This and that...here and there.....

As always, Roger has to be working on a project. A carryover from last year was to reinforce the new dock with cement. While waiting for the spring road bans to be lifted, Roger mixed and poured 175+  bags of cement -- fortunately a cement truck was able to finish the job and another big check mark was put on Roger's To Do list.  It's going to be great having close to 1000 sq feet of dock space to watch the world go by and for our mini marina!

With the dock complete, Roger started a job that we had talked about for a few years but it was always put on the back burner.  The discovery of a couple of bad roof leaks, the job of building a roof over the trailer moved to the top of the list.  While he was building it, he decided it would be Phase 1 of a cabin so reinforced the trusses and structure.  When the trailer finally dies, we'll pull it and the deck out, pour a concrete pad and put walls up.  It'll be about 850 sq feet which is bigger than the one bedroom condo we had in Okotoks. Over the last few years we've come to like smaller, open concept spaces so this will be perfect.  And I use "we" pretty liberally as I am generally the chief cook and beer server.

Roger built and installed all the trusses himself...you can see ropes are his 2nd man

The more ropes he has, the more I keep asking if I can help.  He then asks me to go on errands -- a sure sign he is into his MacGyver mode.

It's done!  No more worrying about the awning, and it keeps the trailer nice and cool in hot weather -- not to mention drier when it rains.

Ready for guests!!

Good friends of ours, Kathy and Randy Cardon, got hooked on Idaho and boating several years ago and just bought a 28' Bayliner.  We were there for the maiden voyage on Lake Coeur d'Alene last week -- a little chilly, but fun to experience with them.

Randy and Roger 

Kathy and Randy with their new boat.  They say the happiest days of a boater's life is the day you buy a boat...and the day you sell it. 

The Cardon's boat is moored at the Coeur d'Alene Resort...what luck....my favorite dessert restaurant is there too!

Everything is lush and green because of the rain we had over the last few weeks.  But the sun is shining, temperatures are rising and the trees continue to grow!

The trees were planted in 2005 - the Aus trees were just cuttings but have grown into beautiful shade trees

One of our favourite spots in Priest River is a neat wine bar called Noni's.  They recently had a wine and appetizer pairing evening which we really enjoyed.  The owner of Noni's, Julie, had us sit with four wonderful women and we all had a great time.

In answer to many emails from friends and family wondering what Roger is up to....he is heading to Guinea, West Africa on May 14th to be project manager for Energold.  At this point, he is working on a rotation and living in a camp (fortunately the client is BHP and they are known for having good camps) so I will stay in Idaho.  The company knows Roger is looking for a residential position, so we'll keep fingers and toes crossed and see what happens in the next couple of months. Stay tuned for updates and pictures from Guinea!

I've been making some of Roger's favourite dishes this week and his last request was to roast smokies over the fire which we did for lunch today.

The apple tree is beginning to blossom beside our beloved rusty tractor

While Roger is away, I'm going to go to Vancouver for a few days to look after our "grand-dog" Obi while Brad and Anette are celebrating their 5th anniversary in St. Lucia.  I'll have a visit with them too, when they return.  Then I'm off to Calgary for a couple of days and to Edmonton for our goddaughter's wedding.

I'll be back in Idaho on June 12th, so if any of your travel plans take you nearby, please come for a visit!


“Some of the best memories are made in flip flops.”   Kellie Elmore