sound of Music)...... One bummer on the day we visited: the view was a bit hazy because wildfires were raging nearby. Still amazing, though.

When we got off the chairlift at the top, I immediately said “Oh man, this is so COOL, why didn’t we bring some wine or beers or...” and as if the universe heard us, boom! there was The Wang Shack, a tiny place selling beer and ice cream. Thank you Universe!

 Sadly, the Wang Shack is scheduled for demolition...which is probably why they let us write on the walls. Schweitzer is making way for a brand new restuarant & lodge up at the top.

There's a frisbee disc golf course at the top, and you can rent a set of discs for $5 in the Village. Just be careful and don't throw your discs over the side of the mountain like I did.

 Here are my wonderful boys scampering down the mountain to find it and say me the $5 deposit :-)

You can relax in a cool "Bungo" chair or on a picnic table at the top, and there are horseshoes and other games just sitting around waiting for someone to play them. 

Bungo Chair, super comfy

We had a blast playing a game called Slammo. It's very peaceful up top and we easily spent an hour taking in the view and watching folks go up and down the chair lift. A few people were bringing mountain bikes up and riding the trails down. The bike course is pretty rocky and I personally wouldn't take beginners or kids down it, and even the staff agreed with me on that one. 

View on the way down. We just saw a baby moose !

Schweitzer Village is quiet in summer, but still has two restaurants, a deli, and a coffee shop open to grab a bite. If you have younger kids, there are a few amusing things in the village: a rock wall, a gyro trampoline thing, a short zip line, and they can also pan for gold. Our boys were all too old for that, but I saw a twinkle in their eyes as they passed each attraction.

JJ popped into the Coffee Shop for some Evans Bros coffee (a local favorite) and I picked up a loaf of fresh baked garlic gooey cheesy bread over in the deli shop which got devoured on the ride back to Sandpoint.     Ahhh Schweitzer, we'll be back!