Sibling Assignment #151: God's Handiwork in the Cedar Grove

Again we are rolling with our sibling assignments. Raymond Pert assigned this one. "Write about a particular thing that happened on our Sibling Outing that was especially enjoyable.  If possible, include an image, but not required."

 On Saturday, August 27th we took a sibling outing that began in Kellogg and led us through Wallace, Avery, Calder, Clarkia, the shadowy St. Joe, the Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area, Fernwood, St. Maries, Medimont, Lane, Rose Lake, Cataldo and more places in between. SVG came up with the idea of going to Avery after a trip she made there a year ago. Good choice!

 The whole trip reminded me once again of the spectacular beauty of my home state of Idaho. It is hard to believe that after fifty-six years I continue to still find places in north Idaho that I had never discovered before. The whole day was just a blast as we laughed, remembered, reminisced,learned, relearned, laughed more, ate, talked, and snapped pictures. Yes, we always do snap pictures!

The most enjoyable time for me was finding the Hobo Cedar Grove Botanical Area at the top of a steep gravel road north of Clarkia. Being immersed in one of the most beautiful places in the inland empire and maybe even the Pacific northwest was humbling. Just realizing how long this grove had stood here was hard to believe. The trees were seedlings in 1492.

 Leaving the hot sun and dusty road we were enveloped by the cool air and darkness of the cedar grove. At first the only sound was my sister narrating the tour with notes she found at the start. As she taught me about the birds and animals my brother was catching image after image of the grove through the lens of his camera.

Later we located a creek that provided a soothing sound as we rested by a bench.

We also took some time to pose. We had plans to meet Mom for dinner or we may have stayed there even longer, just the three of us. It was a place we didn't need stories of our youth,laughter, or smart remarks. It was a place we could be in harmony with nature.

 As I meditated on the awesome beauty of God's handiwork, I also caught images with my camera.It was the best day.

Celebrating National Poetry Month #14: The First Chapter

The First Chapter

to my sister

Silver Valley Girl

Reflecting on the beginnings of

her historical fiction,

her hands fluttered in excitement as

she shared her revisions.

She is surrounded by

The women writers at The Swallow’s Nest,

Her mind journeyed back as Mother Earth,

embracing the Cataldo Mission.

Through her prose she introduced

the Coeur d’Alene Indian, the

Italian immigrant, and the

girl named Elizabeth.

Gentle suggestions, questions for clarification

and praise spilled out over coffee and warm cake.

“Who is telling this story?

What about the point of view?”

Her thoughts drifted far away to a place long ago.

“Oh… the view… when standing atop the hill by the Mission it is breathtaking,”

she replied

as she closed her journal and smiled.

by Inland Empire Girl, 2006

Orange TV, Huckleberries Online, Used Books in Coeur d' Alene, and Mamma Mia!

SR photo of DFO

When I started my blog I had already been reading Huckleberries Online for a few months. It is a blog through the Spokesman Review newspaper in Spokane/Coeur d'Alene. "Dave Oliveria is the ringleader of this online circus known as Huckleberries, which began on Feb. 16, 2004." HBO keeps inland empire readers updated on news, opinions, political views, and much more. Through HBO I have met many online friends through comments and links to their blogs. You can find this blog here. It is worth a visit!

A few weeks ago I put out a thread that I wanted recommendations for used book stores in CdA. Silver Valley Girl and I were doing a sister day and I wanted to look for used books. I got lots of great suggestions. I also read the blog Get Out North Idaho by Orange TV which also runs as a print column in the SR. He featured information about events, concerts, restaurants and other things happening in the inland empire. I respect Orange's recommendations for places to dine. So off we went on Sister Day with the list of ideas for used book stores and places to eat thanks to Orange TV. You can read Silver Valley Girl's post of the day here.

Orange TV had recommended Calypso's Coffee so we began our day there. I agreed with his review of the place. It was comfortable, a great place to hang out, and we were glad we also ordered the Mexican Mocha!

Perfect! Add a blueberry scone to the mix and it was well worth the trip! Stickman and Orange TV had both recommended the Humane Society Thrift Shop on 3rd for used books. I agreed with them on this place. I found copies of books I had been searching for and yes, they did have a good variety. I loved also that I was giving my money to a good cause. I had my dog Emily because of the Humane Society in Cd'A. Sweet Herb and Angela had suggested The Bookworm and we went there also. For trade paperbacks it was a good stop. Nothing really unique, but if you love best seller paperbacks for half the price, it is your store! Reader had recommended St. Vincent dePaul and he/she was right about their selections also. Silver Valley Girl and I had the most fun there because we found so many books we had read through the years that we could hold up titles and laugh about a memory attached to that book. We also each found a nice pile of books there. Thanks DFO... we also stopped at`The Boy's Ranch and Women's Center Thift Shops. Both were a bit picked over this time through, but the stores were interesting just for browsing. By the time we reached Browsers Uncommon Books recommended by Bjorn and Matt we were a bit on book overload. I love this store. I have visited it for the last fifteen years. One thing I love about it is that it really doesn't change much except the collection gets updated.It is still owned by the same guy, it is a bit crowded, books sit on the floor, but it adds to the charm. I hit gold here in seeking volumes for my recently started poetry collection. That made it worth the trip. Here is one stack of books I have added to my book collection. I have wanted to read Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto since I read an excerpt a few years ago. Raymond Pert found his blog and had also recommended this book. So many people have told me I need to read A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving so I bought it to add to my stack. Generally when you hear a book title come up over and over, it is worth finding the book and reading it. The poetry books I found that day included collections by Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, Rita Dove, Ted Kooser, Sandra Cisneros, May Sarton, and others. For the stacks of books we bought that day each of us paid a fraction of the cost. I felt like St. Vinnies and The Humane Society stores had the best deals. I must say the readers in CdA have excellent taste in books and I was glad to see so many recycled to used book stores.Continuing with the food recommendation list, we ate lunch at The Sunshine Trader. Orange TV's restaurant review was posted right by the counter as we walked in. We agreed again with all that was written and would give this place a thumbs up!! Nourished by great sandwiches, huckleberry lemonade and iced spice tea we were ready to make a few other shopping stops before going to the matinee of Mamma Mia! This was one of those movies I had heard about, knew it was based on ABBA songs, and knew who was in it. I decided I really wanted to see it. I love ABBA songs and had no idea what an enjoyable two hours that musical would be. I kept wanting to grab a perfume bottle microphone and join in singing down the aisle!! We loved it so much we are going again with more family members this week! We rounded out a perfect day by going out on a limb and trying a restaurant just because we wanted to eat there. We continued our Greek theme at The White House in Post Falls. It was a fun-filled day that included all the things the two of us love- laughs, good coffee, books, bargains, singing, dancing, talking, excellent food, and kinship. Thanks again HBOers and Orange TV for the great recommendations. If you need used books... now you also have some ideas.

sr photo