Happy Days in Spokane
Mon 22nd - Sun 28th May 2023
It’s incredible how quickly six days in Spokane passed. We had a wonderful time staying with Tasha and Mac and we were sad to leave. We had originally planned to arrive a few days earlier, but Tasha was away the previous week running a course for the new student leaders of next years Gonzaga outdoor programs. We also need to be home before the middle of June so our time was somewhat limited.
Tasha and Mac moved into their new home, the Rock and Pine Ranch, 8 months ago, and they have been working really hard on a long list of renovations and improvements. Some of these, were anticipated, and not surprisingly, others were not. They knew they had to have the metal roof replaced and this has now been completed and looks terrific. However, they hadn’t expected to have to deal with some mold issues that were the result of leaks from the former roof. Nonetheless, these have now also been addressed. I do think at times they feel a little overwhelmed by the number of things that they want to get done on the house, the barn and outbuildings and the land itself. It’s just going to take a little time.
During our visit I was able to help with a couple of jobs. There was an outside “freeze-proof” faucet that had actually frozen and split during the winter and was leaking under the crawlspace when turned on. This presumably happened prior to the installation of sub-floor insulation that was recently completed, but wasn’t realized until Tasha started to use the outside faucet. Replacing the faucet and incorporating an additional cut-off valve took me a little longer than I planned but eventually worked out okay. I also installed a vapor barrier under the entry foyer, complete with ducting for radon-mitigation, and replaced the insulation and plywood floor. I also took out the decrepit porch railing by falling through it when I overbalanced trying to carry a sheet of plywood. No harm done to me … the railing was toast!
As well as trying to help out with some house jobs, Gloria and I also did a little exploring of the local area. We took a couple of short hikes and rode our bikes down part of the Centennial Trail. It really is a beautiful area and it looks very different from when we visited at Thanksgiving. On Saturday we all took a short road trip up north to go hiking and check out a local mushroom festival. The drive north and the walk by the lake were great … the mushroom festival was a little underwhelming!
I really must mention my favorite topic - food. We had numerous fantastic meals at home! Mac in particular cooked some really excellent dinners, including rice noodles with homemade pesto, chicken and vegetables; Thai fresh rolls with shrimp; Italian sausages with stir fried vegetables and salad; and pizza with homemade dough and sauce. We also went out one evening for an excellent dinner at “Wild Sage” in Spokane (see photos below).
So all told we had a fabulous time. But I must finish with the most exciting few minutes of the visit. Tasha and Mac came across a rattle snake in the barn. They managed to cover it with a large plastic storage box, up against the wall of the barn, and you could hear it rattling. After some discussion, Tasha used a long weeding hoe to flush it out of the box and I killed it with a spade. They had said it was “little”, but on closer inspection it turned out to be about 3 feet long. I do not like killing animals but we all thought it would be unacceptable to have a potentially lethal rattle snake living in the barn.
Gloria and I are now embarking on the final leg of this big adventure. We have a couple of nights at Flathead Lake in Montana and then three nights at Glacier National Park. We then head east, with a short break on route, to spend 4 nights near Theodore Roosevelt National Park. After that we plan to cover the 1800 miles home in as quick and painless way as possible!
Mike
Looks like you all had a great time!
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