Kim Hildebrand
We are so fortunate to own a little slice of heaven, an 800 square foot kitschy cabin with limited wi-fi and multi-media capabilities on Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho where Tim and I grew up. What the cabin lacks in size and function, it’s view and lakefront access more than makes up for! (As well as the fact that my parents own the cabin next door!) We come here and share this slice of heaven with friends every 4th of July. It becomes a big gathering place for friends and family throughout the summer, and we’re so happy we can ‘give back’ something like this because I tell you, there’s nothing like making memories here. So much so that my kids were begging to stay all summer! While that scares me a bit leaving our house and work obligations, I obliged to at least try staying here an entire month this August. As I’m writing this post we are gearing up for our month-long stay with excitement and anticipation.
Coeur d’Alene is in the panhandle of North Idaho, about 30-minutes away from Spokane, Washington and about 100 miles away from Canada. The town is situated right on the northern part of the huge lake, which is almost 50 miles along. The lake has seen a ton of growth with the real estate boom the last decade, but it’s big enough and most of the vacation homes are vacant at least part of the time, that during the week you feel like you have it all to yourself.
This trip had a few firsts. Our friend Derek competed in the CDA Ironman and killed it despite a whopping 106 degree temperature. We pulled the boat up to a dock by Tony’s Restaurant and cheered him and the other participants on in between dips to cool off in the lake. He dedicated the race to his mom who is battling cancer which made my heart explode and brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations, Derek! We’re so proud of you. (I unfortunately did not take my film camera to the race, but I do have evidence below that he participated!)
Second, this was Ida’s first extended trip to the cabin. Despite our best efforts, she didn’t take to the water too much. Her favorite activity was watching and trying to round up all the kids and adults in the water while perched smack in front of the ladder. We’ll work on her yet. 🙂
So here are some snippets of our memories made with friends over the 4th, all captured on film because (like the cabin) I love it so much. I can’t wait to share more memories later this summer!
