Sibling Assignment #141: " I Do I Do" and "We Did It! We Did It!"

Silver Valley Girl gave the sibling assignments for January. Here is first one:
"Recall a memory from 2010 about each of your siblings and share the memory.It can be one memory or two separate memories."
I am going to share a memory about each of my siblings. Silver Valley Girl's memory was way back in Janurary in 2010. SVG and her husband did a two person performance of "I Do! I Do" for the Sixth Street Theater in Wallace Idaho. I first wrote about it here  under the title "Best Community Theater I've Seen: Bravo to Agnes and Michael". SVG was Agnes and I think the most remarkable thing about the performance was watching her age before our eyes on stage. It was like putting our lives into rewind in some respects.

 I can remember her wedding, when she was pregnant with her first child (who was sitting behind me all grown up), and the many times she has sang with her husband. At the end of the play as I watched her age even more it made me wonder what all of us have to look forward to.

 She will one day be the mother of the bride and a grandmother. She will also age gracefully like my mother has. The picture at the top was a favorite as my sister did finally look a bit older than Mom. A year later I can still say Bravo Agnes... a performance that earned two thumbs up... way up!!

The silver lining was that all proceeds were given to charity in the Silver Valley.

 In July the West/Woolum/Baugh/Coomer/ Mullikin/Roberts/Officer/Smith/and more gathered in Orofino Idaho for the Last Cousin Standing Hootenanny Reunion. This is where the memory of my brother Raymond Pert occured. Before we even got out of Moscow Friday my memories began with my brother giving a moving workshop to our writing project on "being lenient".

 I think the writing I did set the tone for a week-end of family, fun, fantastic food, coolers,laughs, Bloody Marys,Kalura, Derek's Potatoes, smoked turkey, late nights, hot weather, lots of dogs, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandkids, friends, and cool drinks.
 Raymond Pert and I did it. We were part of the last cousins standing on Sunday evening as the week-end began to wind down.  JEJ had left earlier to get home while it was cool. SVG and family had departed earlier with Mom.

 It was hard to leave everyone. RP and I knew we had to head back down the Clearwater River, take a last look at Dworshak,get a whiff of the pulp mill, meander up the Lewiston Hill and eventually land in Moscow as he needed to prepare to be the guest writer at the NIWP writing retreat and I had to get back into teacher mode to instruct the current NIWP summer group the next day.

The reunion was significant because we were surrounded by the love and acceptance of Mom's family that had been so much a part of our growing up. We loved visiting this family every summer. All week-end whether it was remembering our cousin John, Beaver Dam, Grandma's glads, Lila's roses, cousin Mark's trip on his tricycle, Norm, the Glenwood Market, Andy Godwin, or Lindy Carr... it was all good. My cousins helped me remember stories I had forgotten about my deceased dad. My brother traded fast break wit with cousin Lura while I shed a few tears with cousin Judy.

 When the day ended we did it. The last standing cousins were RP, myself, Lura,Judy,and Derek. I shared this week-end with the whole family, but RP and I began the journey and ended the journey together. We loaded up his collection of paper products at the beginning and cleaned out the empty cooler at the end.
My only hope is the next one will be sooner rather than later.

Hidden Gems in the Inland Empire: The Peterson Barn

 Recently I discovered another hidden gem in Moscow, Idaho. When I was organizing a leadership retreat last summer and it was a football week-end in the Palouse I knew there would be problems with lodging.

While searching for other options I found the Peterson Barn in Moscow Idaho. There is quite a story behind the building of this place that you can check out on the website. I have driven very close to the place while heading east on the Troy Highway, but never realized it existed. Take a tour with me of another of my newly found hidden gems.

 Here are the steps coming up the back of The Barn.

 The sunflowers were an amazing addition to the beauty of the place.

 The bench on the deck provided a nice spot for lunch in the sunshine.

 The place was surrounded by flowers, fruit trees, and fresh vegetables ready to be harvested.

 I loved the old gas stove and all the dishes and cookware to provide meals. I captured an image of the fruit on the table.

 

My sister joined me Saturday and as we were leaving Sunday we found a hidden garden room surrounded by grape vines. I thought she was perfectly color coordinated.The Peterson Barn is reasonably priced, it is a perfect location just off the beaten path in Moscow, and it is comfortable and cozy. To learn more about the Peterson Barn go here.

A View Through the Window

Windows that provide

 a view from the dining room,

a view from the barn,

a view of a farm field,

a view of the sunset,

and a view of a squirrel friend sleeping in the tree.

Touring Another Garden

 Saturday I toured a beautiful garden which belongs to my friend Elinor in Moscow. I am amazed how the blooming timelines are so different at our two houses when our climates don't vary that much.

 Every time I see her Judy Garland rose I say I need to get one.

The daisies were in full bloom.

I love this planter and she promised to get me one from the craftsman !

The Oregon grapes are a lovely color.

I love the shade of the coneflowers just as they begin to bloom. A lovely garden tour with a dear friend.

Here We Have Idaho

Another visit on the backroads of Idaho...

 

 

Along the Palouse, the rolling hills by Moscow, a sunset over Coeur d' Alene Lake, and a house the represents a time long ago.

Back Roads Tour

Today I took a quiet drive south of Spokane through the farm country to Idaho. There are times when you feel you are back in time.

I believe this is the original building in Latah.

 

I love barns, old houses, and small towns.

Sibling Assignment #109: God's Country

Silver Valley Girl challenged me this week with Sibling Assignment #109. "Write about one of your earliest trips to somewhere special, besides Spokane and Orofino, and why it was special, and what you remember about it." You will find her recollection of her first trip to Boise and spending time with our Coomer cousins here s and Raymond Pert's will be here soon.

At Grandma Woolum's house during the early years.

It was a challenge because as a family we didn't take too many trips outside of Spokane and Orofino. We traveled to Spokane to visit Grandma Woolum and headed south to Orofino to visit Grandma West and extended family each summer.  Those two places hold many, many memories of hot summer treks and dangerous winter journeys on slick roads. We didn't steer too far from those two locations. Dad was often working two jobs, Mom spent many summers earning her degree to continue to teach, and Dad seemed to only have so many days off for vacation.

Money wasn't plentiful. I am guessing that was why we didn't go to the Seattle World's Fair, San Diego, or Priest Lake . I didn't mind. It was fun looking at the trinkets the Absec boys acquired when they toured the Seattle World's Fair.  When Grandma Woolum took a big journey to San Diego we could experience her trip through the pictures on our ViewMaster she gifted us upon her return. A neighborhood friend VS went to Priest Lake in the summer. In my child mind that seemed like an exotic place days away. (Priest Lake is located north of Priest River, Idaho and we could have traveled there in under three hours.)

We heard stories of Tennessee and Kentucky where Grandma Woolum had been born and raised, but I never thought about visiting there.   I remember a painting that hung in her living room that reminded her of that place where she grew up. I envisioned Daniel Boone or the Beverly Hillbillies when I thought of her childhood home. Because of what I knew about my Aunt Hattie I guessed that all women in Tennessee  chewed tobacco, everyone talked with a southern drawl, and when anyone took a trip, it was always on a Greyhound bus. What I remember more about Tennessee was its' straight borders as we put together the United States puzzle.

As Raymond Pert and I put together the United States puzzle on the floor in Grandma West's living room I didn't know too much about many of the other states. I knew Uncle Ted had come from Wisconsin which I figured must have been a big place that made lots of cheese because of those gift packs we got each Christmas that said "Wisconsin Cheese."  Lots of Dad's kin ended up in the San Diego area so California was familiar. It was also a big piece of the puzzle that was easy to put in place. When there was leftover gravy at dinner Dad would get more Bogie's white bread and make Missouri pudding (which was  leftover pork or chicken gravy poured on white bread) so I knew that dish must have been served at every dinner table in the state of Missouri.

Dorothy was from Kansas, a president was shot in Texas,  Delaware was so tiny the puzzle piece could be lost easily under a chair, and Donnie Rinaldi had a sister that lived in a faraway place called Wenatchee, Washington. I was convinced most people still lived in igloos in Alaska and I did know the Yankees were from New York.

 I don't ever recall wishing to travel to exotic places like Oregon or Montana. I looked forward to the trips to Spokane and Orofino. I felt safe sitting around the table at Grandma Woolum's house eating a fried chicken dinner. It was a thrill to roast marshmallows in July by the fire in her living room fireplace. Coming home from Beaver Dam with a swimming suit full of sand was a comforting memory of Orofino. Lying on clean, crisp sheets in the front bedroom I always remember waiting for the air to cool as night fell in the Clearwater Valley.

Were there trips to somewhere special? Our family made a few stops on those trips to our grandmothers' houses.  Our many Chervelots transported  us to Mother Goose Land by Missoula, a Chinese cafe in Moscow,  a stop for burgers in Colfax,  a break for  a "cool one" in Deary or Bolville, a view of Lewiston from the top of the hill, spotting the checkerboard on the Ralston Purina building in the Spokane valley, and enjoying a bottle of pop in Peck. We saw the world's largest white pine on the road by Potlach, a baby bear that dad called Boo Boo while driving close to St. Maries, and miles of miles of farmland as we meandered through the Palouse.

It is easy to understand why I call myself inlandempiregirl. The rolling hills, single-lane highways, and pit stops of the Inland Empire define my own personal geography. I still don't venture too far from home. I love to travel the northwest and want to explore more of it. As I remember Cavendish, Clarkia, Colfax, Bolville, Deary, Uniontown, Peck, Harvard, Lolo, Greer, and Kendrick I recall the stories. Aunt Ruth was born in Uniontown, Grandma's family lived in Peck, the crops are doing well in Deary, Deenie taught at the school on the hill in Lanore, and Kendrick is the prettiest little town around. I missed the Seattle World's Fair and still haven't traveled the Winchester Grade, but through the eyes of a girl growing up in northern Idaho, I saw many special places. My dad always called in God's Country.

Mom and Dad ... the early years.

Writer's Block, Gratitude, and Wholeness of Women

"Women's work is always toward wholeness."- May Sarton

Recently I gathered around the table with a group of women ( and Rodney, our male leader) for a celebration and gratitude dinner for our friend Brenda (above with a glimpse of Sherry). A group of us serves on a leadership team for the Northwest Inland Writing Project and we wanted to show our appreciation to Brenda for all she has done for the organization. As I sat around the table at the Sangria Grill in Moscow with this group I marveled at the intelligence, stamina, creativity, and determination that was a part of each of the people around the table.( Above are Bev and April, then Carol in the picture right above.)It was only fitting that we found Steel's Writer's Block wine to toast the occasion. We loved that The Bard was on the label. Good food, blooming roses, gifts, grandbaby pictures, and much laughter all added to the festive gathering. As women we do often work toward wholeness whether it is with our life's work, our families, or our friends. I felt that wholeness of women around the table that evening.