Runway IOU

3Cs Spring Fashion Show choreographer, Amy Bartoo, did double duty as a model for Silhouettes Lingerie Boutique. She had a message for event chair, Angela Cross that was a real hit with the crowd. More photos from the fashion show HERE.

The Fireman Takes a Bride

Coeur d'Alene firefighter Tony Bajadali and Courtney Josephson were married on Sunday and photographer David Nall gave me access to a location shoot with the couple at the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department Headquarters. Some of the photos are HERE.

Artistic adventures

The Womens Adventure Club created art at the Blackwell House with Painting with Spirits this week. It's all in the eye of the beholder as the photos in the album HERE show.

Race Results

Spring Dash race results from the North Idaho Roadrunners Club HERE. On left: Keith Erickson with his daughters, Nicole and Brooke after finishing the race. On right: Tom Taggart in his first Spring Dash.

Lowrider

At first glance I thought this truck had four flat tires and was sitting on its rims on a Coeur d'Alene neighborhood street. But upon closer inspection, the tires were intact and asphalt-grazing was intentional. Cannot imagine this rig making it over a simple parking lot speed bump.

Tiptoe through the tulips

Each spring I look forward to the tulips surrounding the Kootenai Health sign on the corner of Hwy. 95 and Ironwood Drive in Coeur d'Alene. This year the addition of blue pinwheels makes a colorful sight.

Say what?

This Post Falls tattoo shop makes some pretty big claims ...

SOAP BOX ~ Lasting Impact

I know exactly where I was and what I was doing and every minute detail of Friday, April 23, 1971. Actions on that date impacted three generations of my family. When Larry Oleson and his friend, Rod Hart were killed in an alcohol-related crash on East Sherman Avenue about 10:30 p.m., life as I knew it was changed forever. The driver survived. Larry was 22, a Vietnam combat vet with a Purple Heart, and a student at NIJC. We had found out just three days before that a baby was on the way. By the end of the day on April 23, 1971 Larry was dead. On April 23, 2010 I can't help but walk down that path of wondering what could have been in the thirty-nine years since. Our daughter, Melani will turn 39 in November and our grandson, Jared turned 13 this past December. Neither ever knew their father/grandfather. A lifetime lost.
April is Drunk Driving Awareness Month. Our family is quite aware ... and will be every month of every year for the rest of our lives.

Trick Trucks

Two 2010 Tahoma trucks have been donated by Parker Toyota to four local high schools - Post Falls, Lakeland and Coeur d'Alene, Lake City. Raffle tickets will be sold through the year with the winners drawn in spring 2011. Jamey Cunningham, graphic designer with Benchmark's IMGX Kreativ division, works on applying the Post Falls Trojan vinyl to a truck on Wednesday. The other side will feature Lakeland Hawk colors and logo. The first truck has been tricked already with Coeur d'Alene Viking and Lake City Timberwolves colors. Look for the trucks out in the community in the coming months!

'Shroom Season

I'm always amazed by the different hobbies that people enjoy, especially if it's also a good excuse to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. Turns out that 'shrooming season has begun for those who hunt for morel mushrooms. Their season starts in mid-April and lasts about a month or so.
Doug Peoples tells me that he's been on the hunt for about 10 years with his wife, Sue, and sisters, Vicki Peoples and Sandy Saffeels and all of their children. It's an activity they can do together.
While 'shroomers guard their favorite places as passionately as hunters and fishermen, Doug says Hayden Lake and Farragut Park are both good bets. He recommends when you're picking a morel to pinch the stem off at ground level to insure they'll come back year after year.
Kim Haddock of Hayden Lake is also a long time 'shroomer. She says the morels are often found on a north-facing slope with plenty of moisture and dappled sunlight. Part of the allure is the elusiveness of the species; the other is how great they are to use in cooking. Photo by Lindsey Saffeels

Lucky #13

When 85-year-old Bonnie Morrow of Rathdrum saw the advertisement for a $5,000 Cabela's gift card being raffled by the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce in last Tuesday's Coeur d'Alene Press, she told her son, Larry Sanders, they should go in together on a $50 ticket.
So Larry went out to Cabela's and bought a ticket for his mom, dad, John, son, Gabe, and nephew, Jeff; each chipping in $10. At Cabela's they gave him a choice of several tickets and he chose No. 13.
Larry joked that on the way out the door he had second thoughts about choosing an unlucky number. But when the winning ticket was drawn on Thursday night at the Commerce and Community Fair, turns out it wasn't so unlucky after all. Now comes the hard part for the family: each has to decide how to spend their $1,000 share of the gift card they won. Pictured: Larry Sanders

Main Street in print

This week's Main Street in the Coeur d'Alene Press HERE.

Looking back

April 19, 2004 was a Monday which meant my father would celebrate his 75th birthday at a political meeting. I had a beautiful cake brought out midway through the evening. Two things I recall from that night ... how surprised Dad was to hear a room full of people, many of whom had been political adversaries through the years, sing For He's a Jolly Good Fellow to him and my unshakable gut feeling that this would be his last birthday.
My father and I were very close, and in the weeks and months after that 75th birthday celebration we shared conversations that in hindsight indicated at some level he knew his time was drawing to a close. It wasn't anything melodramatic, just a need to get some affairs in order and reminiscing and taking stock of a life well-lived.
My father passed away six months from the time I took this last birthday photograph of him. I thought my broken heart would never heal but it has. He left this Daddy's Girl with a lifetime of wonderful memories and the realization that I was blessed indeed to have known every single day for over 52 years that my father loved me.
Ron Rankin was a jolly good fellow and today, on what would have been his 81st birthday, I'll celebrate his passion, patriotism and joy for life. Semper Fi Daddy!

Main Street 4/14

This week's print column in the Press HERE.

Trees, trees, lots of trees!

Workers organized thousands of trees into rows on Friday morning in preparation for the annual Free Tree Give-Away in Post Falls on Saturday at Q'emiln Park.

Ray of Hope

The 4th Annual Ray of Hope Breakfast, to benefit the Court Appointed Special Advocates of the First Judicial District, was attended by over 300 people. CASAs, as the volunteers are known, assisted over 700 local children through the court system. Approximately 150 CASAs advocate for the best interests of abused children, not nearly enough to reach the goal of a volunteer for every child who has seen and experienced far more than children should ever have to ... to learn more, to contribute, to volunteer visit the CASA website HERE.
Some of the CASA board members above: Rachel Grady, Cathy Shortridge, President Laurie Thomas, Toni Hackwith, Samm Haight.
Special thanks to John and Ann Beutler /Century 21 (on left) and Toni Hackwith / Magnuson, McHugh & Co. (on far right) for their sponsorship of the breakfast and to CASA volunteer KJ Torgerson for her heartfelt words. Hayden Meadows 4th grader, Brea McDonald provided the vocal entertainment.

Robo Gov

Idaho Governor Butch Otter was in Post Falls Wednesday morning to announce his re-election intentions at LCF Enterprises, Riverbend Commerce Park. He was introduced to the crowd by a talking robot, which was built and remotely operated by high school students.

Main Street in Print 4/7/10

From the Coeur d'Alene Press HERE.

Trivia Answer: Evalyn Adams, who celebrates her birthday on April 13, was the first woman to be elected to the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners. Katie Brodie was the second.

Biggest Loser's Loss

When my sister Janna called the end of March asking if I’d join her on a roadtrip to Portland, I was up for a lark. It wasn’t your average Thelma and Louise saga ... more like a Bob and Jillian smackdown.
Janna and I threw caution to the wind and headed to a casting call for the next season of The Biggest Loser. Not even several hours in the car discussing the prospect of appearing on national television in spandex and a sports bra while stepping upon a massive scale deterred us. We arrived in Portland early evening on a Saturday and by 8 a.m. the next morning had joined a couple hundred people standing in line at the Oregon Convention Center. By the time the interviews started at 10 a.m. the number had swelled to over 1,000. At some point the line was breeched and by noon we realized we’d be much longer in line than expected. By the time we made it to actually talking with the casting people it was about 6:30 p.m. and as #1,199 and 1,200, we’d been standing in the rain for most of nearly 11 hours. Sad to say that neither Janna or I will be the next Biggest Loser but due to a diet I’d not be quick to recommend, my post-Biggest Loser bout of stomach flu has resulted in a nearly nine pound weight loss. See photos from our adventure HERE.

A Star is Born!

Josh Hissong just might be the latest breakout star on HGTV after he debuts Saturday on the Do it Yourself Network’s Renovation Realities. Josh, a 1993 Post Falls High School grad, has been designing commercial spaces in the Northwest for several years but this show features the remodel efforts on his own 1938 Cape Cod in Spokane. Tune in ... air times on the link HERE. Josh's dad, Skip, is a lifelong friend of mine so it's a real treat.

A Piece of Idaho History

When Idaho's capitol building underwent renovation, three historic trees were removed from the grounds. Craftsmen from all over the state received the wood to create historic artifacts. When it was discovered there remained a small amount of the oldest tree, a 128-year-old Ash, Rep. Max Black put his wood carving skills to use. He asked Rep. Frank Henderson if there were anything he'd like to have made from the historic wood. On Tuesday night at the Post Falls City Council meeting, Rep. Henderson, a former Post Falls mayor, made a very special presentation. A beautiful hand-carved gavel and sounding board with the state seal was presented to the City of Post Falls. Rep. Henderson also donated an accompanying children's book, "The Old Man Who Talked With the Trees" to the Post Falls Library. The book includes a section on the many artifacts that were created from the three capitol building trees. Pictured: Rep. Frank Henderson and Mayor Clay Larkin

Do-It-Yourself Shade

Today's saplings become tomorrow's shade trees. Visions of picnics, tree houses or just curling up under the beautiful leafy branches with a good book on a summer's day ... this weekend you can get free trees at the annual event at Q'emiln Park in Post Falls. Bare-root trees (4-8 ft. tall) will be distributed, two per person, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 10. Call the Post Falls Parks Department at 773-0539 or go HERE to see the species of trees available for the give-away.

Happy Easter

Wishing you all a day spent with family, friends and an egg or two.

Shooshing in Springtime

We're facing a winter storm watch at the start of Easter weekend but there's good news for skiers ... free skiing at Lookout Pass Recreation Area and $10 lift tickets at Schweitzer!