Lake Coeur d'Alene is soooo beautiful! - Part 3

We spent one afternoon kayaking (couldn't take the camera on that trip) and swimming at the park in town. Wilson and Bridget enjoyed the beach area closer the shore, and the three 8-year-olds really got adventurous and made it out to the diving board platform - they were all wearing life jackets, of course! It was beautiful weather - a great day with wonderful friends!

Wilson at the beach

Freddy getting ready to jump from the diving board- a first for him!
The three 8-year-olds at the diving platform
Bridget and her buddy Wilson
Bretta, Doug, Abb, Michelle, Wilson, Freddy, Max, and Bridget at the cabin - thank you!!!

Lake Coeur d'Alene is soooo beautiful! - Part 2

On our way back from biking, the kids beat the adults to the dock and they jumped right in - fully clothed! They were having such a good time - it was tons of fun to watch them!
Bretta and Bridget after the swim -

Bretta and Bridget - synchronized swimmers!
Freddy and Abby after the swim - they were so excited about their little swim adventure!
Sweet Wilson joined in too
Even Max got in on the fun
the four older kids, fully clothed in Lake Coeur d'Alene
Action shot of Abby jumping in!
Bretta and Freddy enjoying a dip in the lake
Beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene

Lake Coeur d'Alene is soooo beautiful! - Part 1

We had such a good time at Lake Coeur d'Alene at the end of August....Doug and Michelle are great friends and we will never forget our weekend out there! It is definitely worth the drive!

Freddy getting his balance....tongue out always seems to help, right?

Bridget, sporting the sequined cap even in outdoor sports...
Bretta and Bridget enjoying the bike pathBeautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene - the Railroad bridge in the far distance....
in the evening as we were arriving.

On the way to Lake Coeur d'Alene....

On our way to Lake Coeur d'Alene we stopped at Ginko Petrified Forest State Park on the Colombia River. We saw petroglyphs and beautiful views of the huge river cutting through the arid landscape. Very beautiful. Only 2.5 hours outside of green and moist Western Washington.


Petrified wood - see the rings?Freddy and Bridget sitting on petrified wood. They were especially interested in seeing this after having read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, where some characters get petrified! (they do recover fully....)

An excellent article on health care reform by President Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16obama.html?_r=1

-Piano 35 photo at the top of the page -

Just realized - I changed my top photo right around the time that I posted pictures from St. Martin.  Well, the top photo is actually at the beautiful, broad, you-gotta-see-it beach at Kalaloch Lodge on the coast of Washington.  We've stayed there three times and loved it every time - the picture is from a very quiet morning - it was so peaceful!  And for you Twilight lovers out there...this is werewolf country!  (Ha...just started reading the third one again....got stuck last summer and dropped it for a year.  Everybody keeps telling me that the fourth one is great....actually, it's only the 13-15 year olds that keep telling me the fourth one is the best....so I decided to give it a try and slog through the third so that I could finish up that freakin' series....)

More pics! Don't know how to put the text first and the pictures second....so scroll down for a short paragraph of commentary!