Life is Just Better

All three of our kids opted to attend colleges in locations quite remote from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. After high school graduation in 2000, Sarah broke in a pair of military-issued boots and headed to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. A year later Sam flew the coop to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Not long thereafter, Becky packed her bags and enrolled at Rice University in Houston, Texas. All top-notch institutions of higher learning - all very far away from home.

Sarah has since been assigned to multiple Air Force bases all around the country, and Becky remained in Houston to attend Baylor Medical School. Upon his graduation from Northwestern, Sam stayed two more years in the Midwest working for Epic Systems in Madison, Wisconsin. It wasn't until Sam shifted gears to attend law school at the University of Idaho that I once again had a child living in the Pacific Time Zone. Better yet, now that he's a full-fledged lawyer working in Spokane, Sam is just 30 miles away.

I say all this because Becky flew home this past weekend for a quick visit and to attend the wedding of a family friend. Sam slipped over from Spokane, and - all at once - life was simply better. For a few summer days, two of our four kids (we now claim Sarah's husband Paul) were home - sharing meals, life experiences, opinions and Hayden Lake dock time. We were fortunate to have "perfect attendance" in December when the whole shootin' match helped us celebrate Christmas. But these precious times when we're together are all too rare.

As I write this, Becky is on her return flight to Houston, Sam is probably knee-deep into some law journal, and both Sarah and Paul are deployed at a foreign base location we're not entitled to know. So today I'm reflecting on my beautiful, highly accomplished children and how lucky we are when they come home for visits. Life is just better - even if only for a long weekend.

Leadership Coeur d'Alene's Silver Anniversary

In 1985, under the direction of then General Manager Sandy Emerson, the Chamber of Commerce launched "Leadership Coeur d'Alene." For 25 years this yearlong program has given aspiring civic leaders a forum to develop knowledge and understanding of the community.

To celebrate Leadership's Silver Anniversary, a recent class of up and comers organized a reunion of all past participants. This social gathering sounded like fun, so I up and went to the event held at Elkpoint overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene.

As a graduate of the Class of '87 I was disappointed that none of my fellow classmates showed up for the party. However, plenty of other would-be/now-are leaders gathered to celebrate the program's sterling history of fostering community involvement.

I credit Leadership Coeur d'Alene with giving me an opportunity to hear from key leaders and discuss critical issues in an informal learning environment. Moreover, this program connected me to some of the finest citizens in the area and inspired me to roll up my sleeves and dig into worthwhile charitable endeavors.

Rockin' B Ranch

The Rockin' B Ranch has been a tourist mainstay in our area for a couple of decades. So when "Cultural Enlightenment Chairman" Jim Reitan proposed a group outing, we duded up and drove to Liberty Lake to see the Ranch's popular Cowboy Supper Show.

The rustic decor and roving Western characters kept me on the lookout for Marshall Dillon and Miss Kitty. Although they weren't around, there was plenty of Gunsmoke during the the troupe's wildly authentic Old West melodrama.

Thanks to members of our dinner group who participated in the drama, the damsel in distress was saved and the bad guy was hung.








Dinner fare of beef, ribs, and chicken, was followed by an entertaining show complete with music, dance and comedy. Priscilla Bell was recognized on stage among guests with birthdays, but it was her mother Perry who took honors for being the oldest in the crowd.


An amazingly spry cowgirl from Texas, at 90+ years old, Perry demonstrated her ambidextrous abilities by simultaneously writing mirror images of our names!

Patriotic Golf Scramble - A Holiday Tradition

Every year Konni and Rich Leichner host a summer golf scramble and potluck dinner for couples who are otherwise family-less on the 4th of July. The Leichner home is nicely situated near Holes 4, 5 and 6 of the Hayden Lake Country Club golf course, so they make potluck assignments, organize a 3-hole tournament, and arrange participants into 3-man teams. Players are allowed to carry only three clubs (I went with my driver, 7-iron and putter), rules are explained, and stakes are made ($5 per person) before the competition begins.

A beautiful evening, fun people, great food, and a few drinks along the way added to the holiday festivity. Fortunately, Tom's team came in 2nd, netting him $15 - a nice return on his $5 investment.

Celebrating the 4th of July - All Day Long

After a very long, cool, wet, spring, summer arrived in time to celebrate the 4th of July - and none too soon. Sam and Arney slipped over from Spokane to commemorate our nation's birth and to join us for some serious lake time.

Hayden Lake was alive with boating activity of all kinds, and we enjoyed drop-in visits from the Stanleys by motor and the Gates by sail. Tom paddled his kayak for the first time of the season while Sam fished and I tackled logic puzzles on the dock.

Sadly, the high cost of fuel was the likely reason for no boat parade. However, fly-overs by a pair of Bald Eagles more than made up for the absent water-skiing gorilla.

Busted!

Hound dog Arney and I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's Honeysuckle Beach outing and our encounter with the beachcombing-treasure hunter. Beautiful day, good exercise, and a happy dog doing what he loves best - retrieving anything thrown into the water. After hearing about our adventure, Tom immediately commented, "You know it's illegal to take dogs to Honeysuckle Beach, and it's posted."

What? Are you kidding me? This is a public place that should be enjoyed by everyone, so naturally I didn't believe Tom until Arney and I returned the next day.

Looks like we'll be heading to the Dike Road from this point - where all critters are welcome.

Buried Treasure

While Sam attended his law firm's planning retreat at Priest Lake, our houseguest (make that backyard guest) Arney and I leashed up and headed to Honeysuckle Beach for some early morning exercise. It's nearly impossible to tire out Sam's Chesapeake Bay Retriever, but I gave it a shot.

While Arney was busy retrieving sticks thrown into Hayden Lake, I encountered a treasure hunter retrieving goodies on the beach. Armed with a metal detector, this fellow was looking for coins and jewelry left by sunbathers. With his $1500 tool, I watched him discover and unearth a penny and a soda can pull tab. Quite the return on his investment!


He explained that his more successful finds have included rings and watches, and his most profitable hunting grounds are beaches and playgrounds. Last summer he figured he found over $500 in coins alone. Hmm. On second thought, I just started my Christmas list.