is there any more pie?

There must be an arrowhead in there somewhere.

Will took his shovel and dug a hole for me in which to search for arrowheads and the flakes and chips from arrowheads (I did not find any).

It had been a very hot day and there had been some humidity, too, so after a quick morning trip to town to pick up hamburger at Wood’s Meats, we came home to stay inside with the AC.  I took a nap and later on Banjo Man ventured out to hear some live music at the local market across the bay.

Will came up the hill later on to tell me that the humidity was gone and the temps were down and it was okay to step outside.

So I did.

The three of us spend our evenings hanging out on the beach.  We swim.  We dig.  We burn a little driftwood.  We admire the sunset and watch the boats go out and come in.  When the bats come out we head indoors to play cards and eat pie.

And so goes the Summer of 2020…

This morning, while having “Happy Birthday” coffee on the deck, Banjo Man explained that SIXTY YEARS AGO he’d spent his birthday on Pearl Island.

In case you’re wondering, he was 19 at the time.

Here’s a link to a Facebook page where you can see photos:

Here’s a link if you want to know more about the history of the island:

Pearl Island: From family homestead to island for the people

Banjo Man and I canoed over to “Pearl” in 1971.  And went by boat other summers for picnics.  It was a treasured vacation spot for the Kalispel Indians, as were the other islands in the lake.

Yesterday on his fishing trip with Bob, they cruised past Pearl.  It would have looked like the photo above.  Beautiful, isn’t it?

This morning I’m making the looked-forward-to pineapple cake, a Banjo Man birthday tradition.  And then a quick trip to the Pantry for freshly baked sourdough bread.

It is going to be 98 this afternoon.  Which means I will be in the lake, floating on my raft and staying cool, and Banjo Man will be ordered to leave his computer and join me in the water.  He’ll most likely tell me all about his Pearl Island birthday again.

What were you doing sixty years ago?

Guess who went fishing this morning?  Banjo Man and Will climbed into Bob’s boat about twenty minutes ago.  I hope they come home with dinner!  They certainly were excited about the prospect of catching “the big one”.

Tomorrow is Banjo Man’s birthday and he has requested make-your-own flatbread pizzas (on the grill) for dinner.   And I will make his favorite, a pineapple cake, for dessert.  With homemade ice cream.  We will kayak at sunset, as per the birthday guy’s request.  Temps are supposed to reach 98, so we’ll wait and see.

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon in the water.  Just me, the lake and a bright blue raft.  The water has warmed up and, despite the 93 temperature, it wasn’t too hot to be bobbing around in the water.  I alternated between sun and shade…and then there was even a little breeze.

I’ll be back again this afternoon, after a quick trip to Walmart and the Peach Man this morning.

Check out the new patio and the new umbrella:

My new hideaway.

Hurray for summer!

Last night I took the kayak out.  I didn’t go far.  It was sunset.  The water was calm.  There was a light breeze and a quiet lake to enjoy.

This photo pretty much describes my summer:  doing my own thing, enjoying the water, staring at the mountains.

Each summer is different.  There have been summers filled with family, when meals left the freezer with awesome speed to feed the masses of loved ones.  Summers of pies.  Summers of peaches, with case after case of the fruit waiting to be peeled.  I am an Olympics-qualifying peach peeler, you know.

There have been summers filled with music.  Many nights returning from band practice long after dark, unloading a dust-covered car of instruments, music stands, bags of sheet music.  Laughing with the band and having a good time no matter what.

Summers of music lessons.  Gigs.  New songs,  old songs.  Lunch at Trinity or the Pie Hut afterwards.

There have been summers of baby showers.  Parties.  Filling the house with friends.

Summers of company and showing visitors the joys of the area, from the Pantry to the Farmer’s Market to ice cream cones at the gas station.  Cinnamon rolls and sunsets with wine and morning coffee on the dock.

Summers with the grandson, with blueberry pancakes, going to the dump, ice cream, jumping off the dock, burgers, campfires and a “mail box” that held a morning surprise.

And now, the Summer of Covid, which we’ll remember as the quiet summer with Will.  Now that the Texans have returned home, the three of us have returned to spending the after-dinner hours on the beach to watch the sunset.  And then playing cards.  It is also the Summer of the Arrowheads, as we’ve found more arrowheads and flakes and chips than we ever have.  We’ve had many campfires, which we love.  Will knows I can’t resist a campfire, so when he wants company in the evening he knows what to do.

A social summer isn’t possible this year, but we are all grateful to be here, in the “Lake Bubble”, away from the virus and away from the news.  For now it is good to embrace the peace of the mountains.

And don’t we all need a little more peace!

Our beach is made of rocks.  Can you tell?

It’s a well-loved and much-used beach.  Can you tell?

Hidden deep under all of these rocks are arrowheads and bits of arrowheads and flakes from people long ago making arrowheads.

I found this one.  My one and only!

So we spend many summer hours digging for arrowheads and skipping rocks.  As the world goes up in flames, this is a good place to be.

Wednesday night on the beach.

Will organized a Comet Watch Party two  nights ago.  He’d read up on it, knew when and where it was coming and made sure all of us were on the beach to see it in the night sky.

It doesn’t get dark here until after 10.  And it was after 11 before stars popped out of the dark.

The Funny Grandson has learned to skip rocks.

Sure enough, the NEOWISE comet appeared above the mountain.  The younger eyes in the family could see it quite easily, but some of us (ahem) needed binoculars.  It was an astounding sight and we were all pretty excited.

In fact, we were so excited that we celebrated by eating pie.  At midnight.  Because there is no other way to end a Comet Watch Party than with a Comet Pie Party.

And yes, this is what you do without television.

Campfire brought to you by Will and the FG.

My friend Pat just sent me this.

I think it says it all.  We don’t watch television here, but I do keep up with the news online and I am waiting to read about something good.

It could be a long wait.

As I sit here in Lake Bubble Mode it is a relief to be distanced from all the bad news.  Escapism, maybe.  Healthier?  Definitely.

Will and I went to town yesterday because I had an eye appointment.  We drove through the recently reconfigured main street downtown.  The street is narrower, the sidewalks wider, the visibility is bad and finding a place to park will always be a challenge.  And there were people everywhere–so I guess the summer visitors have arrived despite the chilly weather.

Will wore his mask and explored the antique stores while I was having my eyes checked.  We ate lunch via the drive-up window at Serv-A-Burger.

Banjo Man got his fishing license and spent the evening on the dock with Will as they tried to catch something (they didn’t).  Will announced that he had worn wool socks on the last day of June.

He is not in Texas any more.

Monday night we finished burning the ugly driftwood.  I say “we” but I didn’t have anything to do with it except carrying the paper bags and matches down the hill.

It ended up being a huge project, coals burning until bedtime.  But the beach is clean and ready for summer.

Banjo Man built a stone patio as a platform for a chair or two and an umbrella.  It is gorgeous.

Patio in progress.

All we need now is sunshine.  Come on, summer!  Let’s get this party started!

Will working on the fire.  The assortment of rocks in the top right corner will be part of a new shaded patio.

We’ve spent quite a few evenings on the beach lately.  There is always plenty to burn and we love campfires.

We need to enjoy them now in case the fire danger ramps up later in the summer and puts a stop to outdoor burning.

We’ve had a few warm evenings, but many more cool ones.
Whatever the weather, Banjo Man and Will burn driftwood and I sit nearby and enjoy the fire.

My job is to give out compliments.

This is what you do when there is no television.  We do have streaming capability, but we have only used it once, when we watched an awful movie, THE HOSTILES, and even had popcorn.  Most evenings  we are happy to play a few rounds of Canasta and go to bed early.

Oh, the excitement!

We are saving the marshmallows for the Funny Grandson, whose arrival we expect will liven things up around here.

The beach will be ready for visitors.

Last Saturday afternoon we took George to Spokane, as he was going to spend the night near the airport and catch an early flight out the next morning.

On the way home we stopped at Kohl’s because I remembered I had a 30% off coupon, just in case anyone needed anything.  Well, the guys decided they needed boots and sneakers.  They wore masks, the store was fairly empty and we weren’t in there very long.  That was in Washington.

When we reached Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, we decided to grab something to eat.  Our choices boiled down to Taco Bell (drive thru) and a favorite pizza place (eat in the car).  After looking online at the flatbread menu at the pizza restaurant we decided to do that.  The parking lot was packed with cars, which was a surprise.  I went inside to order (it was so difficult to do by phone that we totally gave up) and was shocked to see that the place was filled with people.

The large restaurant was full, couples and families were waiting for tables, and the only people wearing masks were the servers.

It was pretty unnerving, especially after months of self-distancing and the occasional take-out meal.

I ordered and then escaped back to the car to wait.  When I retrieved our little pizzas the place was even busier.  It seemed so very strange, as if I’d entered a foreign country.

In the past week our county has been hit with the virus.  Visitors from out of town are descending on Sandpoint to enjoy the restaurants and bars and shops, but they have brought the virus with them.

So we are very happy to be in our quiet little cocoon here at the lake.  The guys have quarantined for two weeks and are, thankfully, healthy.

And they want to stay that way.

Campfires, kayaking, arrowhead-hunting, fishing and swimming are all part of our summer.  And Covid doesn’t affect any of that!

The view on our way home from Spokane.