Of Adventures in Town

Wednesday we headed into Coeur d'Alene to see what we could see. You know, embrace the wild excitement of the "Big City".

Well, there is no London Eye, no Big Ben, no Empire State Building or Golden Gate Bridge. There isn't even a snazzy blue glacier. There is, however, a very nice lake.

And a buffalo.

I can't recall now why there was a large metal buffalo gracing the streets of CDA, but it proved to be quite the local attraction.

Participants of Ellen's Bargain Hunting and Thrift Store Expeditions will be thrilled to know that CDA is also chalk full of thrift stores. I think we counted six on one street. There's even a GW!

For those who prefer to purchase their vintage items from a more "up scale" boutique, there are plenty of alternative venues available.

Cuteness abounds. I swear, it doesn't get any more perfectly small town America than this! All we need is a horse drawn buggy to pull into view.

No horses or buggies anywhere in sight, so we instead refresh ourselves with the culinary delights of the local ice cream shop.

Not as good as B & R, of course, but very not bad.

Of Views From The Homestead

North Idaho flora.

Mom in her blueberry patch.

Sunflowers.
The garden.

Blackeyed Susans. There was a lovely patch in the front garden.

The house from the side. Yes, very exciting, I know, but it's for perspective.

Bok boks.

The woodshed. I think it's kind of cute in a French shabby chic kind of way. (Don't tell my dad I said that. He'll be horrified.)

The rooster bell out front. They don't believe in doorbells in North Idaho apparently.

The view that accompanies my morning cuppa. I can't think of too many Costas or Starbucks with such a fabulous view, can you?

Of Beans and... More Beans

Now, according to my tour guide, Tuesday was to be a Rest Day. Which was fine and dandy with me. What the tour guide failed to mention was that Rest Day was only for me. Which hardly seemed fair with this mountain of beans waiting in the garden:

I didn't do much in the way of picking, what with sleeping in and all. (I have never been one to rise with the chickens, thankyouverymuch.) I did, however, get myself to snappin'...

...packin'...
... and labellin'. Very exciting stuff. Now there are enough beans in the Meliza freezer to weather a zombie apocalypse. Or at least the winter.

We did manage to get some resting in. After all, Perry Mason and Jean-Luc Picard both needed our attention. Who are we to argue?

Of Hills, Dales and Mysterious Toilets

At last!

The day had finally arrived. The day I would shake off the shackles of civilization and head for the Outback of Idaho.

But first, there were many, many, MANY miles to travel before reaching said Outback. And, of course, one can not pass through the Gorge without the requisite photo of one standing in front of Multnomah Falls. It just isn’t done.

We also made a pit stop at the local Home Depot for a potty break. Since I was the only one needing the potty break, I braved Home Depot all alone. Only to prove I’ve probably spent far too much time in foreign climes.

I asked the nice man standing by the door where I could find the toilets. He very politely pointed me toward a section of the store and informed me very cheerfully that they had a nice selection, even some on sale. I stared at him in utter bafflement.

Why would the toilets be on sale????

And then I recalled in which country I was currently standing.

“Er, no,” I said, cheeks burning, “I mean the restroom.”

Needless to say, the Parental Units were Highly Amused.

Over hill and dale, through rivers wide and valleys deep we travelled.

Past reproductions of World Wonders...

...and forests of Giant Windmills we sojourned.

Partaking of such grim fare as DQ and Wendys to keep up our strength.

AT LONG LAST!!!!!!!!!

We barely made it through all the traffic and HORDES of pedestrians, but we finally arrived at the spot twenty miles past the last outhouse where stood the Homestead. Of course, I had seen pictures, but it was ever so Little House In The Big Woods. Complete with chickens. And wilderness. And… and… NATURE. Egads.

Would I survive? Without a single Costa Coffee or Starbucks to be had? No Waterstone’s or Barnes and Noble?

Time would only tell…