Say hello to my little friends

Yes, once again it is hot tub season in the ho.(Idaho) Typically when I get in the hot tub I assume I will be the only one in there, but, my new friends have been waiting for me lately.








They never get in , but I usually find them waiting under the cover only to surprise me when its late @ night and too dark to see.
All though one time one of the little fella's jumped in and it didn't take him long to get out.








There seems to be more and more of them lately. Either they breed like rabbits or they're spreading the news about a hot tub party.
Clothing is optional and there is not a bottle of Perier to be found. (That's kind of an inside joke)

Murray Idaho

Last weekend we took a short drive to an old gold mining town of Murray, Id. Heading towards Montana and just over the 4th of July pass, you folllow the scenic Coeur d Alene river for about 35 miles to Murray. Sadly the mining tailings from the old river dredges still scar the scenery along Prichard creek road for the last six miles after turning away from the CDA river.
Our original intent was to stop in at the Spragpole bar for a burger and beer. The Spragpole also plays host to one of the most interesting museums that displays items and history everything from the mining industry to prostitution. Ironically the restaurant has incredible seas food entries and appetizers, including jumbo prawn and shrimp cocktails.

The post office building is still in use today,
and if you look close you will see my reflection in the glass door, taking the photo.







Across the street and just north of the Spragpole stand these totem poles, in which many a male dog
has probably stopped for a brief moment to enjoy. This town really is a fun place to visit.

Park City Utah

Check this out. Last weekend my wife and I drove from Coeur d Alene to Park City, Utah. My daughter, Thea, Marylin and I went to Olympic Village to watch skiers practice ariels from a ski jump into a pool of water. But, as you can see, just before the jumper enters the water, several air jets totally supercharge the water to keep the jumper from breaking every bone in their body. Click on the picture, there is a jumper in there somewhere.

Then we have the official pictures of the 20o02 winter olympic ski jump area. Thea and I took a chair lift to be hooked into a harness that sent us down a zip line @ 50 miles per hour. Ya right, probalbly 35.

Home for my birthday

Went home on Sept. 5 to celebrate my birthday on the 6th. Kinda laid low, but was immediatley put to work the next day sprucing up the cafe and rearanging display shelves and dusting ceiling fans. But I did get a chance to winterize at home and put some of the water toys away. Didn't know where to put my canoe so I hung it up in the living room, as you see in the first photo.





Mare supprized me with this antique saddle that is displayed in the family room along with the singing deer mounted on the wall.






And last, but not least, caught a barge tugging along early morn out back, kinda not important, but kinda cool watching someone else having to go to work as you sip your coffee and soak up the heat from the morning sun.

Wildlife @ Home

Took Marylin to work this morning, and never fails, you turn the corner and there's a moose just off the side of the road. So I turned the car around and went back home for the camera. I need to get used to packing around.
I wanted to blog this photo, but, thought it needed a little variety. So later that evening I fired up the quad and went up above our property and spotted a Doe and her Fawn. Mom was pissed. She started pounding her hoof on the ground to scare me away. It didn't work, I stayed and shot them anyway(with a camera of course).

The fourth of July 2008

Well, Ive been a little lame about posting on my site. But I did promise to show some photos of the firework display we had on the lake.

We had about 50 good friends and neighbors show up for a fantastic display of fireworks, food and plenty of libations.




And once you've seen one firework............................... You've seen them all. So I threw in a historic photo of the famous Lewis and Clark after Sacajawea had fallen in. ( To tell you the truth I think she jumped in rather than trust these two guys)

The Flood of 2008

The first photo was taken some time in April, notice the height of the pilings, the chairs, fire pit and the angle of the gang plank.

The next photo is what I saw the following day I got home from Santa Cruz, May 20th. With the unusually warm weather and the 480 " of record snow fall received in the mountains, the lake rose fast.

In the third photo I am rescuing chairs, wheel barrows and anything else I could reach. The water will rise another foot and a half in the next days to come. Notice the height of the pilings and the pitch of the gang plank now.

It was very surreal to look out on the lake on Memorial Day and not see any boats, as the sheriffs office enforced a no wake ordinance. Yesterday, even though the lake is still 5' above summer lake level, the ban was lifted and the crazies where out dodging logs, branches and other miscellaneous debris.Where did my fire pit go?

Trailer Trash

It IS home and I AINT gonna take the wheels off. Yep, here it is my new home away
from home. Last weekend Mare and I traveled to Red Bluff to attend the Red Bluff
Round Up for the ninth year in a row. While we were there we bought this 29 foot
travel trailer from her brother Tom, who used it while he was building his new house near
Kalamath falls Ore. We towed it to Felton where it will probably spend the rest of its life( under my ownership)



Take note of the Gnome, he will be featured in upcoming blogs. We just got custody of him
last weekend, as Mare's niece kidnapped him last July and there was photo evidence of him
in places like Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Yellowstone and Hollywood. Maybe I'll call him
my Gnome away from home.

February Plunge

Well I said the next time I took my monthly plunge I would have Mare take photos. Here they are. Pay no attention to the gut, my John Basedow video hasn't arrived yet, and the Rogaine hasn't kicked in for the top
of my bald head. There was just a short moment of hesitation as I peered into the crystal clear lake to ponder a very shallow dive as the lake has been lowered almost 7 feet. Where I dove was only 3 feet deep.


The weather was perfect for the plunge last Tuesday, Feb 26. The outside temp was a warm 45 degrees and the water was a brisk 33. I wanted to wait for a couple of chunks of ice to float into the picture, but it was getting late and the sun would soon set. Plus, I had all ready psyched myself out.


Did I fail to mention every February I quit drinking for the entire month. This made Feb. plunge a little more sensitive physically and mentally. And to think I did this sober.



The hike back up the hill was a challenge, trudging through 2 feet of snow, but it was well worth plopping into the 103 degree water that awaited me in the hot tub. Oh, by the way, this is just a before picture to match up later to my upcoming "six pack abs". Stay tuned.

It never snows in Coeur d Alene

I met a guy the other day who wanted me to go ice fishing with him. He said he had a special boat and it was ready to go. He tried to convince me we could catch more fish if we trolled. I think he was Bi Polar. I passed





When ice bergs break off it's called calving. When ice breaks off from a solid sheet, what do you call it? Chunking? This is our bay, which was froze over from point to point. Several deer have taken the opportunity to use the ice for a short cut. My dog took off in a dead run a couple hundred yards out until I was able to call her back. I wasn't going after her.





To date we have broken a 92 year old record snow fall for the season. Total snow fall is at 127 inches and I have shoveled every inch of it. Four lane roads have become two lanes and cars left on the side of the road or left unattended have dissapeared. This is what our house looked like before we got hit with another 11 inches. I should have listned to Mare when she told me to buy a plow for the quad.

Monthy Plunge

I wanted to report on my monthly plunge into Lake Coeur d Alene. I don't know if I have mentioned this, but, I challenged myself to dive off my dock at least one day of every month for one year. Obviously June, July, August and September are a giv'n. My cooler plunges started on October 26, November 4th (Marylin and my anniversary) and on December 23 with my son and son in law. On January 13 I treked down the snow burdened trail with my running shoes on but untied. Knee deep snow filled the vacant spaces that my feet didn't occupy. Your shoes must remain on during the plunge to make easy the stroll across the rocky lake bottom towards the shore line, the hike up the windy trail back through the snow and finally untied as to allow for a quick entry into the 103 degree hot tub that has previously been uncovered and waiting. My photographer had been notified but was distracted by a phone call, so, this is not the photo of the plunge but one taked a couple weeks ago at a nearby frozen lake that I had taken Nathan and my son in law Jason ice fish'n just so you could get a feel of how cold it has been here lately. I have already set a date for my next plunge on Feb 3 during Super Bowl half time maybe we can get a photo then.

Hillabrandt Party of Six

Let me introduce you to Brandon Ryan Hillabrandt. Brandon will make number 6 for total grandchildren, so far. As I started to think of things to say the number 6 kept coming up. The new addition to our family was born on December 26, he weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz., as I said he was our sixth grandchild there is now a total of six family members in the Hillibrandt house hold, and if he would have waited 6 more days he would have been the New Years baby. But there would have gone the federal tax deduction for 2007. Oh, and by the way, the date of this post is Jan. 6. Thank you Saesha for picture texting this photo of your beautiful baby brother to me on my phone where as I sent it to my email and made it possible to post. The process and ability of sharing digital information still amazes me.