August 21, 2006

• Honeymoon

  We honeymooned at an inn on a lake in a small town right on the border of Washington and Idaho.  It was the perfect place for us – in every way.  The hosts of this bed-and-breakfast were warm, friendly and hospitable — they made us amazing gourmet meals every morning for breakfast and were always available to answer our questions about good places to dine and to visit.  But we didn’t galavant around the towns too much — the view of the lake from the inn was more beautiful in real life than we thought it would be, and so we stayed in at the Inn for most of the week. 

  

  Here’s a picture of what I’m talking about. 

  

  What the Inn looks like from the front.  If you look closely right above Sam’s head, you’ll see the blue of the lake!

  

  When we finally ventured out of the vicinity of the Inn, we headed for the famous Couer d’Alene.  The lake there was lovely but it was a little too touristy for our taste.

  

  However, we did as tourists do and took a picture in front of the resort –

  

  In the midst of our adventuring that day, we discovered this historic landmark — the oldest building in Couer d’Alene — it was a chapel, schoolhouse and then meeting house.  We thought it was the cutest little building!

  

  The following day, we drove over to Priest River — we enjoyed the quiet of this place much more than Couer d’Alene.

  

  …so much so that we indulged in long moments pondering what was around this bend on the far side of the river.

  

  Nearby, was a place called  Sandpoint — we found a replica of the Statue of Liberty, so we took a picture with her.

  

  On the way back to the Inn that evening, we stopped on the side of the road to explore this deserted house. 

  

  It was really strange how it stood all by itself in an empty field.  What could it have possibly been used for?  It was too small to be an actual home…

  

  Inside, we found one small room — and among the abandoned items, a really old pillow, a semblance of a mattress, the lid of a tool box, one shoe, one child’s toy and the lid & straw of a soft drink cup.  It took many turns around the little house before I noticed this ladder that you see here which led up to a small loft at the top.  Weird.  That was when we realized that there might be someone up there and hightailed it outta there!    I love adventure.

  

  This is the last picture we took on our last night at the end of the dock; the sun is setting, signaling the end of some good times — but oh the beauty, we know it’s just the beginning of a lifetime of bonding like this.

  My favorite memory from our honeymoon was when we took the motor boat out on the lake one afternoon.  We skidded across the waters all the way to the end of the lake, where there were no houses or people around – just marshes, trees, birds.  We let the boat float until it got anchored in the lily pads, layed on our backs with our feet dangling over the edge of the boat, and stared into the sky, determining the shapes of the clouds.  That cloud looks like a heart, a horse, a pill bug with it’s legs flying up in the air…  We must’ve sat there for hours (ok, maybe it was only ONE hour) indulging in the unhurried quiet that spread all around us and the sweet serenity of being in the midst of God’s creation with no need for interruption when at last we felt the urgency to return to the Inn (I had to pee), and Sam tried to start the engine; he kept pulling and pulling and pulling at the motor…. but to no avail.  The motor was dead, and we weren’t going anywhere!  ha.  I guess it could’ve been a good moment to panic, but I felt so relaxed and somehow safe on that lake that I figured God would get us back somehow.  And before we even had time to worry, a larger boat, seeing Sam plugging away at the motor, started coming toward us and offered to tow us back to the Inn.  Yay, for God’s provision — He comes to our rescue even before we realize we need His help.  

  All in all, it was the best vacation we’ve ever been on, and we wished that it didn’t end so soon.  And now… back to real life. )

  • 9:31 pm
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