One of the best missed turnes I've ever taken.

May 9, Trip To Helena Montana. Meet Tom.

Just over MacDonald Pass, headed down into Helena, MT

Tom and I at the Black Foot Brewery

Tom and the Pipe Organ at the Masons' Temple

Why I didn't get a photo of the auditorium with the lights ON, I will never know.

I know, odd that I took these pics, right... well i was fascinated by the Pipe Organ, what can I say....

Really great Old Seats....

Ledgers and Receipt Books from the early 1900's

These are dated 1930

All of these in the basement collecting dust

1913 Dues

January 26, 1895

Really great book binding.

RED DRESS PARTY, Portland OR, May 2, 2009

Another drive to Portland. no time to capion just yet.

First Kayaking outing on the lake...April 19th

My little home sweet home is in here... it's little, and i bet you can't see it....

As i returned, the clouds broke, and i witnessed the greatest Sunset this year.

These were taken over a course of minutes...

But i saved the greatest for last.

saving the best for last... i nearly missed this photo opp. I was shutting down my computer, stood up, looked out the side window, grabbed my camera, shoved the screen out of the window... and WOW.... if i do say so myself.... THIS is a great photo....

Last weekend. Home for a Memorial, and brief time with family and friends.

My sister Anna, Mom, and I

Cousin Mary and I, over at my sisters' for Pizza and hey howdy... It's been 2 1/2 yrs since i saw these guys. April and I... SHe looks fantastic... wow, we go WAY back.

Katherine Throgmartin....

aka

'the girl with the funny nose'

and I... aka

'the boy with the funny nose'

One act play festival, McCluer North H.S.

Kelly and I at KT's, where we met....

We so love each other....

Jason and I.... poor boy's been workin himself too hard.

Mom and I at Westport

won't tell you the Cardinal's Player who's restaurant we were at...

but disgustingly, it sounds like Poo-Hole's

Terry and I... we go back, back... back to my days as a photographer at Glamour Shots.

she came to have her photos taken, and we've been super close ever since. She was one of the hardest friends to leave in St.Louis

Skeeter and I... Big love for this boy.

did i mention that I broke two ribs because he left me alone?

hehe.....

Brenda Greg and I at Jims' Memorial.

Anxious for their visit this summer.

Dad and I. only was able to see him briefly. he was out of town most of the time...

Easter Sunday

Irritated that i posted a bunch of pictures of my wonderful Easter at Marje and Sam's, and captioned them all, then nothing saved... I'm just going to say...

Here's Easter.

well, what posted.

This is me with a guy that looks like Jesus, ON Easter,

what kind of luck is that?

April 9, 2009 FIESTA at Martina and Travis'

First thing's First.... when attending a 'Fiesta'...

it's important to wear a party shirt.

2nd, when bringing beer, try to match your beer to the Party Shirt....

I know... I'm a nut.

OK, so this is a St. Patty's day after gethering at Micki and Kevins.... I was corrupting a baby...

This is terrible, but it's funny.

January 15, Shelly visits from Vancouver WA

Should I point out, or did you already notice....

There's no one here but us.....

Peyton's helping sing....

Cindy Shelly Adrienne

Ok, let's take a closer look at that picture...

Shelly.... Who are you talkin to????

Uh, Yeah... Ummm.... yeah.

we're on the bar.... Yeah....

I'm leavin this one alone.... Notice the sign behind Cindy... Open Bar... Hmmmm.

OH HELL.... what's this about?

Adrienne, Patti, and Shelly

They're not lesbians, but they play them , when my camera is around.

Random pictures, Jan - April 09

ok, so i love the view behind McDonalds...

what do you see behind YOUR McD's?

Overlooking somewhere between Collville and Chewelah

View from my buddy's cabin....

Random picture from work, when i was in Cusick, WA

Sunrises, and Sunsets were always amazing at work.

A day at the Beach...

Since i came home from a long day at work, and the sun was shining, i felt inspired to put on my swim trunks, and enjoy a beer on the beach....

oh. wait... there's still snow on the ground... oops First step is a doozie.

Feb 27 - March 2... whirlwind road trip to Portland Seattle and home.

Ric and Maddi.... and me...
Will sits thinkin we're weird, until we confinced him to join us on the floor.

Rick and Will in the Tri-Cities

3 hrs from Home, 4 hrs to go to Portland.

Ricks Backyard, These are the BEST yard lights EVER!

Something about Ric's Utensil crock... it's so floral.

and to think this is DOWNSIZED from two crocks... he still has a drawer full though.

Finaly in Portland with Terri....

Ask how we met... the friendship could have been over before it started!!!

Terry, Me, and Andora

Sat. morning, i went to breakfast with a friend from H.S. Little did i know that breakfast would lead to a Snowshoeing adventure on Mt. Hood!!!

Becky (Chop) and Nate showed me some good fun, not an hours drive from Breakfast.

The sun was peaking thru, but clouds eventually took over.

Nate looks at the Dr.Seuss trees....

Putting on snowshoes for the first time.

I wasn't dressed for this adventure... but who cares, it was awesome!

Yeah, there was a lot of moments spent down in the snow.

(more her than me, but don't tell her I said that.)

Chop and Nate

GIRL DOWN!

Ski's came off for a slope... Chop sunk right into the snow.

"this is what snowshoes are for"

Nate enjoying some solice by the stream... It reminded him of a beer commercial

Chop!!!

Chop and I, with Mt Hood shrouded by clouds in the background

Nate and Chop

My favorite place, in my favorite town.

We ate appetizers and had some great brews at Full Sail

in Hood River Oregon

Sunday morning brough my 3 hr drive to Seattle to have lunch with Mark

I'm getting some tongue action here...

Mark was getting tired.

MONDI! This is my friend Mondi, from St.Louis, she was visiting her sister in Seattle, well worth the trip to see her since she was in the state...

she knows me better than i know myself, I'm still awaiting the bill for the therapy session.

OK, so i saw steve, and stayed at his place sunday night, before heading home for work monday, but he didn't feel well, so i took this pic as proof that i was there.... (i was tired....)

HAPPY ST.PATs DAY!

Crib and Snow and Beer and Friends

John relaxes on the snow bench, with Tony's designer cushions
Vicci-Rene and I

Eric and I

John and I

Tony, Me, and Vicci-Rene

Cribbage anyone? I was loosing... again.

John offers a greeting as i pose with the game board.

New Years' Eve

It started here... in the afternoon...

Just a few hours later
Janet and I, big holiday hug!

Jesse and Adrienne

Anne and I

Peyton and I on the barhopping bus

Two steppin' at the Rio

The night started wearing thin...

Jacob and I, enjoying the gayest night ever.... 12-26-08

A night of drinking everything we can find in his cabinets (this is only a small portion) and listening to Wicked and Roger Whittaker.... Always an interrestingly fun night!!!

Christmas Night WIth Adrienne and the kids

Daniel Opens His Posters, as Joseph guess what could be in his gift ???

WOW! A big styrofoam wig head.... how exciting!!!!

... But wait, there's more.....

Adrienne helps with putting on his new wig

according to joseph, "people shouldn't wear wigs that aren't their natural hair color, because it looks fake."

" I look like Julia, and Roxy Heart"

Shelby opens her gift....



How cute is she! A natural Pink!

The calm before the storm

Thursdays snowfall on the Lake :-)

2008 Christmas parties....

Julias' Infamous Bottle Snatching Christmas Party

This is THE party to go to... always a good time, unless you end up going home with some bottle of crap booze that no one has ever heard of....

Jesse is about to steal someones bottle.....

Adrienne is happy that she just opened a bottle of
Pendleton Whiskey! can ya tell?!!!

Julia's friend Ed, and his girlfriend Adrienne

The Burro Christmas Party

Michelle and I

Eric, Myself, Shelly, and Pete

Eric, Myself, Shelly, Tony and Pete down front

i LOVE this Picture

Michelle, Eric, Me, Shelly, Tony and Pete

My darling English friend Anne

Shelly, Myself, and Pete

Anne and I again :-)

Loretta and I

Halloween 2008

Shelby, dressed as Magenta (sp?) from Rocky Horror Picture Show, but for now...she's your

Friendly Local Subway Worker Girl

I didn't think to take any pictures of me getting ready, so here's Adrienne

Mother and Daughter

Me, Ade, and Shelby-shelb....

where is Adrienne grabbing me? what the ????

a Public Service Announcement:

NEVER use RUBBER CEMENT to stick clumps of fake hair to your head.

IT BURNS!!!!

October 25th, Callispell Peak, highest peak in the area

6847 ft, Calispell Peak

What I like to refer to as "the mountain accross the street from work"

Tyler stops to shoot his dinner. He shot his limit of 3 grouse on the drive up this Mountain

But his efforts on this one were spoiled by......

The Cell Phone, one ring, and the birds flew off.

The View from the Western side.

Nearing the top....

Two Mule Deer. It's illegal to hunt Mule Deer (females) because they're not too bright.

Obviously they're not scared of anything.

The Geological Survey Marker on top.

6847 Ft.

(Newport sits in the Pend Oreille River Valley, at 2100 ft.)

Pointing at Work, next to the Pend Oreille River.

Tyler my Mountain Guide.

There's a long story about why i brought a beer up to the mountain.

Saddly, it was so FRIGGIN cold up there, i only had a few sips, then tossed it, for the heat of the truck

Facing South towards Newport

Heading back down, Road facing Westward

On the Eastward side, the shadow of Callispell Peak lumes over the River Valley

October 25th

Goofy Morning at Work

Pretending i can fly.

Night out at South Shore Salloon

Joe singin' scare-eoke

Deborah doing what Deborah does

BettyAnn and Joe

Me and Peyton

Jose Quervo Baby!!!

It's all a little Fuzzy from this point....

tonight, 6:44 p.m.

Anyone want to join me on the porch for a coctail?

Enjoying an evening at home.

Wishing I had someone to join me.

I'm so lucky to have this place to live!!!

Wanted to share it.

Pend Oreille Co. BlueGrass Festival

I've never been a big fan of Bluegrass, but my Chiropractors' group,

Too Hot To Handle

Is fun to watch and listen to...

It was a perfect evening at the Fairgrounds.

The View From my front door

Taken sometime in July or August.

Exploring Lake Pend Orielle, Idaho

Over the Last couple of months I've been introduced to the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille.

I've visited the NorthWest area, Sandpoint is one of my favorite spots.

But Sailing from Bayview, at the southern tip, i found out the the Lake is far larger than i ever understood

Newport, WA

Sandpoint, ID

Bayview, ID

Views from ButtonHook Bay


Bruce's Sailboat, moored at Buttonhook, as we hike around a bit.

Bruce and Kodi
Overlooking the Lake, Bayview out of the photo, to the right.

The Structure in the water is a Navy Building that houses Submarine Prototypes

See next Blog Post for explanation

Bayview from above



Sailing on a sunny day, my first glimpse at the enormity of Lake Pend Oreille

Kodi and I
Floating Houses in Bayview

Scotts Big Ass Salmon

My buddy Scott has spent the summer in the Wilds of Alaska counting salmon. This is the largest one they had swim the river.

What an amazing adventure!!!

History on Lake Pend Orille

The submarine model Dolly Varden is hauled down to the bottom of Lake Pend Oreille in preparation for a buoyancy-propelled return to the surface during which flow-noise measurements will be recorded.

http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_11/submarine_stealth.html

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not long ago, Bayview, Idaho was the site of the Second Largest Naval Training Station in the U.S.A.

This is information taken from the Internet.

circa WWII
Farragut Naval Training Station on Lake Pend Oreille
Image from the Bonner County Idaho Historical Society.
Text (and image above) copied from the Sandpoint, Idaho Community Section
( A part of the Columbia Communities website of The Center for Columbia River History )
About 25 miles south of Sandpoint Idaho at the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille lies Farragut State Park. Had you been on that spot in 1942, you would have witnessed the construction of the second largest naval training station in the United States.
Farragut Naval Training Station temporarily became one of the biggest cities in Idaho. Built as a direct result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the site was picked because it was thought to be safe from coastal bombings and because Lake Pend Oreille provided an inland ocean on which to train.
At the start of construction in April 1942, twenty-two thousand men worked on the project. Each of the five camps built was designed to be self-sufficient, housing and training five thousand troops at one time. They had their own mess hall, dispensaries, basketball courts, swimming pool, barracks, and rifle ranges. As one camp was being completed and occupied, construction on the next camp began.
By the time of decommissioning on June 15, 1946, almost three hundred thousand sailors had been trained and passed through the gates of Farragut to serve their country.
One of the less well known aspects of the station's life was that it housed about 850 German prisoners of war, transferred from Arizona in 1945. They lived in comparative comfort and worked industriously at Farragut, whether in the laundries or at the Officers' Club. The propaganda they had been exposed to in Germany indicated that Luftwaffe bombing had heavily damaged most American cities. This prompted one American officer to comment on how privileged he felt to be able to show the prisoners of war the fairness and strength of the United States.

---------------------------------------------------------

Why is the Navy in North Idaho of all places, 350 miles from the nearest ocean? Mostly, to take advantage of the conditions in Lake Pend Oreille. The largest lake in Idaho and the fifth deepest in the United States, Pend Oreille offers a virtually ideal venue for acoustic testing. First, it is deeper than 1,000 feet over an area exceeding 26 square miles, and its flat mud bottom minimizes sound reflection. A low level of particulates in the water results in minimal reverberation and scattering, and its ambient sound level is less than the ocean at Sea State Zero more than one fourth of the time. Moreover, the lake�s water temperature remains at 39.5 degrees Fahrenheit below 300 feet all year, maximizing the repeatability of test results over time. Finally, at eight miles long by three to six miles wide, the testing volume is more than adequate.

------------------------------------------------------------

The Sea Jet Advanced Electric Ship Demonstrator (AESD), funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is a 133-foot vessel located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, Acoustic Research Detachment in Bayview, Idaho. Sea Jet - built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Wash. - operates on Lake Pend Oreille, where it is used for test and demonstration of various technologies. Among the first technologies tested was an underwater discharge waterjet from Rolls-Royce Naval Marine, Inc., called AWJ-21, a propulsion concept with the goals of providing increased propulsive effiency, reduced acoustic signature, and improved maneuverability over previous Destroyer Class combatants.

Janet and Joe Hurst's Anniversary Party Aug.30

Janet and Joe renewed their vows at their home on lovely acreage.

Everyone gathered, and "Too Hot To Handle" a Bluegrass Band played.

Debbie & Anne

Just havin a grend ol time

Myself and Adrienne sittin by the campfire, while a Jam session continues on around us.
Above, Stretch (Jason) in the back, Greg, Debbie, John, and Anne
Janet, Myself, Anne, and Adrienne
Above, a few guys i don't know, ;-)
along with Ben and TP having a Jam Session after
Too Hot To Handle finished their set.
Below, My Chiropractor, Bonnie Bliss plays the Bass.


Above, Janet and Stretch

Below, Janet and Joe as the party starts to fade.

Ben Jams next to Janet.

Random pics from the last couple of months

The moon over Central Washington in July

A Bathroom floor in a Drive In in Republic,

made entirely of pennies.

Morgan's Birthday....Aug. 23rd, (i think..:-) )

There are SOOO many things i could caption this next photo with......

Here's Renee riding around double fistin her beers in a wheelbarrel....

Morgans' Mom Renee

(Vicci to me, I'm John to her)
She HAD the Pink Rifle, the gift from her man was the pink hunting vest with the embroidered Dragonfly.... Go figure.

4th Of July on Shil Shoal Marina

The Olympic Mountains...

West of Seattle.
The Marina, Van's Boat is in there somewhere

Van and I

View from Erick's apartment,
he's a god for fixing my computer after nearly a year.

Happy 33rd Birthday to me....

So Tony and Eric asked what i wanted to do on my Birthday... (so this was back in June)

All i wanted to do was ride the carnival rides at Riverfront Park... took me back to childhood...

It was awesome!

Happy Graduation Shelby ! ! ! !

Joseph, Shelby and Daniel

Proud Mama, and the kids
Newport Graduating Class of 2008

My two closest Women

Adrienne, and Shelby

Shelby and I

This is hard to explain.... I had to pick Joseph up

because he was getting his sisters' heels covered in mud.

Don't ask........
Adrienne and I

My Mom will be so happy about this picture.....

Three Gernerations...

Georgine, Shelby, and Adrienne
Oops
Me with Adrienne, and the kids.
Sultry Women
Hmmmm..... Well, a picture is worth a thousand words....

A stop in Central Missouri...

After the Cancun trip, Josh and I stayed in Missori for a few day.

This was at his family's bar in a town i now forget... it was a long long night of drinkin, let me tell ya....

The rather interresting bartender....

Cancun, Feb 15th

Cancun

this was day one, the only day i wasn't sick with the flu.

so these are the only pictures i have to share....

These two became my personal partenders...
This was the last time I saw those sunglasses, glad they were cheap.

They quickly became the property of Miss Bartender

Women Love me.... what's all this about?

And i woke up sick the next day.... ;-(

A DEEP WINTER

Winter On Diamond Lake

Newport received more than 80 inches of snow. It was wonderful to see so much snow, but could do without it year after year.

This is my cabin, the one on the Left with the light.

The Snow walled walkway to my cabin
Tony's Greenhouse, He had to make snow steps to get down into it, to get the season started.

Lake Tahoe

late last fall I visited Tahoe with my buddy Josh and his family.

It's such a beautiful Oasis in the middle of a desert.

These are some of the pics i tood on our hike down to the Lake.

I LOVE THIS NEXT PHOTO

AS WELL AS THIS ONE
AND THIS... OK, I LOVE MOST OF THESE PICTURES!!!

I haven't forgotten about the blog!!!

I HAVEN'T HAD A COMPUTER IN AGES... HOPEFULLY SOON.

MORE TO COME!!!

Moon, October 26th/27th

The Full Moon as seen from Work, Friday Oct. 26th.

As the Moon was setting, the sun was rising and highlighting the Tamarack's on the Mountains....

24 Hrs Later, the Full Moon from home, over Diamond Lake....

Heavy Frost had fallen on the dock.

Early to Mid October

So these are so very late, but pics of Fall up here......

Labor Day Weekend

Just south of Canada..... such a beautiful drive in northern Idaho!

Josh , background.... Canada!!!!

Can't drive it into Canada? Ship it!
We decided to look for a lake... don't follow signs on dirt roads, they don't get you where you want to be, but you find great vistas like this.!!!



The ULTIMATE REDNECK ROLLER COASTER.

no kidding. extra seats bolted to the back of this pickup truck... four women on the 'coaster'

i have nothing more to say about this, you can form your own oppinion.

Elk Farm
This cute place had Deluxe Rooms and QUEER beds!!!



Josh was amused by the old phone booths up here.

Josh counts the rings on a fallen tree.... i distracted him so he lost count....
Ross Creek Cedars, in Montana

Labor Day Dinner at Mom's cabin.

Sunrise, Sunset....

Sunset on September 11, 2007

this picture of course does no justice to the true beauty of the live version.

just before Sunrise September 12, 2007

taken from work, just beyond the Pend Oreille River

THE PEND OREILLE COUNTY FAIR AND RODEO

OK, WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE? THERE WERE A BUNCH OF THEM... SILKY CHICKENS I THINK ?
i can't see....

I CAN'T SEE DAMN IT!!!!


HELLLLLLOOOOOOO I SAID I CAN'T SEE!!!!!!!!


My friend Julia's Son Austons' Steer he raised, up for auction, aprox value $2000
Julias' daughter Kenny's Steer, i didn't hear what it went for.



I actually sandblasted a good portion of this tractor!!!


Vegtables for Judging

Views from the Rodeo stands

THis is more about the mountains in the background, what a fantastic setting for the county fair

Camping Aug. 9-12 at Browns Lake

ok, so it's sideways. It's a joke that none of you would understand but we had charades at the last camp trip, and they were almost ALL marked 'words of wisdom'

so i bought a box, some popcycle sticks and sharpies, and we made our own...

some of them VERY MUCH un-actable LOL

Tony and Brandon
Scott from Seattle
Osprey over the lake

View from the Tent


jakob, brandon and Chad

Bruce from Seattle

and my new favorite love.... Kashi!!!
Chad getting ready to get in the Lake


Who could forget Baby

Bruce takin a nap on the lakeside.

Meteor shower.... not many, but more shooting stars than i've ever seen in an evening.

Mom's Birthday, July 21, 2007

Anna and I bought this Bench for mom, and the wrapped gift is from dad.

the sign reads...

We spent the afternoon with friends at Anne's Home.

Anne and Tony look through Photos from Anne's extensive journeys

Anne's Cross-Eyed Cat.... a rescue, and such a cutie! Adrienne, Tony and Eric stand before what is jsut the beginning of a gourmet dinner

Poor Tony, not sure which drink to have next....

Home Made Tiremisu. No candles were available....

July 4 Trip To Granite Falls With Mom and Sis.

July 13-15 Sullivan Creek Campground with some Spokanites

At the base of the tree, there's extensive Beaver Damage...

This Big Tree on the Right is going down any day now!!!

Brandon and his swim toys
Tony
Everyone workin their way into the Lake

I kayaked out, and this is a view from accross the lake.

Big and Beautiful Sullivan Lake


Tony and i having a water fight.

Scott

Proof that i was there....




Jakob Jumping off of the Bridge...

Ready Set GO!

Chad and Scott making S'mores

Night View of the Creek





Scott's Pride and Joy, his Audi Quatro TT

he drove over from Olympia (south of seattle) so he could drive me (and my kayak) up to the lake, around the 35 m.p.h. curves at 65 m.p.h.

pass people with little room to spare with oncoming cars.....

Sullivan Creek






Our Tent on Sullivan Creek

Charades Friday night.
Jakob and Brandon

Views from the Creek








Canopy of trees late at night.

More Charades... two words....







Somehow this next picture is supposed to represent Russia....

we never really figured out how.... More Charades...

Eric.... First Word.....

Cleaning up, weekend's almost over,

and scott has another 6 hrs after he drops me off

(did we leave Baby behind?)

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner"

The Lavender Festival....An Epic Event

For more information......

http://www.lavendercreek.net/

Leaving Mom's tonight, i encountered and almost ran into this big guy.... I've been waiting a long time to see a moose with a rack... What a beauty.!!!!

In reply to an email i sent out with these photos, My buddy Joe sent me this back, I HAD to share it....

Love me some moose! Used to have meese all the time in Norway. They would routinely scare the shit out of me and the dog on our walks down to the river. I even had a moose rider on my car insurance, since there are 2000 moose deaths a year on Norwegian roads. Important safety tip: if you are about to run up on a moose like that again and you're probably going to hit it, aim for its ass. Why? Because a moose will never back up or turn around; when startled it will only run straight ahead. You'll minimize damage by swerving toward where it is moving FROM.
Moose is delicious. Never turn down a gift of moose for the freezer. Or at least don't drive off from the carcass you just killed on the road, assuming your car isn't totaled...

XOXOX
Joe

Birthday camping at No Name Lake

June 9, a day with Adrienne, Daniel, and Joseph before they head to Wyoming for the summer.

Heading down to the river at Elk Park

David and Daniel on the playground.

Happy Birthday To Me

Rec'd my Bday present a little early, picked it up Monday and headed straight for the lake..... So happy to have another kayak!!! Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Hello and Happy Memorial Day!

Hello and Happy Memorial Day!

Hello and Happy Memorial Day!

Sorry the blog is so far behind, I'll get caught up soon i hope!!!