Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer....

I had a flashback to the '60s kind of summer this year.  Remember summers when we were kids and it was non-stop fun from the time we woke up to the time we fell into bed?  The weather was great (even with some of the usual spectacular Idaho storms), we had friends and family come to visit, I met wonderful people through volunteering at the Soup Kitchen, Roger was here for a few weeks -- and the list of happy inducing moments goes on and on....

The jet skis were once again a focus of water activity and arguably some of the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

My friend, Laurie Vanderlee (left) and I enjoyed a spin when she and her family camped down the river. 









Roger (below) looked like a teenager as he zipped around -- reaching speeds of 60 mph!
 




(Next 2 photos:)  Heather Moe and her son, Neal, had a ball spending time on the jet skis.  The Moe family are now Sea Doo shopping!
The Festival at Sandpoint is one of our favorite summer time events.  This year, Heather and Don Moe joined us for Boz Scaggs who put on a fantastic performance under the stars.
Volunteering at the Soup Kitchen was a highlight of the summer for me.  I met wonderful people and saw the great work that service groups, churches and local businesses contribute by sponsoring the weekly lunches.  Not only do they help people in the community by feeding those going through hard times, but the Soup Kitchen also provides an important venue for young and old to visit each other.  Gary and Jeannie (below) gave me thoughtful gifts and the invitation to come back again next year which I certainly plan on doing.
Heather Moe (below) proved that you can teach an old dog new tricks when she taught me how to knit!  This is a perfect hobby for me to take anywhere I go, and while I can't envision me doing anything more complicated than scarves or pot holders, I'm enjoying learning something new.
Our friends, Dwayne and Annette Majcher, and Colleen and Ed Walsh spent the Labour Day weekend in Idaho.  Although Roger wasn't here, after a day on Majcher's boat, I took them to our favorite new business, the wine bar in Priest River.  The girls then spent a day together and had lunch at the Coeur d'Alene Resort (including the most decadent desserts on earth) and then continued to Spokane for some serious retail therapy.
So what's happening with Roger?  He returned to Panama for a couple of weeks in August and on September 1st, he took over as General Manager for the Mexican division of Cabo Drilling (who he has been working for in Spain and Panama) in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. 
Hermosillo is a city of almost 800,000 people and lies 250 kms south of the Arizona border, and an hour's drive from the Sea of Cortez.  http://www.gotosonora.com/hermosillo-son-mx.htm.  Roger is checking out places to live, so hopefully by the time I arrive on September 16th, we will be settled. 

A few months ago, I read in the on-line Calgary Herald of a web-based Spanish program http://www.speakshop.com/ , taught by teachers in Guatemala and lately I decided to give it a try.  I loved the idea that I paid a nominal membership fee to Speakshop, then pay the tutor (who I chose from several profiles posted on-line) directly.  The tutor, Claritza, and I communicate via Skype, a webcam and we also type messages on the screen so I can see the words as well as hear them. 

For the first few minutes of the 1 hour lesson, we chit chat in Spanish (which believe me, is harder than it sounds).  Since I left my Spanish books in Calgary, I thought I was being smart and used an on-line translation website to come up with some phrases that I could use in my next lesson.  I knew there was a problem when she burst out laughing when I said "El hoy es ventoso" (which I thought meant, "it is very windy today").  When she stopped laughing, she typed "ventoso = fart".  I guess that's what they mean when something gets lost in translation. Oh...such a humbling experience.

The weather is turning cool, and like the geese, I'm heading south.  Whether this next adventure with Roger is for a few months, or much longer, we'll just enjoy the experience and will no doubt come up with some memorable moments.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Hasta luego!

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