Joanne

Joanne
My life and crafting times.

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Motorcycles and friends

This past week we have spent a lot of time with friends and motorcycling. 

Last weekend Arianna and I went down to Spokane with our friends Brian, Joanne and family. Brian towed the trailer down, Gwen drove the motor home and I drove our little Vitara with Arianna and Alex in the back seat.
We stayed at an RV resort and took little trips into Spokane.  Brian and Joanne went to the local Harley shop and test drove one bike (much to their dissatisfaction! Only one used one could be test driven)

It was a quick trip and we were home again by Sunday night.

Joanne, my bestest buddy went into the local MVB and wrote her class 8 passing with flying colours!! It was a few days before she get onto a bike. But alas finally on Monday Jim was able to take her out to the college for some learning. She has ridden a dirt bike for many years and was familiar with a bike. Only this is a road bike and they handle a bit differently. But she adjusted pretty quickly and off they went onto the road. 
Tuesday was a big day for us all. We went for a very nice bike ride for the day. Left at about 9:30 am and returned at 5 pm! It was an amazing day for the road. Joanne did very well and no accidents were to be had. 


Brian and Joanne ... Jim and Joanne ready for a days ride.

The Joannes at the end of a fantastic day.

I think that is about it for now. 
More riding to come with these friends this coming weekend. 
Have a great rest of the week and onto the weekend.

Joanne

Monday 22 July 2013

Down south of the border

Good morning. 
I wish I can say I have been really busy but that is not the case. I took a couple of days to just do little things like laundry and babysitting kids while their parents went out for a much needed day on their motorcycle. A big highlight though was our nephew Jeremy came for a visit. We were very excited to see him. He will be 19 next month. He is so much like his father, Jim's brother Fred. 

Jeremy probably from last summer.


I few days ago I said I would post our little trip down to Kellogg/Wallace Idaho.
After a week of camping at Syringa we left for Kellogg Idaho. It is about a 5 hour drive or so but when you are towing a 30 foot trailer behind you ... lets just say it takes longer. Not to mention stopping for lunch in North Port, some Walmart shopping in Colville and a little shopping at Cabella's in Ceour D'Alene. (they have some delicious fudge there)

We called home for those 5 days at the Crystal Gold Mine RV park in Kellogg Idaho. This is adjacent to the mine tour. It is quite the operation. Got there on Thursday night. 
Friday morning we just had to walk to the mine tour. It was a good tour and I learned a lot about mining in the late 1800's

The group of us at the Crystal Gold Mine tour.
 At the end of the tour we got to pan for gold in some baths. It was fun, I was bound and determined to get some gold. I did find a few flakes too. 
I found some gold in them thar tubs.




Our friends the Craigs, which I am sure you are getting to know by now are celebrating their 13 year of marriage! Thirteen years ago they came to Wallace for part of their honeymoon. The doorway you see them standing in front of in the picture below is the where they went up some stairs to a small hotel. The Ryan Hotel. It is quite old and the furnishings are from the late 1800's or maybe the early 1900's. You wouldn't know it from looking at it from the outside door! After 13 years of marriage this is the family they have now.
Brian, Alex, Joanne, Elizabeth and Stephanie Craig


After a bit of touring in Wallace we decided it was time to eat lunch. Stephanie really wanted to go where there was a spaceship. Jim had done some net touring finding this restaurant "Red Light Garage" Both were in the place! How fortunate. The restaurant has a huckleberry shake (among other huckleberry delights actually the whole town has huckleberry stuff). The restaurant is full of antiques and other things of interest. I am sure there was at least a license plate from every year and every State!
Alex, Arianna, Elizabeth and Stephanie in the spaceship


 Just to show you a sampling of the interesting things in the Red Light Garage here are the kids making funny faces. They are seated in the tub sofa. There is a little painting at the back of the tub. What fun and such interesting things. Can you see the wall in the back ground. This place could keep you busy looking at all the walls and ceiling.
Arianna, Alex and Elizabeth in the tub/sofa

The following day we went on the Sierra Silver Mine tour. It is in Wallace but on the outskirts of town. We took a trolley to the mine.  Most of the section of the mine that we toured was a class room. They showed you how they worked a mine. The machinery works and Bob demonstrated it. One part showed you how the explosives work. But it was only red lights that would demonstrate the sequence. The last part of the tour actually went into real mine.
Our little group just shortly before entering the mine.
 While we waited for the tour to begin and Bob our guide did his introduction we got to watch many chipmunks hoard the seeds laid out for them. Not only were there adult chipmunks we saw many little ones too.
Can you see how full his cheeks are?


Another place we went to was in Kellogg. Silver Mountain are gondolas that go up to the skiing mountain. The gondola ride is about 20 minutes up the mountain. It is gorgeous at the top. We brought a picnic lunch. Sitting outside near the restaurant/cafeteria we ate our food and enjoyed the scenery. There was even a little playground for the kids to enjoy.
Silver Mountain


At the bottom near the end of the day (about 4 in the afternoon) we stopped to have our picture taken, Our aim was to get the picture with one of the gondolas over our heads as it came in. Not successful at all. But here we are ready to be on our way to the next stop.
At the entrance to the Silver Mountain gondolas

Between Wallace and Kellogg there is monument that was erected after a disaster in 1972. The Sunshine mine had a fire in it. Smoke and carbon monoxide killed 91 men. 
Monument of a miner
That was pretty much our trip south. We did get to do some shopping. 
On our way home we stopped in Ceour D'Alene at Costco. Loaded up the trailer and away home we went.
Three are  a few sites you can look up what is in Kellogg and Wallace. Look and you will find interesting things especially in Wallace.

Joanne

Thursday 18 July 2013

Summer is a very busy time!

After Arianna is out of school I find that I am spun into a busy vortex.
Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year. In fact it is my favorite time of year.


Every year we have our annual camping at Syringa Provincial campground.
Not as many families this year but it was still a lot of fun. How does a week of camping go by in the blink of an eye? 
Last year for the first 4 or 5 days it poured rain. 
Not this year. I am so thankful for that.
Families started to arrive Thursday afternoon. We were surprised with one family we didn't know were going to be there. So happy that Keri and her boys were there even though it was just one day of our stay.

Keri packing up her camp while I visited.



Stephanie likes to sleep in her tent. She has been doing this for years. Last year she bought herself a nice sized tent.
Stephanie and Hammah setting up the tent

Jaime talked about making fire starters last year. We never did get around to making them over the winter. So she took it upon herself to make each camp a set of them. Thank you Jaime!
Jaime and Joanne with the fire starters.

 Our second annual progressive dinner at Jaime, Janet and Gordon's campsite to have delicious salads (rice and Caesar)Not a huge group but a lot more manageable. And what fun we had!
The whole gang for the 2nd Annual Progressive Dinner
Jaime, Janet and Gordon the hostess' for the first course
 I don't have a picture of the next stop which was our site with seafood skewers (course #2)
Course #3 Shana serving up vegetable skewers
 The following stop was at Joanne and Brian's site for course #4 with delicious steak bites and garlic bread. 
I did take pictures but not a good one of Joanne serving up the delectable food.
Our next and last stop was at Darlene and Dave's for desserts. Darlene is an amazing baker and she didn't disappoint. She served ice cream with all the fixings you could have wanted and then some.
Course #5 Desserts at Darlene and Dave's site.
The finally of the night was our campfire get together.
Shana and Myles popping popcorn over the fire. No smores needed this night.


One of the dogs that comes camping every year is Buster. He is a rottie/lab cross. Buster loves the water. You can tell he has lab in him because he loves to retrieve kids, logs, sticks etc. But his very favorite are logs ... big ones! 
Buster retrieving a log with the kids on it. They just have to come ashore!


One of my favorite things while camping is watching all the butterflies.
Here one landed on my foot as I watched the kids and dog play in the water. Joanne my ever faithful friend was there too.
Small butterfly on my Keen


Last year we walked to the beach and saw about 20 butterflies on the sand drinking the water (I think that is what they are doing).
This year we didn't see as many but here are a few that did come to entertain us.
I wonder if these are monarchs as well?


A few days after we started camping Jim had to go in and have a wisdom tooth extracted. An oral surgeon had to come in for this procedure. After the tooth was extracted Jim needed to rest a lot. Here Jim and Arianna lay in the new hammock we gave him for father's day. He really appreciates this mode of relaxing.
Taking it easy after surgery.


Every night we have a fire with roasting marshmallows and making smores, Texas smores that it.
Janet and Jaime roasting their Texas smores over the fire and a few of the other campers.


Of course what would camping be without the beach and playing in the sand.
Myles, Elizabeth and Arianna making hot tubs in the sand. It was a lot of work

Another fun thing we get to do thanks to Brian. BOATING!
The kids all wanted to go for tubing time. I think Elizabeth was the first lucky person to go out on the tube.
Brian with his boat & Elizabeth ready to be swept away on the tube.


Boris is the smaller member of our canine group. He is probably not much more than a couple of pounds. Jaime is his owner and she got him a life jacket. The life jacket even has a handle on it.
Jaime has seen a dog drown and never wants this to happen to her beloved Boris. So he may not like the jacket but he will be a live unhappy puppy.

Boris' new life jacket.




Darlene had suggested we all make stepping stones. Here are all 12 decorated stepping stones.
Stepping stones

One of Joanne's bucket list items for this summer was to get a ride with Jim on his bike. He has a Mustang seat which is very comfortable.
One more thing crossed off Joanne's summer bucket list.

This was the first part of our camping adventures. One whole week. 
Tomorrow I will share our trip down south of the border.
Stay tuned for adventures in Kellogg and Wallace Idaho!

Joanne