#236

The view from the front window doesn't change much from one year to the next, maybe this year the lake is frozen more, but that is a subtle difference. The pine and cedar boughs still frame the vista, snow in foreground followed by the white ice covered water, then the islands and finally the Selkirk Mountains. I can't remember how many years we have been coming up to these cabins at Hill's Resort. I'll check last year's blog post when we get reconnected to the web; I think I figured how many times we have been here in that past entry. The point is that even though it has been 365 days since we last looked out these windows, there is so little change, there have been great personal changes in our group and in the world over the last year, but our little cabin retreat has not changed much.

Yes, the couch is new and we have discovered that the pots and pans are different, but let's look at our group and note those changes. Raina has married Dean Weyen and so we are meeting her new husband for the first time. Bridget is dating Dennis so she no longer is the single person in attendance, which to her was always a bit of an issue. Rob and Julia could not attend this year; we'll blame that on Rob's new Magistrate Judge-ship, just because we like to tease him about all the attention he is getting in that new position. Each year this trip brings together a little different group, but each year it is always a fun and relaxing retreat from the February doldrums.

We started gathering at about 1:00 PM. Linda and I checked into the Resort and as we loaded up to go to the cabin we ran into Raina and Dean. They traveled up from Kendrick, leaving at 5:00 AM. As they walked to the cabin we drove the truck over and parked to unload. The next half hour was filled with a flurry of activity. We started the fire in the fireplace, organized the food, settled into the rooms and of course started drinking. We received a call from Bridget and within an hour and a half Dennis had escorted Bridget to Hill's without getting her usual speeding ticket.
As the light of the day turned to dark, we sat in the warmth of the cabin and proceeded to get to know our new friends. Bridget cooked a wonderful Greek shrimp dinner which she served with a green salad and foccocia bread. Toasts were made and we laughed and talked.

At 8:00 PM I walked to the bar and watched the Zags game. Sitting in a bar, sober, with a bunch of drunken people around you is a very interesting thing to do. The straight shots that some folks can consume is somewhat unnerving. The only thing I hoped was that they were staying at the resort and not driving on the highways. Gonzaga was winning, but I left at half time because they were not playing well. It seems that the Zags just can't get it together this year and dominate; they just squeak by.

Back at the cabin we all talked till about 9:30 PM and then, one at a time turned in and went to bed.

Reversing the pattern from the previous night we all woke up. We ate breakfast and put on our hiking gear. We snowshoed for about an hour, hiking over the frozen lake and then returning via a lakeside hiking trail. We were out hiking for about two hours and when we returned we ate and most of us took naps. Our dinner was prepared by Raina, we had enchiladas and salad. It was "gooder" because we cooked it with the top cracked open a bit.

After the great meal we sat around the fire place talking and laughing. It was a lot of fun getting to know everyone. We stayed up just a bit longer than the previous night.

Monday morning everyone was up and packing very early. Raina and Dean left first and headed to Sandpoint to visit Raina's sister. We got our truck loaded and left about an hour later. Bridget and Dennis were headed to Sandpoint also, but since we left before them their departure time is a mystery. I think Linda is planning next year's visit already. I'm sure she has secured our cabin; it wouldn't be the same if we didn't get #236.

Four Days In and Getting Acclimated

Acclimated is an interesting way of saying that we are getting used to the tons of snow we ran into in 2009 as we returned to Idaho. My muscles are getting a little less sore, which means that my wrists don't scream in pain when I hold my electric toothbrush up in the proper brushing position. My back no longer is knotted up to the point that I walk like Quasimodo, and children run from me. All this because I used shoveling my roof to help acclimatize to this Idaho white stuff.

As part of our ten step reentry program we drove out to John and Loretta Sutherland's today and had a wonderful breakfast with them. We talked trips and fishing, then John sprung the surprise news on us. They bought a new boat for Christmas. My kind of present I might subliminally suggest to my wife. They bought a Weldcraft 240 Cuddy King, a fisherman's dream boat. We talked about the boat, John showed me the brochure with pictures and I wiped the drool off my chin, while Linda kicked my shin from under the table.

Once the breakfast settled, we hiked down to the lower storage building and with weak knees I explored the new Cuddy. Did I say that this was a fisherman's dream? They dragged me away after we explored and we donned our snowshoes.

The sun was blazing as we hiked about a mile loop around their property. John pointed out the ridge that he got his deer on last fall and showed me where his property line backed up against the US Forest Service land. We came across several areas where the elk had been bedding down, and there were tracks everywhere. Snowshoeing was great! It was fluffy enough that walking was a workout, but you could go just about anywhere. We were heading back to the house, along the Northeast boundary of their property when we walked down a wind swept slope. I caught my shoe on a branch and launched myself head first down the hill, somewhat like a four man bobsled. At the bottom of the hill, John stood and watched the spectacle. Scout and Kobi, the dogs of the great white north, did not hesitate and immediately licked me in the face. I was a bit tangled and with the wet willies I was receiving it was a bit embarrassing to say the least.

I got myself together and we hiked on, arriving at the house within about ten minutes. Once we stripped off the snow gear, we all gathered around the couch and looked at our Mexico photos. By the time we were finished it was time to get back home, Kobi was beat, I was beat up. Well at least my pride was. Linda and I hiked down to the truck and as we drove out the driveway I looked over my shoulder to where the new boat was sheltered and said to myself, "Now that's a fishing boat!"