Anyone who's ever fished for trout in Mirror Lake has probably met Mrs. Carothers, who runs the fishing venue there.

Also, anyone who's ever watched the movie "Dante's Peak" has probably seen her house.

Mirror Lake is in the Sagle area, which is just south of Sandpoint.

Mother and I went for an afternoon drive yesterday, and because it had been some time since I'd visited Mirror Lake, I turned down the road to the campground and fishing launch area.

As we drove down the hill toward the lake, Mother recalled when she first came to Sandpoint in 1945, that someone wanted her to buy property at the lake.

She chose another route and bought a house on Euclid before we moved to the North Boyer farm in 1950.

Mrs. Carothers told me yesterday that she arrived at this place in 1937 from North Dakota.

I don't know how long she's been running the resort, but I know it's most of my lifetime.

Her daughter Margaret worked as a volunteer with Bill when he led Boy Scout Troop 111.  Both of Margaret's sons, Gary and Neale, were in the troop, and her husband Gary worked for the U.S. Forest Service.

Mrs. Carothers' son Art also worked for the Forest Service, while his wife Kathy was my daughter Annie's first babysitter. 

When part of "Dante's Peak" was filmed at Mirror Lake, the movie folks told her she could have the lodge, built for the movie set.

She told me yesterday it wasn't quite completed when the Hollywood folks left. Took her two years to get it ready, and then she moved in.

I snapped a photo or two of the ice fishing out on the lake.

Mrs. Carothers said fishing has been good this winter.