Sandpoint, ID

Each August the Bonner County Fair starts out with the annual rodeo. The rodeo is always the Friday and Saturday before the fair starts. I rounded up a few of my friends and went on Saturday night. We showed up about 30 minutes early and found that the grandstands were not full.

The Festival at Sandpoint is an annual event of summer music fun. Each year the line up is released in mid to late May and the mad dash for tickets begins. For eight days in August there is a different act to suit every taste. There is usually a country night, rock night, a family night, which is a great way to get the kids to the festival and each year ends with the Spokane symphony

The show begin with the usual novelty attractions. There was a boy who was incredibly flexible and put himself in a box. There were the hula hoop girls who swiveled and swayed and hula-hooped like there was no tomorrow. There were the circus ponies and the circus dogs, all doing cute little tricks. Then the show increased it’s pace with bigger attractions, like the quartet on the centrifuge wheel, and the tightrope walkers. And our daughter’s favorite: the motorcyle riding on a high wire.

Tuesday there is always a buzz at my office about trivia night at McDuffs. I decided to round up my friends and try out trivia night. I had heard you needed to get there early to get a good table, near the large TV screen is best. Trivia starts at 7pm, so I arrived at about 6pm thinking that was plenty of time.

Each Thursday beer drinkers from all around town join together and hoist their mugs up as they enjoy dollar pint night at Eichardt’s. The dollar beer changes weekly so it’s always a surprise when you arrive

It seems like everywhere I go I hear grumblings about gas prices. And it’s all true, what people are saying. We are paying more for gas this summer than we did last summer. Good thing we weren’t planning any big trips this year, otherwise we’d have to tap into our retirement fund! Instead of a vacation this year, my family is taking a staycation! What’s a staycation, you may be asking yourself? It’s a period of time where we will stay at home and relax, explore our community, and take day trips – all within a short drive from home. We may decide to take a week off for our staycation, or we may just do it over several weekends. Here’s what we’re thinking about doing:

June 28th was Schweitzer’s opening day for summer and to celebrate they offered free chairlift rides to anyone in attendance. I took a friend and called a few more and we all headed up to the mountain to partake in the fun. My friend and I reached the mountain and found our way to the [...]

It was Father’s day and I decided to take my dad and his girlfriend out to lunch. They live in Hope so it limits you on the places you can go, just because there are not a lot of restaurants. But what is located in Hope are several delightful restaurants, one being the Wily Widgeon Café, located in the historic Hope hotel

Officially called the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. Originally opened in 1931, this Art Deco showpiece is truly an irreplaceable treasure. If you get an opportunity, step through the doors and into the opulent history of entertainment into a calmer, more formal era of showmanship. This is a place worth going out of your way for, dressing up for and spending an evening with your favorite person in. When we first attended a concert at the Fox several years ago, we saw the incredible David Byrne. Though the theater was not restored yet, he recognized the significance of such a classic building and said he was proud to be performing in it. You could feel its potential and the gravity of the theater’s past. You could see it, too, through broken glass panels and on dingy walls. Byrne, The Talking Heads front man and all-around artist was pro-restoration and praised Spokane for their foresight in preserving the Fox.

We arrived at Café Trinity and we were greeted by the owner at the front door. He seated us on the back deck overlooking Sandcreek. It was a nice warm day, so outside seating was an excellent choice, however inside seating can be nice as well if you are looking for a more romantic location, or you can sit at a bar and watch the chef prepare your meal. I like Trinity because not only do they offer good food that is Cajun inspired, but also you can order from the Oishii Sushi bar that is connected next door.