While Mom was here, my garden was busy overproducing! We had an abundance of tomatoes, squash, beans, peas as well as a bountiful harvest of herbs to put up! My tomatoes just loved the greenhouse this year, and did amazingly well. One particular plant that I planted grew these extra-large tomatoes, and this particular tomato outdid itself! We estimated it weighed at least a pound, although I didn't have a kitchen scale to be accurate.
But it took up the whole palm of my hand when I held it!
This is the tomato sitting on a 8" plate...
in preparation to being the center of attention for our meal that evening!
Because it was such a huge tomato, we wanted to have it with dinner...
it was very sweet, juicy, and yummy!
Then we moved on to even bigger things... canning! I had been storing tomatoes that were ripe and ready in my refrigerator, and it was overcrowded, and canning was no longer an option, it was a necessity!
With Mom and I both working together, we had the tomatoes canned in no time. It is quite a job that involves bringing them to a boil to loosen their skins, peeling the skins off, simmering the tomatoes for about 30 minutes, and then pouring into hot sterilized canning jars, and pressure cooking them for 45 minutes.
It took the bigger part of the day to get it done....
But seeing these lovely jars of beauty sitting on my countertop made it all worthwhile!
This winter will be pure enjoyment of fresh salsa, spaghetti sauce and soups!
We live right on the border of Washington, and it a wildly beautiful state as well.
We turned down a road that we had passed by many times before, never having the time to explore.
We had intended to drive farther that afternoon, but the front passenger tire on the van began to leak air, and we had to limp back into town to get the tire fixed, so that was the end of our exploring for that day, as it was time to get home, and get the evening meal ready.
The next day dawned beautiful again, and we went in a different direction. We took Mom back to Sandpoint and drove up Schweitzer Mountain.
It was another beautiful clear day, and you could see for miles after we got to the Schweitzer Resort. Mom was on a hunt for huckleberries, and we took some time walking through the fields looking for them, but apparently they had been heavily picked over, and we could find none. Someone told us you had to go way up, almost to the top of the ski resort to find the berries now. That was too bad, because Mom was eager to pick some huckleberries, and make huckleberry jam. But it was fun looking anyway! Mom did end up buying some huckleberries from the local Mennonite store, and we made the jam before she left!
A picture of the north side of Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort...
This is a picture looking out over the top of the Schweitzer Resort from the lookout deck.
Mom was hoping to get a glimpse of some wildlife while she was there, but none appeared. We showed her whee we had seen the baby bear cub the very first time we had ever driven out here to Schweitzer. But, there was no excitement to be had on our trip up or down the mountain...
We stopped at one of the look outs on the way back down the mountain to see Lake Pend O'Reille and the Selkirk Mountain Ranges far off in the distance.
This is an incredibly beautiful place to visit! Mom was thrilled to be able to see all the sights of the area, and that is something we always enjoy doing too. It seems that we never tire of finding new and old places to explore and enjoy here in our beautiful Idaho home!
It was so nice having Mom here, and we enjoyed every minute together!
Shortly after she arrived, I celebrated a pretty big milestone in my life... I turned the big "40"! Having Mom here for that day was really special, and we had the best time together getting ready to feed everyone that wanted to wish me a Happy 40!
Mom's specialty is homemade pizzas. They are the best hands down!!!! Once you have a piece of her homemade pizza, pizza anywhere else has to take a back seat!
We made 6 large pizzas for the crowd that was coming to pay their last respects to me, as I crossed over the great divide from my 30s into the land of the 4-0s.... lol!
My favorite pizza is the Supreme with all the works! For those of you who know me, and know how much I LOVE onions, and how much my husband HATES onions... you know it is a very special occasion for me when I can enjoy onions for dinner, and my husband not say a word about it!
I received an amazing surprise from a dear friend of mine, and I had no idea just what this box held for me!
This box held the most loving, generous, thoughtful, amazing gift one could ever receive! It was a gift of expressions of love from my family and friends to wish me a Happy 40th, and to share their thoughts with me of days gone by. It was just the most amazing moment when I opened this book, and realized how much work and effort on the part of my dear friend RH, and my dear sister RG who made efforts to contact different family members and friends to contribute to the book. I was touched beyond words, and I could hardly read the words written through my tears. It was a beautiful thing, and I appreciated so much all the effort that went into its preparation!
It was a very special day for me to celebrate with family, and friends! I am very, very blessed to be surrounded with so much love!
Turning 40 isn't so bad! I am looking forward to the next 40 years, as they say going down the hill is more fun than climbing up, so I guess I'm in for the ride of my life starting now!!!
My husband bought me these beautiful flowers for the special occasion, and I thought of this as I admired the beauty of these flowers.... I'll smell the flowers along the way and enjoy the road that I travel, and be thankful for all my blessings along the way!
Shortly after she arrived, I celebrated a pretty big milestone in my life... I turned the big "40"! Having Mom here for that day was really special, and we had the best time together getting ready to feed everyone that wanted to wish me a Happy 40!
Mom's specialty is homemade pizzas. They are the best hands down!!!! Once you have a piece of her homemade pizza, pizza anywhere else has to take a back seat!
We made 6 large pizzas for the crowd that was coming to pay their last respects to me, as I crossed over the great divide from my 30s into the land of the 4-0s.... lol!
My favorite pizza is the Supreme with all the works! For those of you who know me, and know how much I LOVE onions, and how much my husband HATES onions... you know it is a very special occasion for me when I can enjoy onions for dinner, and my husband not say a word about it!
I received an amazing surprise from a dear friend of mine, and I had no idea just what this box held for me!
This box held the most loving, generous, thoughtful, amazing gift one could ever receive! It was a gift of expressions of love from my family and friends to wish me a Happy 40th, and to share their thoughts with me of days gone by. It was just the most amazing moment when I opened this book, and realized how much work and effort on the part of my dear friend RH, and my dear sister RG who made efforts to contact different family members and friends to contribute to the book. I was touched beyond words, and I could hardly read the words written through my tears. It was a beautiful thing, and I appreciated so much all the effort that went into its preparation!
Turning 40 isn't so bad! I am looking forward to the next 40 years, as they say going down the hill is more fun than climbing up, so I guess I'm in for the ride of my life starting now!!!
Tuesday September 3rd wasn't such a great day, that's for sure. But there was something about to happen that we were all looking forward to!
My mother was coming to visit us, and she was arriving on Saturday afternoon! We couldn't wait to see her, and were thrilled that she was arriving.
We had gotten all the logistics of the truck situation settled down, and it was wonderful to see Mom again, and have this time to spend with her.
The day after she arrived, seemed like the perfect day for a road trip. Mom was so excited to be here in north Idaho. She had never been on the west side of the US before, and so she was ready to explore! We didn't waste any time, because the next day dawned bright and beautiful, and we headed out early!
It was a simply gorgeous day... the bright colors all around us were tripping all over themselves to grab our attention!
We stopped in Sandpoint to show Mom this beautiful amazing town. We drove down to City Beach, which was deserted for the most part now, although there were a couple of children playing in the water - brave souls!
As we walked around the park, I lagged behind a bit to catch a view of all the beautiful colors around us...
The shapes, sizes and colors of the clouds here never cease to amaze me, especially when paired with the grandiose views of the mountains!
A closer view of the solitary red and white boat in Lake Pend O'Reille with the gorgeous backdrop of the mountains, water, and cloud behind it.
Our travels took us farther north into Bonners Ferry, another simply amazing, and beautiful town!
All through the town they have these beautiful flower baskets hanging everywhere, just shouting out to the world their loveliness!
Clouds make the sky so much more interesting, and I'm glad we have lots of clouds in this area.... adds so much to a picture, doncha think!
A picture of a large clock in Bonner's Ferry....
Another picture of the brilliant colors of the hanging baskets all over town.
Here is a picture of a mural painted on the wall of a building.
Next stop on our destination was Creston, British Columbia, Canada.
By this time, we were getting quite hungry! We drove around Creston for a bit, and then decided on a destination for lunch.... which was exactly the same restaurant we had taken my dad to eat at when we took him to Creston last year!
As we were walking inside the restaurant, we spotted a cozy little home for the restaurant's outdoor cat... and after we finished eating and came back outside, he was still there... in the same position... life is good.... he was saying!
One of the restaurant ladies who was outside taking a break said this tom cat hangs around for all the scraps.... looks like he is a well fed, and taken care of fellow! In fact, he looked like he could be a twin to our own cat, Mr. Simba!
After we finished eating, we headed over to our favorite coffee place in the whole wide world!
As we left Tim Hortons, we headed next to the grocery store to pick up some of our favorite Canadian brands that we can't get in the US. Here is a picture of some of the Canadian brands you can't find on American store shelves!
All too soon, the day was drawing to a close. We decided to drive around Creston and do some sight-seeing... before it got dark...
My husband is great about turning down random roads and we have no idea where we're going, or what we're gonna see when we "get there".... but it is just part of the fun adventure when you're out exploring a new place!
We just so happened to turn down this random road, and came upon the most beautiful contrasts of sky, mountains, and land! And as we were slowly driving down the road, a Mennonite couple on bicycles rode past us.... they were out enjoying the beautiful evening together!
As we drove across a narrow bridge, I had my husband stop so I could get out and take some snapshots of the lovely view unfolded before us. It was a breathtaking moment, just the beauty of the sun, the water, the clouds, the bright blue mountains, and deep greens of the lush grass...
What a beautiful idyllic spot this was! All by happen-chance too... because if you ask me WHERE this road is, and how to find it again, I'd probably not be able to tell you!
As the sun began to pass down the side of the mountain, we began our drive back home. As we drove back through Bonner's Ferry, I captured this picture of the American flag blowing in the evening breeze.
The sun was casting its last twinges of love toward us as we drove home. It was lovely to watch the various shades and colors of the sky change, darken, lighten, and glow with brilliant colors.
Snapping pictures through the window doesn't give the best illustration of the view our eyes were feasting on... but you kinda get the picture, albeit blurry!
One last view of the horizon before the darkness closed in... a beautiful closure to a perfect day!
My mother was coming to visit us, and she was arriving on Saturday afternoon! We couldn't wait to see her, and were thrilled that she was arriving.
We had gotten all the logistics of the truck situation settled down, and it was wonderful to see Mom again, and have this time to spend with her.
The day after she arrived, seemed like the perfect day for a road trip. Mom was so excited to be here in north Idaho. She had never been on the west side of the US before, and so she was ready to explore! We didn't waste any time, because the next day dawned bright and beautiful, and we headed out early!
It was a simply gorgeous day... the bright colors all around us were tripping all over themselves to grab our attention!
We stopped in Sandpoint to show Mom this beautiful amazing town. We drove down to City Beach, which was deserted for the most part now, although there were a couple of children playing in the water - brave souls!
As we walked around the park, I lagged behind a bit to catch a view of all the beautiful colors around us...
The shapes, sizes and colors of the clouds here never cease to amaze me, especially when paired with the grandiose views of the mountains!
A closer view of the solitary red and white boat in Lake Pend O'Reille with the gorgeous backdrop of the mountains, water, and cloud behind it.
Our travels took us farther north into Bonners Ferry, another simply amazing, and beautiful town!
All through the town they have these beautiful flower baskets hanging everywhere, just shouting out to the world their loveliness!
Clouds make the sky so much more interesting, and I'm glad we have lots of clouds in this area.... adds so much to a picture, doncha think!
A picture of a large clock in Bonner's Ferry....
Another picture of the brilliant colors of the hanging baskets all over town.
Here is a picture of a mural painted on the wall of a building.
Next stop on our destination was Creston, British Columbia, Canada.
By this time, we were getting quite hungry! We drove around Creston for a bit, and then decided on a destination for lunch.... which was exactly the same restaurant we had taken my dad to eat at when we took him to Creston last year!
As we were walking inside the restaurant, we spotted a cozy little home for the restaurant's outdoor cat... and after we finished eating and came back outside, he was still there... in the same position... life is good.... he was saying!
One of the restaurant ladies who was outside taking a break said this tom cat hangs around for all the scraps.... looks like he is a well fed, and taken care of fellow! In fact, he looked like he could be a twin to our own cat, Mr. Simba!
Look at the enormous plates of food we received at this restaurant.... it was wonderful!
After we finished eating, we headed over to our favorite coffee place in the whole wide world!
If you haven't tasted Tim Horton's Coffee... you haven't lived man!
Canadians have it right when it comes to their coffee!!!
As we left Tim Hortons, we headed next to the grocery store to pick up some of our favorite Canadian brands that we can't get in the US. Here is a picture of some of the Canadian brands you can't find on American store shelves!
All too soon, the day was drawing to a close. We decided to drive around Creston and do some sight-seeing... before it got dark...
My husband is great about turning down random roads and we have no idea where we're going, or what we're gonna see when we "get there".... but it is just part of the fun adventure when you're out exploring a new place!
We just so happened to turn down this random road, and came upon the most beautiful contrasts of sky, mountains, and land! And as we were slowly driving down the road, a Mennonite couple on bicycles rode past us.... they were out enjoying the beautiful evening together!
As we drove across a narrow bridge, I had my husband stop so I could get out and take some snapshots of the lovely view unfolded before us. It was a breathtaking moment, just the beauty of the sun, the water, the clouds, the bright blue mountains, and deep greens of the lush grass...
As the sun began to pass down the side of the mountain, we began our drive back home. As we drove back through Bonner's Ferry, I captured this picture of the American flag blowing in the evening breeze.
The sun was casting its last twinges of love toward us as we drove home. It was lovely to watch the various shades and colors of the sky change, darken, lighten, and glow with brilliant colors.
Snapping pictures through the window doesn't give the best illustration of the view our eyes were feasting on... but you kinda get the picture, albeit blurry!
One last view of the horizon before the darkness closed in... a beautiful closure to a perfect day!
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