Shannon Lake

Heading up to Shannon Lake on the old Hwy 2 trail...beautiful day! Not too many ticks! and a cold lake to swim in! ...and THREE of the girls went. This is a record! So glad the boys went too!
Sarah, Lucas, Ashlyn, Alyssa, Andrew, Jake, me, Will, Matthew, and Ethan

Yes, it was cold. Yes, some of them are in jeans. No, they won't do it again! Lesson #1: hiking in wet jeans isn't fun.
Lucas mid-air, Will leaping, Jake ankle deep, Andrew waist deep, Matthew on the rock

River Road Hike

Jake and Andrew looking out over Black Eagle Rock on the River Road trail.

We saw one sheep and if I remember right, an eagle. Fun to see! Their teacher

had "fun" trying not to nag about the edge and possible outcomes of falling over it.

I think these boys may have the impression of her fingers imprinted around their ankles

as everythey moved, the safety grip was tightened!



There's an old house that the years have begun to melt into the earth that surrounds it.

It sits just within the trees up a little rise off the old road. The air was like a downy

 blanket sented faintly of lilacs that grew between the house and the road. Fun stuff!



These guys were either the first or some of the first to make it to the falls.
Way to be!



Another place further on down the road...Will and Jake close to it.

Will is shows how leaning this house is! One day it will come creaking, sliding, and tumbling down. I'm not sure what the history of this is, but would love to know.

The intrepid Sarah, always the first to venture out somewhere! Here is was out on the log. The last hike it was swimming! She was the first to jump into Shannon Lake! Way to go, girl!



Mirand and Sarah...the only girls in their math class...enjoying a rest at the top of Black Eagle Rock on the River Road trail. Sweet girls and they hiked a LONG way that day!



Cabinets from the Bull Lake Side

Usually I see the Cabinets from the east side, but sometimes I drive the Bull Lake road and see them from the west. Also on that side of these beautiful granite peaks lies the tiny Bull River with it's grassy lined banks and many birds drifting around its currents and swirls.

Field Trip

visiting a construction site this afternoon! 

Looking at blueprints and scale

Using a carpenter's square
to create a 3, 12 pitch line



marking out the beginning of a pitch line

Ski Day

The teachers for the day...Kaya, Mark, Ryker and Lucas

KVCS has a yearly ski day. I have attended every year I've been here, but this year was the first ever year that I strapped a snowboard to my feet. On previous years I skied and sat in the lodge with computer, books, and coffee. I got a kick out of being the student as my kids coached me down the slope. Memorable day indeed...



Speech Meet Trip

 

8:00 Libby, MT- the kids were milling around the hall and outside, some holding their speeches. The day of the Speech Meet arrived finally and we took off for ID. The meet was held at Sandpoint Christian School in Ponderay, ID. The snow was blowing the whole way. We haven't gotten snow for a while, but winter does die hard =). The school was neutral, calm and new-looking. We adults met for a judges' meeting. When the meet began, I along with my neighbor teacher at KVCS were judging 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 8th grade speeches. Those little kids were so cute! We worked up to 6th and 8th grade and all but 1 were my kids. This does not make judging easy and I was glad for two others to confer with. I remember when I was a 4th grader reciting the "Ballad of Casey Jones" at the Spokane Speech Meet. Ahhh....age....the tables are turned.













After the meet, we all met whether planned or unplanned at the local Taco Bell...then everyone went their own separate ways. I ended up with 4 kids: Walters, Lucas, Ryker and Kaya. We went downtown Sandpoint and hung out at a little mall, Starbucks, a map store (yes, Tyler, you were right and you will see the poster in class), and the snow-swirling streets. The snow continued to swirl on the drive home. We stopped in Bonners for a quick tour of the deadly quiet museum. The kids got to type on an old-fashioned typewriter! Then stopped at Moyie to see the bridge from the viewpoint area. Thanks to Ryker who took time to read the infoboard, I know that the bridge is 476 feet high. I don't like driving over that bridge. The kids enjoyed the day...except for my music..."Could we maybe listen to some music from this century or even the last?" I enjoyed the day a lot too.

 

'Everyday' Blessings

The December/January view from the back deck. Isn't winter beautiful?! There's jewels everywhere you look in the winter it seems. Some of the icicles where 3 feet long! Impressive to a western Oregon native!




Christie and I went cross-country skiing on the golf course a couple weekends ago. Once again, the beauty God put into winter renders me lost in wonderment so often.

Ah! Love this place! Main Street Perk in Troy, MT draws in people constantly with it's peppy, warm atmosphere. [Ha! I just noticed they adjust the table legs just like I do =) ]

Waiting for our salted carmel lattes before we heading out to take pictures of the Cabinets.



Mom, this is the walking hill. Come join us!