June 2011 Archives

On my way back from Priest Lake, while driving south on 95 after picking up a screen door in Sandpoint, I couldn't help but notice what a beautiful day it was on the Palouse. This inspired me to do something I've wanted to do for a while: drive to the top of Steptoe Butte.

I entered "Steptoe Butte" into the GPS and it promptly had me heading west through the green farmland and small communities such as Rockford, Fairfield, and Waverly. I was a little distracted by the landscape and realized too late that the GPS was taking me all the way to Rosalia, the site of the Steptoe Battlefield State Park not the Steptoe Butte State Park. Oh well, I wasn't in a hurry.

So, after checking out the Battlefield Park, I backtracked to the Butte. I worried that the sun was setting too far and I'd missed the best time to be there. My pictures of and from the Butte didn't come out all that well. It was a little hazy and perhaps the wrong time of day. I plan to return some time and give it another shot.

My favorite photograph from the drive is this old barn and truck, on the road between Waverly and Rosalia:

The original was a little washed out, so yeah, I tweaked the colors.

I had some free time during our week at Priest Lake. On the drive in I made a mental note of a road sign that said "Gleason Falls" and I wanted to go back there and see if the falls were worth photographing.

So I got back on the highway and drove and drove, always looking back over my shoulder to make sure I didn't miss the sign I'd seen. Eventually I came to a sign that pointed to Gleason-Bosnell Road in one direction, and McAbee Falls Road in the other. Hm, that must have been it.

Off I went down the gravel road, eager to find the falls. Although there were very few signs on this road, the direction of the main road was always clear. Until it dead-ended into a cluster of houses. I could sort of see the river from this point so I thought I must be close. But I wasn't willing to trespass, so I turned to Vivian, our GPS, for help.

Vivian told me that I was still far away from McAbee Falls. I drove 10 miles down National Forest Development Road 334, which was essentially a dirt logging road. It was a little exciting at times, and at least I was more careful than this guy.

Eventually I came to back to civilization again. By that I mean a smattering of houses and, after crossing a bridge over the Priest River, the Green Owl Tavern ("for sale?") Never did see any falls to speak of, although the water level was very high.

Heading back to the Lake, driving North on East River Road, I passed this lovely pasture with a few horses and a cabin in the background. Capturing this picture almost made the whole ordeal worthwhile.

This post is back-dated quite a bit because we've all been really busy since returning from our week at Priest Lake. As you might expect, we took a lot of pictures! Here are some of our favorites.

If you don't see the slideshow, click on the title of this post above.

Also since I'm lazy, I'm just going to steal Aunt Marilyn's list of favorite memories:

What I Loved:

• Grace and I "matching" in our blue pj's
• Watching Ryan's eyes light up when he smiled
• Fruit salad for breakfast
• Jacob entertaining himself
• Theresa's red and white hat "could it be any older?"
• Maureen telling Paul what to do and him doing it
• Grace, Connie and the money
• Colin learning how to play 10,000 and getting the greatest "rolls"
• Connie bringing lots of books
• PJ laying on the floor reading one book after another
• Grace never tiring of putting together a dollar store puzzle 12,000 times and loving it every time
• Playing Phase 10
• Visiting with Kaitlyn about high school
• Kamryn learning to knit
• Firecrackers, popits and sparklers
• John catching fish
• The moose running by the kitchen window
• The location, location, location
• Having fruit salad for lunch
• Homemade ice cream
• My comfy bed - sorry about the rest of you
• All the bathrooms
• Grace's haircut
• Visiting with Larry
• Justin and Raya coming
• Holly's mosiac project we could all work on
• The hikers and bikers
• A little peace and joy from the store (latte)
• Fruit salad for dinner
• The great salmon cooked by Paul
• PJ and Colin playing - fighting - playing again like best friends do
• PJ saying it was the best vacation ever
• PJ saying the best part was playing with Colin
• Everything about Grace
• Ryan and the firetruck book - never tiring of reading it.
• Duane's tidyed shirt
• All the work Duane did so we could have internet
• Kole's quitar music and his love of playing cards
• Anne's laugh
• Karen's stories of her sweet grandaughter
• Theresa's "light" chocolate cake
• Sidewalk chalk
• Naps - me Grace and Ryan
• Good books
• Connie's over abundance of food
• Bradeligh's best day ever
• The wave runner that everyone could enjoy - good idea Raya

What I hated

• Mosquitoes
• Mosquitoes
• Mosquitoes

I know I only had one bite but the kids - yikes

This is Colin playing The Lion Sleeps Tonight at his first recital with his new piano teacher. Make sure you watch to the end for a huge smile!