Coeur d'Alene & 23 Weeks

I have freckles! And Tony is sooo brown!

We have had a wonderful couple of weeks gallivanting around in the sun, and it is beginning to show. We recently returned from our trip to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where Tony had a great big CPE (Continuing Professional Education) class on taxes and other fun accounting stuff. I, on the other hand, joined him for the weekend to enjoy the nice east-of-the-mountains weather and a change of pace. We slept, ate, and went on hikes. Well, Tony might have called them "walks" but to me, they were hikes. Tony also worked out a bunch, so I have no doubt he will kick butt on his next triathlon.

The main attraction in Coeur d'Alene is the resort (creatively named The Coeur d'Alene). We are not really resort people, so it was good that this was a short trip for me. I think Tony got pretty bored, however. Turns out that if you are not the type of person to spend $1000 per day on unnecessary amenities, like golf, spa, and fake antique shopping, resorts are not really your thing. Add that to the fact that Tony and I are not, by nature, lazy people who are content to lie around a pool all day long, and resorts end up being no fun at all. So, to pass the time, we walked/hiked the 2-mile loop around the point (not sure what point, just that it jutted out into the lake), walked around town, watched movies on TV, and watched the baby kick my belly hard enough to see it from the outside (YEAH! Go baby!).


On Saturday, we drove out to Wallace, a small silver mining town that is listed, in its entirety, on the National Historic Register. The town is, well, what you might expect from a tiny historic town. Not much there, but interesting. Here I am next to the Bordello Museum. But, of course.

We took a trip on a Sacramento Trolley to a real, live silver mine for a tour conducted by a retired miner. It was very interesting, and mining turns out to be just as disgusting and depressing a profession as I always thought. I nearly passed out in the mine (combination of too much heat and too little space) and had to leave, sit down, and put my head between my knees at one point. I didn't miss much of the hour-long tour, though, and I still got to see all of the machine demonstrations and the dynamite blast map, so that was cool. Also, chipmunks! They were so cute!
















There was quite a large tour group with us, and they do the tours every hour or so, so it is quite the popular tour. There were some German folk on the tour, and the dad was translating-- it would have been awesome to have Sarah or Leland around to converse with them. One very rude, older lady tried to get the tour guide to stop the tour because the German dad was translating, and she didn't want "another conversation" going on while she was trying to listen to the guide. Even this crazy woman's husband looked like he was at his wit's end with her!


I enjoyed ice cream for the first time since becoming pregnant in Coeur d'Alene... a combination of the heat and working really hard, I'm sure. We walked A LOT. I couldn't even look at ice cream last night, though, so I guess it was a one-time thing. Lucky for me, the raspberries will be harvested this week and ready by Thursday, so berry smoothies, berry cobbler, and berry scones with light up my life for a few weeks!

We also had lunch in Coeur d'Alene at the famous golf course overlooking the signature "floating green." Essentially, you shoot from the shore to a small island that the golf course can move (is it 90 yards? 120? You NEVER KNOW.) and you only get two chances before you have to take a little boat over and take a drop. Apparently, once a year, the golf course hires SCUBA divers to retrieve over 30,000 balls lost to the lake. Poor golfers! (or not, since they pay $220 per round)

So that was our trip to Coeur d'Alene. Tony might have more to say about it based on the fact that he "learned" something while there, but all in all, that's what we did. Buster was sure glad to see us home.

You might have noticed my prominent belly in the photos above. I am now at 23 weeks pregnant, meaning that there are only 17 to go (15 if this kid pays attention to mom's directions and comes two weeks early). The baby kicks and punches like crazy, and if I am just hanging out, some of the kicks are big enough to SEE. Wow, strong kid. In my paranoia and disbelief that this is really happening, I have been hesitant to purchase anything baby-related (ohmigawd, anything could go wrong! Do not get me started), but the other day I did buy a book of baby animals and an awesome laundry hamper for the nursery. We have also received two baby gifts, one of a great 360-degree, hand-made, applique bib from George & Terri Morrison, and the other a Whitman Junior sweatshirt from Maggi & Matt. Thanks, everyone! One day, we might even be prepared for this baby!