Montana Triathlon

June 2012

A two night getaway to Montana with Janice and Brad Baldwin became the perfect Triathlon.

Leg One:  Scenic Hike Overlooking Helena

Leg Two:  Fly Fishing on the beautiful Missouri River

Leg Three:  Fabulous Thai dinner at Toi's

Dine & Dash...Seasoned with Love

June 2012 - con't

It took me 25 years to finally finish a long-promised family cookbook, From My Back Burner to Your Table...Seasoned with Love.  Producing a family cookbook was on my bucket list long before the phrase "bucket list" became part of our everyday language.

The self-published volume contains nearly 650 recipes collected over the years from family, friends and favorite magazines.  My constant procrastination to finish the cookbook became something of a family joke, but fortunately a 6-month living experience in New Zealand became a perfect opportunity to finish uploading recipes.  Later on, recovering from two foot surgeries gave me the time I needed to make final edits.

I dedicated the book to my sister Jane who passed away in 2004 after a courageous battle with breast cancer.  One of my biggest regrets was putting the book on the back burner for such a long time - too late to share it with Jane.

I've been distributing copies of the book to family, friends, and contributors ever since the boxes arrived from Morris Cookbooks in the summer of 2011.







Dear friends Peggy and David Whitman pulled together a very special "Dine and Dash," featuring recipes from the book and cleverly infusing the cover throughout the evening.

In many respects, the Whitman's thoughtful dinner was the perfect celebration to commemorate the cookbook's completion.

 I like to think that Jane would have been proud.

Portrait of a Town

June 2012

My friend Barbara Mueller leaves tracks pretty much everywhere she goes.  Good tracks - important tracks.  Mounted in Coeur d'Alene's Sherman Park Square, her notable endeavor "Portrait of a Town" is a beautiful example of how Barb blended her creativity with love of community.

Portrait of a Town
The ambitious project involved photographing and interviewing 200 citizens who represent a cross-section of our community.  Folks were given a chance to express their ideas, their views about Coeur d'Alene and its history, projects for which they feel passion, and what they hope for the future.




This collection of shared thoughts will eventually be housed in the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.

My 2-Cents Worth