What time is it where you are?

This is Palm Desert, Ca. time...

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Day two of Utopia here in Coeur D'Alene...


I'm supposed to weigh in today (on my side bar) but I'm just going to tell you I feel like I MUST have lost 5 pounds already just walking all over the town...you can take my word for it, okay? (wink, wink)

















We awoke to hike Tubbs Hill this morning! Our goal was to hike just half of it, as we were then going into town to eat lunch at Calypsos! (my favorite place)
We began our hike going south from grandma and grandpa's, and within 2 minutes we were at the trail head! (Did I mention I love this town?)
The hike was simply spectacular- with beautiful vistas of the lake and its surrounding acreage. All kinds of people hike there: older people with dogs, younger families with kids, serious athletes getting ready for IRONMAN this weekend...and everyone saying "hi" as they walk by you. I had forgotten how much I miss the smell of the pine trees, as I was enjoying the hike. I tried to take a picture of the tall trees, but they literally are so big, they didn't fit in my lens of the camera. Even most of the trees in the neighborhood are gargantuan! (See movie of tall tree below)


Okay, I will admit that halfway through the hike I was getting tired. I think it was the fresh air. I'm not used to so much pure, clean air, and it was affecting my lungs by making me sleepy. Maybe it was the beautiful sunny day that added to my blissful dream-like state, because by the time we were done hiking....all I wanted to do was to sit down in a comfy chair and sip ice tea at Calypsos. Even the kids were chatting to each other saying, "I'm not tired, but my legs are. They are tired of walking." (Jamie) Did I mention I am in the company of 5 out of the 7 cousins, all under the age of 7. (We miss you Abby and Jimmy T!)






*bridge pic: Grandma and Erin (with Jillian)
Tierney, Bobby, Cope and Jamie

*rock pic: Bobby, Cope, Tierney and Jamie (l to r)

*climbing up pic: Bobby, Cope, Jamie and Tierney (b to top)







Once lunch was over, we (my mom, my sister and myself) were craving an iced coffee drink, and decided that if we took it to the park and let the kids play some more, then it would totally negate the calories laden in it. So off we went walking across town to the park, where we spent another hour just talking, sipping our yummy delicious iced coffee drinks, and enjoying the sunshine.








Another park-
McEuen Field...right
near Grandma and Grandpa's
house!




















Tierney playing with Jillian Me resting in a "blissful dream-like state"


We decided it was time to go back home and rest a little bit. We would meet back up and start "cocktail time" at 5:00pm at Grandma and Grandpa's, then try a restaurant called Tomato Street.
I have snuck away during this 'rest time' to walk over to the 'office' and make my entry for the day! I will post more tomorrow, as I have a bucketload of pics to share with you!
CLICK ON ANY PIC TO ENLARGE IT!
Let me know if you have been to any of these places, or if I missed a good place to try!




Here in downtown, they have
flowers everywhere...

This wheelbarrow was just
one example.

All the street lamps have
hanging flower baskets.










The beautiful
Coeur D'Alene Resort
-
which I aspire to stay in
at least 1 night someday!
They have a 'floating green'
associated with their
golf course








Entrance downtown
to the shops, lake and beach

















Being half Irish- this is
one of my favorite places
to shop!
All Things Irish
(website coming soon)










A really neat building downtown
that has a great waterfall
feature at the front of it











Not only a great example of the
beautiful old houses here,
but notice the church steeple
in the background.













On a recent field trip to Grandpa's office downtown, the girls (Jamie 5 and Tierney 7) used the bathroom and were gone a long time. I went to check on them and found them huddled over the sink washing their hands. For a split second I thought all my preaching had finally sunk in...until I overheard something about cupcakes. They were talking about the soap in the bathroom smelling good, like cupcakes. It turns out to have a positive effect on little girls, and I must make a mental note to buy some when I get home. If you would like your hands to smell like cupcakes, then purchase some Bath & Body Works hand soap called "Warm Vanilla Sugar". It really does smell yummy!

1 comment:

Deanne said...

Great Pictures! Looks like beautiful out there! "Hi" to all the peeps. 8^)