September 1-15, 2024 Labor Day and Winding Down the Summer Season

1-Sun-We did all the routine things. Then it was monitoring the dock and parking lot. We did make a run into town. We decided to get some chicken strips at their deli and picked up a salad for our lunch. Then we watched football in the afternoon. Steve had a leftover turkey burger and I had cheese and crackers for supper. We always eat berries for our dessert. 

2-Mon-This morning we sat outside and listened to music. It’s Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. There were lots of boat in and out of the lake. In many years past, most of the boats were being taken out. This year it does not seem to be a major exit. 

Sunset

3-Tue-Steve worked on clearing rocks off the launch again today. Then we did weed eating on the triangle area. I paid some bills. Steve loaded up posts in the back of the pickup. At 9:00 PM there were some idiots in the parking lot. It was kids, trying to peel out. We shined our light at them and they finally moved out.

The launch where Steve is getting the rocks swept off.

Squirrel

4-Wed-Kristi called us this morning to update us on how everyone is doing. Our granddaughter is having some trouble. I hope they all get situated. We completed our routine chores and noticed that Whitefish Lake Institute was here. They were sampling the lake water, we have no Aquatic Invasive Species in our lake. That is good. Tony stopped by with a post so we could put the Do Not Enter sign back up. Later we drove up to the forest to Noisy Creek and took the dogs for a walk. They just love to snoop around. We also had a fire and made s’mores. 

Noisy Creek

Poopsie

flower

Buster & Poopsie

Sunset

5-Thu-After we got around we loaded up the trash and dropped it off on our way to Kalispell. We went to the Army/Navy store, REI then Walmart. I got some new shoes and Steve ordered some at the Army/Navy store. We got home and put away the groceries . After that we had lunch and rested because we were pooped!. Tonight we watched Kansas City Chiefs and Ravens play football. The Chiefs won!

Display at Army/Navy Store

6-Fri-We did all the usual things this morning . Steve worked on digging a hole for the new sign. That took  awhile. We had some fun sending our boss pictures of maybe putting it up crooked. Sometimes we like to give him a hard time, just for fun! We went into Bigfork to mail a birthday card to Kristi. Then it was rest and relax. We took the dogs on a walk along the shore on the north side of us. We wanted to check the house project on La Brant from a different angle. 

This is the other side eof the construction project we see from La Brant 

Our RV with the shade down

Another sunset

7-Sat-Today we watched Oklahoma State beat Arkansas (football). It was a crazy game. Then we watched more football. There was quite a few people here and we monitored the action. 

8-Sun-Steve was up early, I got up about 9 AM. He was sneaky and did the chores before I got up. Later he worked on the jacks. We checked in with Kristi and also watched some football. The Dallas Cowboys won!

9-Mon-After completing our walk and chores, we loaded up the dogs and drove to Kalispell. We went to pick up Steve’s shoes at the Army/Navy store. If they don’t have your size in this store, then they will get them brought down from the store in Whitefish. We returned to the RV and had lunch. On our way back we went through Bigfork and took the pickup through the carwash. We also stopped at NAPA for orange hand cleaner.  We went to town again for supper at Rosa’s pizza.

10-Tue-Today I paid some bills  and completed the shed inventory. We gathered up the Lifejackets  and stored them. Lunch was leftover pizza. We rolled up our perimeter rope and took our sunshades down. We also put away some other stuff in our slow preparations to leave. We made another fire today.

11-Wed-We didn’t need to clean the bathroom this morning. It was all good. It was a little cloudy and not too many people were here. I helpedSteve work getting the rocks off the launch today. Later he stopped because his left arm started hurting. We putzed and watched TV the rest of the day.

deer

Steve after he finished working on the launch

12-Thu-Our walk today was just around the parking lot circle, due to light rain. We loaded up the laundry and went to town. We also use their wifi while we are there for any updates. Otherwise we use the hotspots on our phones. 

13-Fri-We completed our walk and chores. Then I fixed my hair. Today we are meeting Tony and Sydney at Echo Lake cafe for lunch. Our end of the season celebration. We called Kristi to wish her a Happy Birthday. We did drive to Walmart for groceries in the afternoon. 

Moon 10:07 PM

The launch after Steve finished it.

14-Sat-We only did a short walk today because we watched Oklahoma State beat Tulsa in football. Sydney came by and I signed some papers for her to take back to Tony. She helped us move the picnic table. We chain it to the tree when we leave. We also put away the shades and the patio mat. Some boats were here til 9:00 PM. They love to fish! We did have another campfire tonight. 

Sailboat

Busy parking lot 7:49 PM

7:50 PM sunset

Campfire

15-Sun-We hauled off the trash and went to the grocery store. We put away the fire ring, trash can, hose reel and lawn mower. We are doing our preparations to take off. Later we watched football. We have learned in the last few years to do a few things each day so we don’t get so tired. 

Low lying clouds over the mountains

August 15-31, 2024 Finishing Out August and Celebrating My Birthday!

16-Fri-Steve dumped our tanks today. The we loaded up the trash and took it to the container site. We had mail to pick up in Bigfork. After that it was on to Walmart in Kalispell. We were home by 1:00. Then we had lunch. It was raining this afternoon. 

17-Sat-We sat outside after lunch. A girl lost her muffler when she went across the speed bump. I don’t think much was keeping it attached. Steve and other guys helped her get it to the side of the road. She had an uncle who was going to get it checked out. We monitored the comings and goings for awhile then went inside. 

A beautiful Sailboat

18-Sun-We heard from Kristi this morning and shortened our walk and completed our chores. We sat outside to keep tabs on the launch and parking lot. Our boss Tony P texted us to see how thing were going. Later we talked to John to see how Kristi was doing. 

19-Mon-We got up late today. It rained overnight. So we were slow getting going. Steve messed up his back a little. He was checking something in the RV, the antenna light on the dash kept staying on. So he was trying to see if there was a short somewhere. I made him rest and I worked on paying some bills. The high today was 86°.

20-Tue-Today my sister Marsha had her knee replacement surgery. So that was on my mind this morning. Poopsie joined us on our walk today and Steve felt some better. He has a chiropractor appointment today at 2:15 PM. We hauled off our trash and went to Harvest food after the chiropractor appointment. My sister did OK with her surgery and Kristi called, she is doing better also. 

21-Wed-Just another routine day. We did go to town and get pizza at Rosa’s.

22-Thu-After we did the chores we gathered some wood and made a nice fire. It was a lovely morning. I answered some questions about our parking rules here at the access site. Some people were looking at buying the island. I don’t think that would be convenient unless you had another lot to park your car and boat trailer. Marc and his wife and Sara (boat education volunteers) are taking us on a boat ride tonight around Echo Lake. We really enjoyed the boat ride, it gave us a new perspective on the lake. 

The osprey nest

The tree that does not fall over

Our fire

The following pictures are from the boat ride around the lake.  A few different views.

I almost forgot about this stealth parking episode! These people did not leave and it was dark. You are supposed to leave at dark. So we gave them the knock, no answer. We went back to the RV to write them a parking note. Then we returned and put it on the window. We barely walked back to the RV and we saw them turn on their lights and leave. I guess they were too scared to answer our knock. Or they did not want to talk to us. 

23-Fri-We completed our morning routine and sat outside awhile. We did some weed eating east of the gate. Tony was here and we visited with him. This evening, there was a big wind storm. And when it was barely over, some person floated around the lake. I didn’t think that was the smartest idea. 

Squirrel

Pictures of the aftermath of the storm!

Person floating on the lake after big storm. 

Here are how the cans got scattered around.

Big tree brought down by storm.

Poopsie wading in the lake.

24-Sat-We got up and had our breakfast and completed the chores. It was so funny because we looked around and the cans that we smash for recycling were scattered all around. It reminded us of a scene from Twister. So we picked those up. We also had a fire this morning. Later we were on the launch. Steve is trying to get the gravel off. It’s a hard task. I help him some, but it's not my thing. We went to town for a few groceries. 

25-Sun-Putzed around and had a slow start today. After doing our chores Steve checked our batteries again. I talked to Marsha, Pam and Kristi today. I wished my sister Pam a Happy Birthday! This evening we walked up on the loop road. 

Another damage from the storm. This sign got blown down.

Huge fungus (?)

26-Mon-Happy Birthday to me! We completed our routine chores this morning. Then we got ready to go to Polebridge. This is my birthday trip for Huckleberry Bear Claws. On the drive we saw two mule deer frolicking near the road. I got a few pictures. We arrived and walked the dogs then bought our goodies. The Sasquatch food truck was not open so we had hamburgers from the Northern Lights Saloon. Then we drove back home. I received calls to wish me a happy birthday. It was a very fun day.

Me and Steve

Mule Deer

Huckleberry Bearclaw

27-Tue-Today’s adventure is in Kalispell. I drove us to Lowe’s and Walmart. We bought some handles for the wheelbarrow and our groceries. When Tony used the wheelbarrow at Somers state park the handle broke off. So we decided to repair them. After we put away the groceries, Steve started taking the wheelbarrow apart. Every part of the wheelbarrow attaches to the handles. I thought it would be easy and quick. But wait, it was complicated. We had a little rain this evening. 

28-Wed-It rained all day and was chilly! So we putzed around inside most of the day. We only went out to let the dogs use the bathroom. Sometimes we put the awning out so they can be protected from the rain. They are not spoiled. I made chili today.

29-Thu-After finishing our routine things, we gathered the laundry. We stopped by Sliter’s Hardware for some bolts to use on the wheelbarrow handles. We got home in time for lunch. Then we worked on the wheelbarrow. We also returned to town for more bolts for the wheelbarrow. 

Snow on the mountain tops again.

 30-Fri-Another routine day. Steve worked on the boat launch getting the rocks off it. Sometimes I help or just make myself available in case of trouble. Sydney came by about 2:45. We gave her some cookies from Polebridge. She loved them. We also saw the game warden today.

Another pretty boat

31-Sat-I completed our timesheets and gave them to Tony when he came by. We also had some cookies to give him. We showed him the wheelbarrow and that also made him happy. We watched some football today. We are glad to have something besides reruns to watch on TV.  

This beautiful boat that I am jealous of

We thought this guy was going to hit the dock!

The glow of lights around Echo Lake.