Palouse River Hike

The Lewiston Hiking Club bi-montly hiking season began today with members enjoying a muddy start, but warm weather and lively conversation along the Palouse River near Colfax.  The organizers admit this hike is flat, flat and the perfect hike for early March.  Scott and Carol invited me to ride to Colfax with them and I felt lots of excitement when they told me we'd be picking up Mary Aegerter in Uniontown.  Mary wrote a hiking column for the Tribune in the 1990's and she's the author of the hiking book, "Hike Lewis and Clark's Idaho."

 I've visited her website www.hikingfromhere.com/ many times.  She told us about all the hiking trips she's already planned so we felt lucky that she could join us today.  Her stories are fascinating.  She talked about hiking into a trailhead in Oregon just so she wouldn't have to drive a windy, bumpy road.  She mentioned bringing fresh fruit to a young woman who manages a lookout near Lostine, Oregon.  And guess what else she does?  Knits at least 20 pair of socks a year.  As we were driving to Colfax she pulled out her knitting bag.  "I am not good at just sitting," she said.  She knits in the car, at home, around a campfire, sitting by a river, or at a meeting.  I immediately fell in love with this woman!!

Margey,  unknown, Cam, and Mary!

The actual hiking is great exercise and wonderful for the physical body, but I also enjoy the social aspect of these hikes.  I met Joan and Cheresse, both from Oregon, who only became friends after their families moved here.  These women are major gardeners who also can tons of home made salsa each year.  Joan lives in the former Pike home, on a big hillside, and her garden is totally terraced to fit the hillside.  We said over and over again, "what a small world."

Joan and Cheresse

Appreciating the basalt rock formations along the Palouse River

Margey hikes and backpacks with Sue, the daughter of one of my favorite residents, Catherine.  Sue and Margey both recently retired and are finding new life outside work by enjoying many overnight hiking trips.  I have so much to learn from these active women who know how to do retirement.  I'm honestly not so sure about back packing.  I think I'm too old to sleep on the ground.  Other fun facts from these women - they make their own snacks, such as dehydrated yogurt, hummus, and dried apples.  I'm inspired by those who don't eat meat and insist on growing their own food!  I enjoyed everything about the day, including a long nap when I got home.

Spring Bike Ride

T'was a glorious day in Lewiston - 55 degree weather, full sun - just the perfect day for the first bike ride of the year.  I picked up Marcia and my old bike and noticed the tires were really flat.  Luckily that bike has the old-fashioned, traditional tires and tubes that can be pumped up at a gas station.  We found air at Zip Trip, and, although it took us awhile, Marcia and I managed to get air in the tires all by ourselves.  We were only a little late meeting Regina at the Southway Boat Ramp.  Unfortunately, we noticed Regina's back tire was really low on air so we loaded her bike up and headed back to Zip Trip and once again amazed ourselves that we managed to get air into the tires...

Off we went, along the levee, just absolutely enjoying the warm day, the friendly walkers, the birds and ducks, and squeals of children playing on the playground.  Regina and Marcia are my walking friends and we soon learned that bike riding, one behind the other, does not lend itself to much chit chat.  We rode out to the Clearwater Bridge, stopping only once for a water break.  We solved the chit-chat problem by making plans to ride our bikes into downtown Lewiston for lunch and take advantage of one of the unique new bike racks surrounding our soon to be opened Library.

As we were loading up our bikes we heard, "Hi Grandma - what are you doing here?"  Regina's granddaughter, Karlee, and her friend, Bailie Copeland, met for a run and we talked them into taking a picture of all three of us.

I'm feeling so blessed to have such great, health-conscious friends!

Wonderful smells

I spent two nights last week at the Davenport Hotel, attending a leadership training.  Gratefully, Emeritus covered the cost of the hotel and all the meals.  Everything about this grand hotel is superb - from the valet parking attendants to the coffee servers!  I noticed the fragrance of lilies and roses when we walked through the front doors.  The flower shop, placed strategically near the entrance, greets people and lets the customers experience the beginning of a great experience.  The rooms exude history, comfort, and hospitality.  Every night new packages of soft peanut brittle sit on the bedside table.  Customers can peruse the gift shop and purchase beds, bedding, towels, shampoo, and lotion - all the things that make the sleepover a wonderful experience.

I loved the lotion - found out the fragrance - verbena!  Now I wished I'd have forked over the $20!

Capturing a fragrance and pushing it out over the internet, blog-o-sphere, is not possible - maybe that's a goal for some geek to figure out how to make that happen over smart phones and IPads!

I wish I could take credit for the fragrance wafting from a simple pot on my stove this morning, but alas, I found it on Pintrest. Trust me, the smell overwhelms the house and even when the pot no longer simmers, the fragrance lingers.  It helps that my rosemary plant, on the south side of my house, flourished all winter!  Try it!

"You know that wonderful smell when you walk into Williams Sonoma?  Here’s how to get it:  water, sliced lemon, 3 springs of fresh rosemary and about a teaspoon of vanilla.  Simmer on the stove."

Spring clean up

I love spring!  The discovery of new growth and color in the yard once again!  These warm days encourage buds and blooming - everyday there's something new to see.  And hear!  The birds are singing once again - a joyful noise to my ears.  I bet they are scouting out the best nesting sites!

Magnolia Tree bursting with buds

Along with the color, there's a lot of dead leaves and blooms on the hydrangeas!

Look at the geraniums that have not been watered, just sitting on the workbench in my garage since November!  Amazing, they never died because we've had such a mild winter!!

Retreat Weekend, Part II

We decided to do a little walking tour on Saturday afternoon.  We started at the Museum.  Connie learned they have 70,000 artifacts, but only 12,000 on display at one time.  I enjoyed the display of cameras and radios.  If we just knew what might be meaningful to another generation we could surely save those items, but what would we save?  Telephones? Computers? Record Players or boom boxes?  I think most of us have the attitude that we should just get rid of the old and embrace the new...

Our family has a distant connection to Sam Emmanuel, who donated some of his collection to the Museum.  We enjoyed reading about the Kopczynski orchestra and seeing our uncles in the front row!

From the Museum we walked to the Spirit Center and enjoyed a lovely tour by Sister Lillian.  Marilyn, Karen, and I have enjoyed retreats here.  Then we walked to the Inn, where four lovely rooms await guests who want to enjoy the quiet and awesome views.

For old times sake, we walked up the hill along the path of 14 Stations of the Cross, stopping at the Grotto for a quick Hail Mary.  There was a wrestling tournament going on at the Prairie High School Gym to we walked in and were amazed at how small everything seemed compared to the way it felt when we were in high school.  We looked at some of the boards capturing names of outstanding athletes - this one track and field stars.   Larry went to the snack area and bought some popcorn.

We enjoyed some cocktails before our big dinner at the Keuterville Pub & Grub.  Larry brought Strawberry Hill Wine, Cherry Vodka and Squirt.

Cherry Vodka and Squirt - just like high school!

The Keuterville Pub's owner, Linda, fixed us a dinner of prime rib.  While we were waiting we looked at lots of old pictures of the area.  Don expressed surprise at some old pictures of Cottonwood that we'd never seen before.  Our uncle, John Hoene, owned the Hoene Implement.

 Linda told her own story of moving to the area ten years or so ago, then caring for her mother who has MS, and finally her son who died of a brain tumor.  I thought of the courageous heart reading from Joyce Rupp and noticed that it was Linda who knew "how to laugh and to enjoy life even in the most difficult of times."  Stories unfolded about collecting money for swear words, even as much as $30 in one night.  She never lost her sense of humor!

Sunday Morning = Snow!!!

We enjoyed a long morning sitting in the rocking chairs.  Connie read a little from Mom's prayer book:

After our circle morning prayers we walked over to the Monastery, took a little tour on the main floor, noticed the clean, clean laundry room and then headed upstairs to the Chapel.  Spike and Peggy greeted us with warm hugs.  Allan particularly noticed the dwindling number of sisters present in the chapel.  We were honored that so many greeted us after Mass - Sister Chanel, Sister Angela, Sister Bernice.  We enjoyed a lovely Sunday dinner of turkey, real potatoes, dressing, egg souffle, salads, home made pickles!  Maureen noticed the purple place mats and a small bowl filled with sand and a sign, "Thou art Dust."  She said, "I love Lent because I love purple."  We said goodbye to Don and Joan and spent some more time in our rocking chairs discussing forgiveness, acceptance, love, Richard Rohr's ideas, and the Catholic Church!

Larry spent hours making music CD's for us - one called "Breathe" and the other one "Summer."

Monday morning the Spokane car left around 8 AM and Connie and I stripped beds, cleaned out the refrigerator, and washed the dishes.  We gathered up all our treasures, newly made CD's of Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary that Don made for us, Larry's music, and our Red Survival kits.  

I unpacked mine after I got home.  Look at all these great reminders of Connie's touch for the weekend!  

From encouragement to smell the roses, to ensuring that we get a good night's sleep, to finding something sweet to share and hoping the weekend is filled with JOY!  She must've spent hours labeling all these little treasures.  I appreciate all that work and the meaning behind it.  

Did we have fun?  Did we create memories?  Did we learn anything?  Here's the EMails that have come in this week:

From Karen:  I am so in awe of this weekend.   I honestly feel it will be one of the most important experiences and memories of my life.   There is so much memory associated with childhood and family.   To have all of our relationships feel so open, loving and nurturing, is a gift in my life beyond description.   I love all of you, and equally important for my life experience.....I feel so loved BY all of you!   Reflecting on Sundays discussion about our personal friendships and possible lack of intimacy for some of us....to have an intimate family like ours has got to be a rare jewel of life experience.

I told Joe Booth in my office about the nine rocking chairs around the circular coffee table and he said it was great therapy.  Like Karen, I feel it will be one of the most important experiences and memories.  Absolutely priceless! 

Thank you, Garry & Connie, and may God bless you for the Family Retreat, thanks Theresa for the wonderful soups and chocolate hearts, thanks Don for the great dinner at the Keuterville Pub & Grub and thanks to the travelers, Maureen, Allan and Karen for flying in, thanks Marilyn for the transportation to Cottonwood and thanks Larry for stoking up the stove.  Hugs, Joan

Connie, it's you I thank for the gift of the weekend.  From your prayers, your vision, your desire just to be together.  You've never given me a greater gift - one that I'll forever treasure.  The gifts of love, time, sharing and opportunities for growth!

Both of these came true for me!  Let's not forget to thank Garry for providing the resources to make the trips possible.  And Connie - the joy continues to fill my heart as I write this!  

Retreat Weekend, Part I

Early in December, my brother-in-law, Garry, called me with a great idea for my sister, Connie's 60th birthday.  "Connie's face lights up, she steps a little lighter, and can't quit smiling when she anticipates spending time with her siblings.  My idea is to pay for a sibling weekend so you can all be together.  I'm sure she'll want to be a part of the planning."  We were all a little surprised when she decided going to Cottonwood was a desire of her heart.  She told me she didn't want it to be all about her birthday so we designed a retreat weekend at the Farmhouse at the Monastery of St. Gertrude.  I made airline reservations so Maureen, Allan, and Karen would arrive on Friday and leave on Monday.  Connie and I planned the menu and shopped for our favorite foods.  We packed the SUV with everything for meals and table decor.

Connie and I scurried around the FarmHouse labeling bedrooms, decorating the table, putting hearts on pillows, lighting the candles - all as a way to welcome our brothers and sisters to the retreat!

The Kop kids traditionally are used to cramming people into one car - Marilyn and Joan picked up Karen, Allan, and Maureen at the Spokane airport and arrived at our guest house by 5 o'clock.  Larry scouted around town for firewood and had the place warmed up when they arrived.
We enjoyed Friday night sharing high school stories, teasing Marilyn about her knitting project, and just setting the tone for the weekend sitting in rocking chairs in a big
circle.

The sunrise over the Camas Prairie welcomed us early on Saturday morning.

We gathered in the circle with our coffee and tea and read "The Courageous Heart" from Joyce Rupp's book, Fresh Bread.   Joyce writes, "courage is growing through the hardships of life without bitterness, discontent or disillusionment.  With courage, the struggle can develop in us a mellowness and a deeper sensitivity to just how tender and special the human spirit really is." Larry and Karen, "the little kids" in our family provided the catalyst for sharing their courageous hearts.  "Despite their fears, they constantly stretch their inner selves to take risks, to meet challenges.  They believe in their giftedness and know that the best way to thank God for it is to continually reach into risk, discovering and developing their hidden potential."  Their sharing brought tears to my eyes, but also inspired me to appreciate how one's vulnerability causes growth.  The challenges Karen faced transformed her heart and led her to a new spirituality.  Larry's hidden potential is revealed by his ability to focus on his family instead of on himself.  We also shared some of our favorite books and what we've learned from things we've read.   Maureen and Marilyn told us about a book called, "The Longest Trip Home, a memoir by John Grogan.  Here's a little clip:

We hopped in our cars and took a little road trip around the Butte, downtown Cottonwood and then down to Pine Bar on the Salmon River.  Oh, so may stories were shared of drinking beer, partying, and getting into trouble in high school!  We also heard about working for Mrs. Flint and Bert Lute, haying, babysitting, delivering newspapers, cleaning houses, schools, and the community hall. 

Don drove my Aunt Johanna's big boat Buick down to the river when he was 14 because she wanted to go steelhead fishing and had never learned to drive.  

  I certainly appreciated the views on this sunny Saturday much more than I did in high school.

Taken near Jim and Sally's Rehder's

Our Dad owned the City Electric with his brother, Jake, and brother-in-law, Les Reed.  My brothers helped my Dad from the time they were 10 years old learning all about electricity.  Dad paid them a little when they were in high school and they worked on Saturday helping him with wiring or repairing. 

Larry told us about leaving the door to the plumbing section open at the City Electric, instead of locking it at the end of a work day.  Then, he would sneak back in, leave $8.00 on the counter and walk out of the Cottonwood Cash with a case of beer, take it to the high school dark room and store it in the darkroom chemical refrigerator.  He made sure no one ever accused him of stealing beer!  He got away with it until Uncle Jake noticed the plumbing door had been unlocked.

Karen remembers spending a lot of time at this spot fishing with her three sons!

The younger kids admitted it was the perfect party place in high school - 15 miles from town and local police.

Our neighbor, Pete Hutter, taught all of us to float on our back at this very quiet spot in the River.

I took this picture because my former husband's brother, Ted, was also a drowning victim on this river in 1952.  He was home on furlough, and jumped in the water to rescue a pretty girl and never made it back out.  Roy was just 10 years old when that happened.  We remembered other drowning victims.  

Larry, Don, Connie, Allan.  Front row:  Joan, Maureen, Marilyn, Theresa, Karen.  We were all happy to enjoy the warm sunny day!