Theresa's Trivia: Bonners Ferry Get-a-Way

My prayer group friends decided to drive to Bonners Ferry and visit Mary Lou's brother, Bill and his wife, Karen. We made several stops to break up the trip. We enjoyed a great lunch at Moon Time!

We had a great lunch but our visit with other customers brought smiles to our faces. A gentleman and his wife were sitting near us and Larry offered to take our picture. He must've heard us praying or fussing about the transition to our new church, because as we were walking out he asked if we were Catholic. We learned Larry and his wife were visiting Northern Idaho from Texas with the intention to buy retirement property. They are not even retired yet, have teenagers at home, but intend to relocate when their nest becomes empty. We told me about each Catholic Church in Coeur d'Alene. Too bad we did not exchange phone numbers because we noticed lovely property for sale in Bonners.

Here's a picture of the B&B we enjoyed for a night. The school house, built in 1914, now has nine bedrooms for rent. The owners, Gene and Ruth Perry, spent two years remodeling the school building, adding walls and bathrooms, and new windows. They sought out decor from yard and estate sales. Ruth actually attended school here as a child.

Walking up the wide staircase reminded me of my own elementary school. An original chalkboard decorates the wall of the bedroom called "The Principal's Office."

Ruth discovered most of these plates at local yard sales.

Kathy ensured our stay would be a happy one...

The view of the Kootenai River could be seen from the parking lot.

Ruth prepared a wonderful breakfast for us and even shared the recipe for her Huckleberry Stuffed French Toast. I particularly liked her homemade Huckleberry Sauce and smothered my french toast with it.

We gathered for a picture before we drove to Bill and Karen's for dinner.

Bill and Karen cooked an amazing Italian dinner for us, but first we toured their incredible garden.

Karen told us railroad ties initially divided these flower beds, but eventually rotted. They hauled in truck loads of rock and top soil to amend the clay. She also told us she lost a lot of roses to the harsh winter last year. I noticed there were no weeds. "No problem for me, I really don't mind weeding," Karen said.

Country Style Gardening Magazine featured Bill and Karen's garden in their 2014 premier issue!

They are busy people... winemakers and interior decorators. Karen's artistic touch decorates every nook and cranny of their lovely home.

She used all these colors of day lilies for the table centerpiece. She told us, "they are called day lilies because one can pick them and they'll stay fresh, without water, for a day!

We all enjoyed a glass of Bill's wine! Kathy called it sweet, but robust! Notice the Bless Us O Lord.

Brother and Sister shared their Italian heritage with us. Bill made home made tortellini and lasagna. The way we've Americanized Italian dishes is no way like recipes were made in the old country. Pasta is fresh and thin and not covered with red, tomato sauce. Bill even made his own meatballs and then sliced them thin and spread it on the lasagna noodles! Yummy!