Instructions for the Perfect Sunday

I have always wondered if it was possible to have a perfect day.  I think it would be safe to say that yesterday we tried as hard as we could, and came pretty close to success. 

When you wake up to blue skies and sunshine overlooking a gorgeous lake, you know you have a pretty solid start.  If you then follow it up with an amazing 30 mile bike ride on a paved trail that runs parallel to the Sopkane River it gets even better.  Throw in breakfast on the deck, consisting of an assortment of pastries from the local bakery, fresh fruit and strong coffee.  After that, grab your swimsuit and take a ride across the lake in a Stan Craft boat to Gozzer Bay.  Once you get there, take the jet skis out or kayak for a while.  I prefer the paddleboard (thanks Laird Hamilton- surf God) Take a break for a minute and have a cold beer.  The lake water is perfect - because it's warm, it feels cool enough to be refreshing, but warm enough to be pleasant.  

When you have had your fill of the lake activities, grab the shuttle and head up to the Big Red Barn for a swim in the heated saltwater pool at the top of the homestead.  Enjoy the scenery, because you are surrounded by green grass and pine tree covered mountains as far as the eye can see.  Lay for a while by the pool and soak up the sun.  Maybe play a game of darts or ping pong.  I have to say that Gozzer Ranch does an amazing job at thinking of everything you could possibly want or need.  When you have had your fill, head back to Eddies in the shuttle and catch the next boat back home.  Top off the day with grilled steak and caramelized onion paninis and I think you have it.  Maybe not perfect, but as close as possible.  

Repeat as often as necessary.  

Spaghetti Night at Eddies

Thursday night was our first Spaghetti Night of the season over at Eddies.  It was a great way to wrap up another gorgeous, sunny 80 degree day on the lake.  Nothing like a little jaunt across the lake in the StanCraft golf boat with cocktails in hand to start off an evening right.  The great thing about Eddies is the view and the chill vibe.  The kids take off right away for the beach to play and we adults can have a couple glasses of wine in peace.  Add to that All You Can Eat Spaghetti and you've got yourself a hit.

Bring the Pain

"Mrs. Candelaria, it's been two years since you have been to the dentist!"  I've never actually been yelled at by a member of the medical profession until May of this year and it is not an experience I would like to repeat.  Shamed and embarrased, I slunk my way into the dentists office just before I left town.  After a couple quick x-rays and a peek inside my mouth, the situation was deemed grim.  

4 cavities and two fillings that needed to be replaced.  Being that I haven't had a cavity since the late 70's, the fillings are from a different era.  They are some sort of  silver metal and have, I am quite sure, contributed greatly to my ADD, short term memory loss and irrational behavior between 1991-96.  They were cracking and apparently they are not the kind of thing you want to accidentally swallow while you are asleep, lest you could wake up with a third eye or the ability to pick up French radio stations.  "But I'm leaving town.." I said, hoping to buy myself some  time.  "You need to find a dentist in Idaho.  This can't wait." 

 So I found myself this morning at Lake View Dental Clinic, home of Dr. Bruce, DDS.  A seven AM dental appointment is brutal enough but add to it that I was unable to have coffee and Donna Summer's "She Works Hard For The Money" blaring from the speakers and well, you get the picture.  It was then that I remembered the magic phrase "I would like Nitrous Oxide please."  "Of course!"  One plastic nose attachment and some long deep breaths later and I was doing much better.  I think it was kind of a bad sign that the other dentist, an older gentleman with white hair, still wearing safety glasses, walked in, leaned down by my ear and said in a voice a little too soft for comfort "Now this is the way to start a morning, right!?" Why yes, I thought to myself,  especially if you're a crazy dentist with an addiction to laughing gas.  

Nitrous Oxide is a wonderful thing.  It's like a two cocktail buzz with no hangover.  They should let you carry a personal tank of it wherever you go.  It would come in handy on a daily basis.  Meetings with your accountant.  Before your brazilian bikini wax.   Parent -Teacher conferences.  A couple of deep breaths to take the edge off and make the day just a little bit sunnier.  I was starting to feel really relaxed, not even flinching when the 12 inch gleaming silver needle was injected into my soft gum tissue.  

Then they started the drilling.  I made a little gesture that was meant to convey  "you guys and all dentists should be required to have on hand and in stock those Bose noise-cancelling headphones because even if you cant feel a drill grinding away your enamel, the sound of it is enough to make your stomach turn"  when the hygenist said "Would you like some headphones?  Let me get you a pair and a CD."  She darted away and quickly returned with my listening options.  Country Music.  She flipped through a case of CD's and I made my choice.  The Steve Miller Band.  Not a huge Steve Miller fan, but it beats the hell out of Toby Keith for 2 hours.  

Headphones on, deep breaths, "I want to fly like an eagle...to the sea....." I chuckled slightly and thought to myself, "I haven't been high and listening to Steve Miller before 9 AM since Homecoming  of 1993." (sorry mom) It was then that my relaxation gave way to panic.  My mouth you see, is pried open, full of sharp instruments and rubber objects, drills and operating cloths.  All I could think about, all I could imagine was "what would happen if I sneezed?"  I pictured drills ricochetting and making holes in my front teeth.  Metal pokers being flung and lodging in my thigh.  "Don't sneeze.  Don't sneeze.  Don't sneeze."  More deep breaths.   My nose starts to itch and I think I'm done for when the Dentist pushes his chair away and says " OK that's good.  We are done.  With the top - we still have two more to fill on the bottom it should take about another HOUR"  

Now, I'm a Steve Miller fan, but he doesn't have nearly enough hits to get me through another HOUR of drilling.  I took off my rubber happy nose and managed to say something akin to "thanfs, bub I fink ib hab enouf fo today.    ill comb baf neft week." And made a beeline for the appointment desk.  Props to Dr. Bruce, and the lovely staff at Lake View Dental as the novicane is now wearing off and everything appears to be OK.  See you next Tuesday at 7 AM sharp.  I'll bring my own music.

New Kidd (Fawn actually) on the Block

Mark and I were driving home Tuesday night after an amazing tasting dinner at Angelo's - our favorite restaurant in CDA.  As we turned onto the street to our house, we both noticed some kind of small animal laying in the road.  As we got closer, we realized it was a brand new baby fawn that had probably been born just hours before.  I started to panic and wonder what to do - can we take it home? raise it in the backyard? when it got up and walked - wobbly - over to mom who was just off the street in the bushes.  They have been in our yard and the adjoining property every day, making their way down to the beach for a quick drink.  We also have a bird family in the birdhouse on the deck whose babies are just hatched.  If you sit quietly and watch, you can see the mom and dad fly away and then return moments later with a squirming insect in their mouths.  As soon as they peek into the birdhouse, the babies go nuts and you would not believe how loudly they yell for their share of whatever local grub (haha) mom is serving up.  Fun times.

SOPHIA'S BIRTHDAY

What a great weekend we had.  Mark came back from a whirlwind week in Phoenix and a quick jump to the heartland of America for a wedding and a little target practice.  (Who knew he had a touch of Dirty Harry in him?) After a quick flight out of Omaha Sunday morning, Mark was able to see his Dad on Father's Day during his layover at DIA -making his Father's Day extra special.  After picking up Marky at the airport, we continued to celebrate and had a great father's day, wrapping it up with Mark's favorite thing - a steak dinner on the deck overlooking the lake.  The sun is now out and temperatures have returned to normal.  It was in the low 50's, raining and freezing for the past week.  The house looks beautiful and all of the flowers are starting to pop.  There are deer everywhere and we have a "outdoor pet" as you will - a Marmit whom the kids have lovingly named Marty.  Cute little guy, but he tends to leave turds all over our firepit rocks.  Where's that 45 Magnum when you need it?  Kidding - only kidding...maybe.

Monday was Sophia's 3rd Birthday and we celebrated by spending the day at triple play - a sports park with go carts, bumper boats and an indoor water park.  (water parks tend to freak me out, but after a Silkwood shower and full dose of antibiotics I feel like I can continue on - yuck.  the things we do for our kids)  We all had a good time and wrapped up the day with Birthday Cake.  Happy B-Day Sophia.  We have a busy week.  Bella starts golf lessons Wednesday at Gozzer and Nana is coming up on Friday.  Sunday is the Ironman Coeur D'Alene and I am volunteering downtown at the race.  The lake is pretty chilly, checking in at a balmy 55 degrees.  Good luck to the triathletes.  Hopefully seeing them in action will give me some motivation to keep going with my training for the next race and next distance.  Loving Life up here.  How can you not??

SUMMER IN CDA 08

Well, we arrived just shy of two weeks ago, but with the sun FINALLY out and temperatures where they should be it feels like Summer has arrived!  We decided to create this blog to keep in touch with all our friends and family and let you know what's happening in the great Northwest.  Enjoy!