I’m sitting here listening to the bullfrog’s song and the cricket’s chirp as the sun goes down on another Idaho day.  My grandfather, The Colonel, retired to his mother’s vacation property in the 1980’s.  After the purchase was finalized, he drew up plans for his dream home: a darling alpine chalet nestled between the vast Lake Pend Oreille and the tiny little fishing Lake Gamlin which he moved into as soon as it was complete.  Long before that, my parents spent their first years of marriage here, the cold, harsh, icy winter driving them to find work in the warmer, wetter Seattle area.  It’s a place of family and history, Idaho is.  I helped build this house.  Well, I helped to spackle walls and stain trim in between swimming in the warm, weedy lake and playing in the old honeymoon cabin, leftover from the days my great grandmother rented out boats and lakeside shacks.  It’s a magical place.  Its simplicity and normality allows for those molasses-slow, summer afternoons that give the impression of an eternal summer.  It allows for the kind of boredom that spawns the best kinds of ideas and endless hours floating with the lily pads in the heat.  It’s where I’ve spent hours with cousins under the bright Milky Way talking, toilet papering, moose-ing, singing, laughing, confessing secrets and skinny dipping.  Now it’s home to my own mom and dad who moved over here as caretakers of the property and to spend time with my grandfather.  It was always their dream to live here and it’s a lovely thing that they’ve returned as it means I get to give my own kids Idaho, too.  So here we are, letting down our hair in the slowest vacation spot I have the privilege to visit when I can.  Idaho.❤️ 

I didn’t love Idaho as a kid; it’s funny that this place is such a part of my blood, now.  


This morning my dad ran into town (a 30 minute drive each way) to get my grandpa for a visit and I decided to go for a quick run.  The road in front of the property is flat and just about a mile from one hairpin turn to the gravel hill past the bendy tree at the end.  I ran it back and forth to total just a little over two miles today.  The sun was beating down and I was surprised at how little I minded the heat.  My body has changed so much over the past few years- running in heat used to give me cramps and asthmatic fits, not to mention getting overheated, sweaty and panicked!  But today I just slogged along…  And it was great.  I was keenly surprised that I’m as out of shape as I felt today.  I know that it’s a new place with different air and altitude, but my lungs burned for most of my run today.  I kept on, but it was a lot harder than I’m used to it being which made me doubly glad that I’m getting back to it.  Two runs from now I’ll be back in shape and starting to push distance again.  Truth be told, I CANT WAIT!!!  I’m excited to get in good shape again this summer!


Queen Freddie Sparkles Zool Littlejohn is just as sweet as can be.  Paired with her sister (current name Gypsy), they are quite the pair.  They’re role poly, falling all over one another, sharp-toothed, little nippers.  Guinevere is simply in love.  It’s only day two and already Freddie Sparkles follows her everywhere and they’re joined at the lap.  It’s most certainly true love!  

PS: Can you believe how tall Guinevere looks in that family picture with my grandfather?  I’ve always assumed I’d look like a giantess in any picture with her, but she looks like she’s about to eclipse me in her height!  She has a few inches, but oh my goodness!  There’s an actual woman underfoot!


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