Deep? Creek Paddle

 

How to spot an old lady kayaker. 

Look at the shoes. 

Look at the towel over the legs. 

Look at the long-sleeved shirt. 

Points on style for the Golden Girls on the water are pretty minimal. 

Still, those feet and legs are out there and the arms/hands are as busy as any other paddler. 

When you're on Deep Creek, which isn't very deep, and your only audience is your husband, who's almost as old as you, and the birds, turtles, ducklings, etc., nobody cares about your looks.

Yesterday marked my first experience in a kayak in two years.  

Last summer while dealing with the unpredictabilty of gut problems, kayaking did not fit in the picture. 

So, it was nice to get in a boat and do some paddling. 

We entered Deep Creek at the Kootenai River boat launch a few miles west of Bonners Ferry. 

I had asked Bill if we could go somewhere that was not in the direct sunlight, and Deep Creek seemed like a nice option, especially because we've never paddled it before. 

The first part of the trip was heavenly, with the sounds of birds interrupted occasionally with big trucks working on a project in the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge. 

We saw turtles, blue herons, cedar waxwings, baby ducklings and a whole lot of other birds.  Tiny fish were jumping, and Bill even caught on small lunker. 

We noticed all the way that the name "Deep Creek" seems to be a misnomer.  The mushy-looking bottom was visible at all times, as was the algae. 

Still, it was a nice boat trip. 

All went well for me until the mosquitoes took over.  The air turned humid and mosquitoes were hungry. 

So, my paddling increased in speed in an effort to avoid the mosquitoes, which I swear had lead feet. 

Overall, it was a nice outing, and we finished up just about the time the after-work crowd showed up with their boats. 

And, I noticed that nobody really seems to care about anyone else's style when they're headed for the water. 

We both agreed that it might be neat to go back to Deep Creek in the fall because of the huge cottonwoods along the banks.

As for yesterday's maiden voyage of 2026 for me, I enjoyed it, 'cept for those mosquitoes.  

Before we took off for our kayaking trip yesterday, Leslie and her daughter Faith walked over through the woods from where they keep their horses.  

They'll be making that walk fairly often soon while leading horses over to be worked in our round pen. 

So, yesterday gave them an opportunity to get acquainted with the lay of the land. 

The family moved here several months ago from Oregon. 

The horses have gone to the hay field today.  It will serve as their pasture for the next couple of months.

  

Happily, the pastures closer to the house still have plenty of grazing available.  Therefore,  when I get lazy and don't want to walk clear to the end of the lane, these pastures can be used. 

Thursday Throwbacks:  Images of past moments, places, animals, peeps, etc.  Enjoy. 

Just Summertime and Livin'

 

A little rain. 

A couple of lightning strikes. 

Some thunder boomers. 

Glorious colors in the early-morning sky. 

That's how this summer day in July started. 

It was nice, as was yesterday. 

With no immediate, major "next thing"  on the schedule, I could finally feel a sense of relaxation and less care for making disciplined use of time.

I enjoyed visiting with one of my friends long enough that a phone glitch cut us off. It was probably time to end the conversation, but we'd covered some good ground in our visit, and that was a nice change of pace. 

I even drove over to my sisters where we visited long enough for me head back home and suddenly remember the dozen eggs I'd left on the stove for hard boiling. 

Well, the hard boil progressed a bit: a couple of eggs exploded in the pan. 

The mess wasn't too bad, but one dozen eggs went to the garbage.  

I'll try again today and will definitely make a note to not allow anything outside to distract me from the eggs like it did yesterday. 

Then, of course, I'll have to remember to read the note. Just kidding! 😉 

I really appreciate days like yesterday because once again I could actually practice the definition of "laid-back." It's fun from time to time, especially because the "to do's" have already started mounting. 

I picked Lovestead berries yesterday, about 29.  

Both raspberries and blueberries are just starting to ripen, but it felt good to do the first picking of the summer. 

We have made good use of the garden lettuce for the past few weeks, and, so far, there's still much more to come. 

It's a welcome time without a full schedule for a while and definitely a time to take advantage of the empty slots in the day and on the calendar for fun stuff. 

In the world outside the Lovestead,  I see that the cease fire in Iran has turned into all-out bluster and bombing and insulting threats again.  

I guess when the USA lost out in the World Cup, we needed to concentrate on other world affairs.  

Couldn't our President do, like he did with the World Cup, just call someone who's in charge in Iran and tell them to knock it off? 

The day is young.  

The stock market is plunging.  

Maybe he will call before nightfall. 

Lots of dirt and heavy equipment on Center Valley Road these days.

It looks like new pipes for the Colburn Creek water line are going in. 

Farther east on the road before the intersection of Center Valley and South Center Valley, there's more heavy equipment and a lot more dirt showing.  

I heard over the winter that another horse stable may be contructed in that area, but I don't know for sure.  

In the meantime, it's fun to see the progress of projects which always start with dirt. 

I read about three former students  in today's Daily Bee.  

They were all fine young men when I knew them when. 

  Nowadays, they are all doing neat things for the community.  

So, I'll post a link to each story.  

BTW: the winemaker was one of our son Willie's classmates and the son of a former Miss Brown and colleague.  

Are ya listening, Stephanie?

Congratulations to all three!  You're from Sandpoint, and we are proud of you!

https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/jul/08/festival-at-sandpoint-welcomes-new-board-members/

https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/jul/08/spohn-approved-for-fair-board-seat/

https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/jul/08/sold-out-event-brings-winemakers-craft-back-to-his-hometown/

Enjoy the stories and Happy Wednesday. 

I used to the window next to the last stall in the Cedar Street Bridge lavatory was the best bathroom scene around.  

Over the past 20 years, however, I've changed my mind.  Our upstairs  window has offered some amazing scenes during all seasons. 

This morning's with the interesting cloud pattern grabbed my attention while zipping up my jeans.