June has been a busy month. Trips, celebrations, plenty of BBQ, and yummy food. For the first part of the month, it seemed pretty chilly and rainy, but then the sun came out, and has been beating down on us since. Summer is officially here, and I'm loving it.My stomach is still not my best friend, but so much stress has been lifted from my life this past week, that I really can't complain. Every thing has been sorted out with our medical bills, the car accident from February, and I have been easing back into my workouts.
I can't wait to see what July holds in store for us. Two trips have been planned, not to mention a couple of fun holidays are just around the corner. See ya June, I'm ready to welcome July with open arms.
Saturday was the prep day. The team got to the fairgrounds early to set up camp. We all tried to help with what we could, but the boys were pretty on top of everything. So I wandered around the fairgrounds and snapped pictures, relaxed in the shade, and helped out where I could.
The fair had a ton of vendors, food, music, and stuff to do. I even treated myself to a sno-kone while I was out exploring.
One of my favorite things about BBQ competitions is the people watching. It's never a dull moment when you are surrounded by people who have been drinking since 7 a.m. the day before.
Then every one left, and the real cooking started. And so did a major thunder and lightening storm. They started prepping their meats around midnight. So I hung around for a while and watched the fun. And got a couple cool shots of the rain.
Then I got tired, and Bob took me back to the hotel so I could sleep while the team stayed up late into the night tending to the meat. This competition stuff is pretty serious. But let me just tell you, it's worth it. The next day I experienced the most amazing food. More on competition day tomorrow.
I had never been to northern Idaho before, and every time I told someone we were going to Coeur d' Alene, they couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was. My response was always something like "Really? In Idaho?" Let me just tell you that Southern Idaho, and Northern Idaho are as different as two different states. Don't get me wrong southern Idaho is pretty. But Northern Idaho is gorgeous. Gorgeous. I can see why so much of Bob's family lives there.
That night, a few of us decided to go into the city and see the car show that was going on.
Then Bob's brother Jeff, took us around this enormous hotel that's right on the lake. It had a boardwalk that went all the way around.
The views were stunning. I kept stopping every two minutes to take pictures. These were a couple of my favorites.
To end the night, we went to the hotel's swanky restaurant and ordered this..
The gooey. It had huckleberry and vanilla ice cream, fresh huckleberries and strawberries, a gooey strawberry sauce, and topped with whip cream. It was so tasty, and was as big as my head. There were four of us eating it, and there was still some left over.
The men headed to the Masonic Temple, the bar, and hotel. (*ahem, yes, there were many books in the gift shop telling of all the debauchery and ladies of the night.)
And let's not forget the jail. They also had a gallows. It's really cool to see how differently people lived back then.
It was all very interesting, and the town is set right next to beautiful rolling hills and a stream. Such pretty scenery on our trip.
