I broke a molar. The dentist took a look at it today and said, “That calls for a root canal and crown”.  Wonderful!  As I am certain I have mentioned before, I really hate dentists.  I go back at 8AM tomorrow to get the work done.

Brian and Johnna head back. We had a great week together with lots of visiting and a bit of touring around.  Thanks guys for sharing some time with us.

It is overcast and cool but is supposed to clear so we haul out the boat and head for the lake.

On our way to the lake we make a quick stop at the Buck Knife factory hoping to catch a tour. It is fun to see what is “still made in the USA”.  No such luck.  They were all booked up.  We wandered their little museum to read about the history of the family and manufacturing.  There is some very cool stuff in their factory store.  On to the lake!

Idaho is a bit zealous with their invasive species prevention program so we blow about an hour getting inspected and traipsing around town to buy the sticker that proves it.  No biggie though.  The day is warming and it is just before noon when we put in the lake.  Another Johnna first – using a pit toilet.  It was a somewhat biased first experience, this is a 5 star pit toilet.  It has a real seat, a clean tile floor, a door that locks, toilet paper, and those solar powered fans that really work so it didn’t smell (very much).  Still, a first!

We explore sheltered coves and enjoy lunch as we float and watch for wildlife. The lake is ringed in rich green, pine covered mountains but there is quite a bit of development at least on this end.  We don’t see much in the way of wildlife but enjoy checking out homes that range from floating boathouses to castles and estates.

A family of mallards comes to check out whether we have goodies to share. They circle the boat a couple times then head off to find more cooperative snack providers.

There is a little chop now as the winds have picked up but the sun is bright and warm so we take a run up lake. We skitter along the surface for another Johnna first, a ride in a small power boat. I think it was a hit.

We come in off the lake in late afternoon and manage to avoid any severe sunburn. It was a good day.

We head for Riverfront Park downtown.  There are sculptures.  Our favorites are the garbage eating goat and the giant Radio Flyer Wagon.  Of course we fed paper scraps to the goat and of course we slid down the giant wagon handle slide.  Who wouldn’t?

We rode the vintage Looff Carousel. Brian had the coolest “steed”, an Ibex carved in 1890.  We all tried for the brass ring with varying degrees of success.

The place was swarming with little kids on Strider bikes competing in some sort of races. Striders are bikes without pedals that they straddle and push with their feet, hence the name I guess.  I had never seen them before but the kids sure seemed to be having a good time.

Saturday is farmer’s market day downtown. Today there was not a speck of produce to be found.  We got sucked in by the prattle of the scone guy though when he offered a free taste.  Before long we bought a couple to share.  The lemon iced blueberry was quite spectacular.  There was fresh produce in that, right?

The Spokane River flows right through town.  They do a bit of flow regulation to generate power and manage high water but the falls are still lovely.

Johnna led the charge to check out Aunties Bookstore then we set out to find a place for lunch. We chose Hill Brothers Restaurant and Lounge which as it turns out has been on Diners and Dives.  The home made pasta with smoked salmon is delicious.  The chef’s special, a beef and cheddar on crusty home made herb and cheese bread agreed with Brian. Kent went for grilled chicken with sweet tomato chutney and pineapple which is a great flavor combination.  Johnna chose a Philly Cheese Steak.

The maple bacon ice cream was wonderfully smooth but the bacon pieces a little weird in there. The espresso ice cream is more my speed.