Life on the lake

lake serenity

2011-03-08T22:09:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't blogged for a while. When I saw this picture it brought back good feelings and good times. This was my view from the lake house and now it is just but a memory. Living on the lake, every day was special and different. No two days were the same.

Yeeee Haaaa!!!!!

2009-05-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged for a while, but thought I would share some Red Bluff Roundup photos with ya all. Found these two kids walking aimlessly around town and so with a little persuasion and a bag of candy I got them to come to the Rodeo. I also told them there would be a clown, just kidding. Tayler and Dylon are Annies kids.

The good looking gal to my left is my daughter Annie. We don't know where her husband, Jason, is but my guess he's down at the beer tent.

Or maybe he went down the chase the Clydsdales and the Budwieser wagon.

And last, your gratuitous photo of a bull rider. So, there you have it and I promise the next blog will be following shortly.

Nice Rack

2009-03-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me know that I have a penchant for large racks, deer and elk of course. The first part of the year the white tail deer shed there antlers and soon start growing a new and larger set for the upcoming rut. And yes the female species of deer also believe big is better. A big rack for a large buck is like" bling" to a rap artist. It makes it a lot easier to assemble his herd, or you might say groupies, and flaunt his harem to all the other bucko's.

This, my friends, happens to be the very first antler shed I have ever found in my life. This is exactly what it looked like when I found it and am told that the other half will normally be found within a quarter mile radius of where its mate was found.

I have been back several times to find the match, but I have a strong notion somebody else is looking as intensely as I, who all ready possesses the other half. We will never know.

The elk will start to shed the first of March. I'll be out there even looking for a larger rack. Elk sheds will get as tall as 5 or more feet. Show me your horns. In this last photo I have placed the antler trying to make it blend ( not very well as it turns out). If you click on the picture you can enlarge it, but see if you can find the antler without zooming in. I'll post again after I find my elk rack.

Record Snow

2009-01-08T22:11:00.000-08:00

I know I haven't blogged in a long time, but I finally got some pics and info worth sharing. In keeping with a two year tradition, we were fortunate enough to spend Christmas at home and with grand kids from California. Of coarse grandpa has to have everything ready for the usual cold weather fun. But one thing went wrong, my quad wouldn't start, so instead of pulling the kids around in the snow at 30 mph. we hooked up the dogs. It is an unknown fact that a Labrador, or two, will pull a hundred pound kid around at a least 25 mph. We had fun.
On are way home from CDA one day we spotted a cow moose not 10 feet from the roadway chewing what berries were left on a snow burden tree.
And last, but not least, this is a pic Mare sent me when I was still working in Santa Cruz. This day set a 110 year record for the most snow in a 24 hour period. It dropped 36", trapped my wife and paralyzed both Spokane and all of down town CDA. Look at the guard rail which is almost buried, it is 40" high. And by the way this is our outside, bar stool height, patio dining set.

Say hello to my little friends

2008-10-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yes, once again it is hot tub season in the ho.(Idaho) Typically when I get in the hot tub I assume I will be the only one in there, but, my new friends have been waiting for me lately.

They never get in , but I usually find them waiting under the cover only to surprise me when its late @ night and too dark to see.
All though one time one of the little fella's jumped in and it didn't take him long to get out.

There seems to be more and more of them lately. Either they breed like rabbits or they're spreading the news about a hot tub party.
Clothing is optional and there is not a bottle of Perier to be found. (That's kind of an inside joke)

Murray Idaho

2008-10-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a short drive to an old gold mining town of Murray, Id. Heading towards Montana and just over the 4th of July pass, you folllow the scenic Coeur d Alene river for about 35 miles to Murray. Sadly the mining tailings from the old river dredges still scar the scenery along Prichard creek road for the last six miles after turning away from the CDA river.
Our original intent was to stop in at the Spragpole bar for a burger and beer. The Spragpole also plays host to one of the most interesting museums that displays items and history everything from the mining industry to prostitution. Ironically the restaurant has incredible seas food entries and appetizers, including jumbo prawn and shrimp cocktails.

The post office building is still in use today,
and if you look close you will see my reflection in the glass door, taking the photo.

Across the street and just north of the Spragpole stand these totem poles, in which many a male dog
has probably stopped for a brief moment to enjoy. This town really is a fun place to visit.

Park City Utah

2008-09-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

Check this out. Last weekend my wife and I drove from Coeur d Alene to Park City, Utah. My daughter, Thea, Marylin and I went to Olympic Village to watch skiers practice ariels from a ski jump into a pool of water. But, as you can see, just before the jumper enters the water, several air jets totally supercharge the water to keep the jumper from breaking every bone in their body. Click on the picture, there is a jumper in there somewhere.

Then we have the official pictures of the 20o02 winter olympic ski jump area. Thea and I took a chair lift to be hooked into a harness that sent us down a zip line @ 50 miles per hour. Ya right, probalbly 35.

Home for my birthday

2008-09-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Went home on Sept. 5 to celebrate my birthday on the 6th. Kinda laid low, but was immediatley put to work the next day sprucing up the cafe and rearanging display shelves and dusting ceiling fans. But I did get a chance to winterize at home and put some of the water toys away. Didn't know where to put my canoe so I hung it up in the living room, as you see in the first photo.

Mare supprized me with this antique saddle that is displayed in the family room along with the singing deer mounted on the wall.

And last, but not least, caught a barge tugging along early morn out back, kinda not important, but kinda cool watching someone else having to go to work as you sip your coffee and soak up the heat from the morning sun.

Wildlife @ Home

2008-09-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

Took Marylin to work this morning, and never fails, you turn the corner and there's a moose just off the side of the road. So I turned the car around and went back home for the camera. I need to get used to packing around.
I wanted to blog this photo, but, thought it needed a little variety. So later that evening I fired up the quad and went up above our property and spotted a Doe and her Fawn. Mom was pissed. She started pounding her hoof on the ground to scare me away. It didn't work, I stayed and shot them anyway(with a camera of course).

The fourth of July 2008

2008-08-17T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well, Ive been a little lame about posting on my site. But I did promise to show some photos of the firework display we had on the lake.

We had about 50 good friends and neighbors show up for a fantastic display of fireworks, food and plenty of libations.

And once you've seen one firework............................... You've seen them all. So I threw in a historic photo of the famous Lewis and Clark after Sacajawea had fallen in. ( To tell you the truth I think she jumped in rather than trust these two guys)

The Flood of 2008

2008-06-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

The first photo was taken some time in April, notice the height of the pilings, the chairs, fire pit and the angle of the gang plank.

The next photo is what I saw the following day I got home from Santa Cruz, May 20th. With the unusually warm weather and the 480 " of record snow fall received in the mountains, the lake rose fast.

In the third photo I am rescuing chairs, wheel barrows and anything else I could reach. The water will rise another foot and a half in the next days to come. Notice the height of the pilings and the pitch of the gang plank now.

It was very surreal to look out on the lake on Memorial Day and not see any boats, as the sheriffs office enforced a no wake ordinance. Yesterday, even though the lake is still 5' above summer lake level, the ban was lifted and the crazies where out dodging logs, branches and other miscellaneous debris.Where did my fire pit go?

Trailer Trash

2008-04-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

It IS home and I AINT gonna take the wheels off. Yep, here it is my new home away
from home. Last weekend Mare and I traveled to Red Bluff to attend the Red Bluff
Round Up for the ninth year in a row. While we were there we bought this 29 foot
travel trailer from her brother Tom, who used it while he was building his new house near
Kalamath falls Ore. We towed it to Felton where it will probably spend the rest of its life( under my ownership)

Take note of the Gnome, he will be featured in upcoming blogs. We just got custody of him
last weekend, as Mare's niece kidnapped him last July and there was photo evidence of him
in places like Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Yellowstone and Hollywood. Maybe I'll call him
my Gnome away from home.

February Plunge

2008-02-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

Well I said the next time I took my monthly plunge I would have Mare take photos. Here they are. Pay no attention to the gut, my John Basedow video hasn't arrived yet, and the Rogaine hasn't kicked in for the top
of my bald head. There was just a short moment of hesitation as I peered into the crystal clear lake to ponder a very shallow dive as the lake has been lowered almost 7 feet. Where I dove was only 3 feet deep.

The weather was perfect for the plunge last Tuesday, Feb 26. The outside temp was a warm 45 degrees and the water was a brisk 33. I wanted to wait for a couple of chunks of ice to float into the picture, but it was getting late and the sun would soon set. Plus, I had all ready psyched myself out.

Did I fail to mention every February I quit drinking for the entire month. This made Feb. plunge a little more sensitive physically and mentally. And to think I did this sober.

The hike back up the hill was a challenge, trudging through 2 feet of snow, but it was well worth plopping into the 103 degree water that awaited me in the hot tub. Oh, by the way, this is just a before picture to match up later to my upcoming "six pack abs". Stay tuned.

It never snows in Coeur d Alene

2008-02-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

I met a guy the other day who wanted me to go ice fishing with him. He said he had a special boat and it was ready to go. He tried to convince me we could catch more fish if we trolled. I think he was Bi Polar. I passed

When ice bergs break off it's called calving. When ice breaks off from a solid sheet, what do you call it? Chunking? This is our bay, which was froze over from point to point. Several deer have taken the opportunity to use the ice for a short cut. My dog took off in a dead run a couple hundred yards out until I was able to call her back. I wasn't going after her.

To date we have broken a 92 year old record snow fall for the season. Total snow fall is at 127 inches and I have shoveled every inch of it. Four lane roads have become two lanes and cars left on the side of the road or left unattended have dissapeared. This is what our house looked like before we got hit with another 11 inches. I should have listned to Mare when she told me to buy a plow for the quad.

Monthy Plunge

2008-01-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to report on my monthly plunge into Lake Coeur d Alene. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but, I challenged myself to dive off my dock at least one day of every month for one year. Obviously June, July, August and September are a giv'n. My cooler plunges started on October 26, November 4th (Marylin and my anniversary) and on December 23 with my son and son in law. On January 13 I treked down the snow burdened trail with my running shoes on but untied. Knee deep snow filled the vacant spaces that my feet didn't occupy. Your shoes must remain on during the plunge to make easy the stroll across the rocky lake bottom towards the shore line, the hike up the windy trail back through the snow and finally untied as to allow for a quick entry into the 103 degree hot tub that has previously been uncovered and waiting. My photographer had been notified but was distracted by a phone call, so, this is not the photo of the plunge but one taked a couple weeks ago at a nearby frozen lake that I had taken Nathan and my son in law Jason ice fish'n just so you could get a feel of how cold it has been here lately. I have already set a date for my next plunge on Feb 3 during Super Bowl half time maybe we can get a photo then.

Hillabrandt Party of Six

2008-01-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce you to Brandon Ryan Hillabrandt. Brandon will make number 6 for total grandchildren, so far. As I started to think of things to say the number 6 kept coming up. The new addition to our family was born on December 26, he weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz., as I said he was our sixth grandchild there is now a total of six family members in the Hillibrandt house hold, and if he would have waited 6 more days he would have been the New Years baby. But there would have gone the federal tax deduction for 2007. Oh, and by the way, the date of this post is Jan. 6. Thank you Saesha for picture texting this photo of your beautiful baby brother to me on my phone where as I sent it to my email and made it possible to post. The process and ability of sharing digital information still amazes me.

Silver Mountain

2007-12-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to finally go skiing yesterday, only because the cable guy canceled out. But thats a different story. Anyway, I bought a weekday season pass at Silver Mountain which is approx. 22 miles to the East of CDA heading towards Montana. Highway 90 is kept very well maintained during the winter and once over the pass the speed limit increases from 65 to 75, so it doesn't take long to get there. You exit off the highway and drive about a 1/2 mile, get on the worlds longest enclosed gondola and in 20 minutes your skiing.

The weather was perfect and they currently have around 100" of snow.

Santa Cruz and Capitola

2007-12-17T12:46:00.000-08:00

Last week Mare and I made a high speed run to Santa Cruz to visit her daughter Justina and to help her get ready for the arrival of grandchild number 6. That's right number 6. Justina's fourth and finally a boy. This first picture is of the vacation rentals in the Capitola Village, they always make a good photo. In the back ground of the other two photos is the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk taken from the wharf in front of Gildas restaurant following breakfast with my lovely wife and very pregnant Justina. Due date was Dec. 11 and to date no action yet. I'll keep you posted.

Construction Photos

2007-12-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

The following photos are in no particular order. I promise I won't bore you with anymore.

2007-12-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

A cantilevered hunk of white pine supports the wash basin in the guest bathroom which also has a moose theme and motif.
Knotty alder was used for all the cabinetry, doors, base case and trim finished and stained with a distressed look.

The floors are random widths of eastern white pine and two styles of granite was used for the counter tops.

2007-12-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

Half logs were used for the steps leading up to the loft which since became the office.
Cedar 2x6 was used for decking material because of the abundance in this area and I like the look as opposed to the sterile mono colored look of trex.
Just another shot of the 12" white pine logs used in place of 8x8 post and glue lam beams originally specified.

There are 5 continuous beams that run full length to the living room and protrude 2' to the exterior of the house front and back. This shot is looking up to the loft.

Fall of 2006

2007-12-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

The top photo was taken right after we had used the excavator to stand the front wall of the house. This wall
had 186 individual pieces of 2x6 framing and was 21 feet high. In the center you'll notice the garage, kitchen and
dining room on the right and the master bedroom and bath on the left had allready been completely framed as
we were waiting for the logs to arrive to complete the living room/entry. Lower photo shows 100% exterior frame
with site concrete yet to install.

2007-12-05T08:33:00.000-08:00

The Eagles are Back

2007-12-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

The eagles have arrived to cash in and clean up on the salmon that spawn this time of year. This year they seem to be a little early and I have been told the fish and game has made a count of at least 70 birds so far. I captured this shot at the end of Beauty Bay while coming home last weekend. As you leave highway 90 east bound and merge to 97, heading towards our house, the road follows the coast line for approx 3 miles where to highest concentration of eagles hang out. One big problem is that the eagles attract more watchers than there are eagles and the watchers have a tendency to stop in the middle of the highway do to a lack of turnouts and usually you will find them just around a blind corner. Screeeeeech.

Finished At Last

2007-12-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

I wanted to figure out a way I could share the photo's of before and after as well as the different phases of the construction of our house, (Marylin's house) and where I live, without having to carry around a pocket full of photos. So, with the help of my computer savoy daughter and a butt load of digital photos, I can share these photos and descriptions of my relocation to the most northern portion of the state of Idaho with anyone brave and of patient enough to log on. Keep in mind I am an Idaho native, but the northern and southern end of the state is totally different and comparable to the extreme difference of northern and southern California. We'll go into that later. For now be patient and let me know what you think in the comment space.