Almost time to go

 Our time in Spokane is winding down, we leave here next Sunday.   We haven't done much exploring; we've been here before.    Dinners in with Jesse, Erin and Annabelle (and Molly, of course), walks in the park and going for ice cream afterwards, a few "first" outings with the little girlie, an outdoor restaurant, a winery, maybe a trip to Green Bluff for produce, you know....gentle, easy family things.

Annabelle's meal was better than ours....

waiting for us to finish

The "right down the street" Manito city park is a fantastic place to stroll.   Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Lilac Garden, Perennial Garden, Duncan Garden, Conservatory, ice cream stand, and Mirror Pond (where a moose was recently seen submerged up to its neck, enjoying a respite from summer heat).  It hosts numerous concerts, Christmas light displays, etc. throughout the year as well as providing a peaceful place for families to stroll, children and dogs to play.  

Dave and Molly in the blurry background

 

Baby's first "hanging on mom's front"  excursion
see her little legs?

 

Annabelle is growing and changing.   She's starting to smile and coo (although the jury's out on whether gas plays a role in those behaviors....).    She's beginning to interact with us, hints of things to come!

day one, in the hospital

now a month old! (same grandpa though) 

kissing the New Orleans alligator

She enjoys her new things (we're guessing) and loves to watch the races on tv with dad.     She especially loves it when Molly joins the group.

her nursery lamp!

OK, no more baby pictures, but maybe just one or two more of Molly.

Molly greets us each day

don't ask

Molly's scoots at happy hour

In between times we read, walk, go out for a few dinners, make a couple easy repairs around Beluga, perhaps see where a new road or two may lead us, and try to keep out of the wildfires that are beginning to become troublesome.   Troublesome to us, devastating to many people who've lost everything.

Trattoria Italia

can I eat my Halibut now?

Beignet balls at Luna

the bar at Sorella

meatballs and chianti!

Dave had to repair our bedroom shade, which crashed down on me one afternoon.  He also ordered and installed a new Blue Ox towbar last week.   Our original one was becoming a little "sloppy" and concerned Dave, so out it went.      

bed worktable

Another time consuming and irritating problem we have here is the constant water spotting all over Beluga.    The grass and plantings are lush and beautiful, we appreciate their concern for the look of the place, but the sprinklers are often positioned so that they douse Beluga with as much water as the grass.    The white spots left behind drive Dave CRAZY, he's out wiping Beluga down every morning before they set and become impossible to remove.    First came the buckets over the sprinkler heads.    An idea that was rejected as soon as the grass started to suffer (as did I when the loud,  drum like noise woke me each night.   You haven't lived til you've heard high pressure water blasting the inside of a plastic bucket right outside your bedroom window at 2 a.m.)  Next came the interesting use of cement blocks, metal stool and wooden jack pads.    Finally, we found and ordered purpose made sprinkler shields.    Bingo!     No noise, no dry grass and no more water spots!

works like a charm, but we can't get the darn sticker off!

Bumping into like-minded people is one of the greatest perks of traveling in Beluga.     We've made so many good friends on the road, people we would have never crossed paths with if we lived in one place.     This trip it was a lovely couple from New Zealand parked next to us here at the Northern Quest Casino RV Park.    Stuart and Dave were both outside each morning wiping their respective MHs when they began to talk and commiserate.     Long story short, we talked and laughed and shared our life stories over wine and beer and quiche.     She is a renowned artist, currently working in watercolor.    Perhaps a painting of sweet Lewis is in the works?   Stay tuned.

Stuart and Carolyn

A drive into the woods,  into the mountains, or out in the desert renews us, always.     Finding water does too.

Jump Off Joe Lake

For a more exciting outing we drove the 4 or 5 minute distance to the Kalispel tribe's racetrack, Qlispe' Raceway.    We've been watching and waiting for it to open, they've been renovating a historic 50 year old, track and are just beginning to host drag racing.

It was a relatively low-key day of racing and we snagged the perfect parking spot, directly behind the starting line of the drag strip, alongside the staging lanes for vehicles waiting to race.    Perfect, comfortable seats, shade, water, an unobstructed view of the race and plenty of tire smoke and roaring engines to satisfy any real race fan.    We had a stellar day!   It was like old times for us, except no uncomfortable bleacher seats.

fashion statement?

see the racing snowmobile in the background?   Who knew?

a tribal elder watching......

Yesterday, things became ugly.    A terrible wildfire blew up not far from us (don't worry, far enough away to be safe, but close enough to be watchful) near Medical Lake.     It has devastated the area, latest estimate being 9500 acres, and is 0 % contained at this moment.     

a sobering view out my window

Yesterday the ominous plume of smoke rose in a blue sky.    Today we can barely see the nearby casino and the mountains are completely obscured.   The air is thick and smoky, we can smell it even in Beluga.    I probably should have ended this post on a lighter note.....but it is what it is.     Stay tuned, we'll be back on the road next week.

  

Summer update

 We've been in Spokane for about three weeks now, and I can't believe how time is flying by.   We're not venturing too far from home, as you might imagine.   Family time takes priority.

We did take a few days away to celebrate our 53rd anniversary.   Jesse and Erin highly recommended the sweet little town of Nelson, BC and it sounded like just the ticket for us.     We stayed at the Prestige Lakeside Resort, on the shores of beautiful Kootenay Lake.

I "borrowed" this photo from the resort's brochure.

 Our room had a lovely balcony overlooking the lake and facing the Selkirk Mountains, with enough marina and bird activity to keep us entertained for second cup and happy hour each day.     Ducks, geese, cormorants and four very imposing Naval Security Team boats worked the water below and the sky overhead was busy with Bald Eagles and some very low flying private planes using the next door airport.    

incoming over the parking lot!

Naval Security Team boats forming up

Given the quiet and upscale nature of the hotel and the fact that this was - well, Canada - we were surprised to encounter extremely fit and prepared (think flak jackets, helmets, side arms) men and women staying in neighboring rooms.    As we sat on our balcony we watched them emerge from the hotel and approach their boats, moored below.    They appeared to be there on some sort of military exercise complete with large, assault type rifles mounted on the fore and aft of the small boats, powered by two 225 hp mercury outboards.  

The boats would leave, in formation, each morning and return in the afternoon.   We never found out what they were doing, but it certainly provided interesting and unusual entertainment!

off they go!

We were only in the Nelson area for 3 days so we relaxed,  slept in, watched the waterfront comings and goings, explored some of the many lakes and forests and, of course, ate well.  We know we'll be back again, so much to see and do.   The restaurant scene is alive and growing, there is plenty of water and water sports, all levels of hiking, two large Provincial Parks, complete with glaciers nearby, and all this just a few hours north of a nice, easy, one-man border crossing.

guess who, eating guess what

Dave picks up Hungarian take out to eat on our cool balcony

we did a little rock picking after our creekside lunch....

Cottonwood Falls 

and, of course, there was wine

Back home in Spokane, this was waiting for us.....  More to come