The Swanson's Go Home

It’s been two and a half incredible weeks with the Swanson family. They leave tonight on the 2 a.m. train to return to St. Paul, MN and the rest of their summer. For our last day together we are staying at the home of Jan and Paula Lee. They have an upstairs garage apartment here in Sandpoint, Idaho and there is bed space for the nine of us. Last night we did our laundry, grilled delicious blue-cheese burgers and the kids watched the movie “Bear”. (I hoped none would have nightmares as indeed we have been deep in bear country for the whole of the past two weeks.)

Currently Jan has taken the troupe up huckleberry picking on Schwietzer Ski Hill and left me to the peace and quiet of more laundry and computer work – a pleasant option.

During the travels of the McFerrins and the Swansons, Sampson, Markos and Tarn, Claire and Adam have entertained each other for hours, co-living with another family proves the adage, “Many hands make light work.” We will miss Matt’s delicious single-burner concoctions and Renee’s calming, positive presence.

Trip tidbits:

Last three nights:
1. tenting at Moyie Lake Campground, overflow camping back in the woods, dinner at the lake picnic area, Matt’s Enchilada’s Espanolas (Potato omelet’s with basil and mushrooms or bacon and mushrooms, pan fried zucchini
2. tenting at Yahk River Provincial Park, bison burgers, quesadillas and chili at Two-Scoop Steve’s
3. tenting at Bonner Ferry’s county fairgrounds. Great play structure for the kids, corn soup with potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, etc, fresh salad and bread sticks, loud trains throughout the night and sprinkler system wake-up in the wee hours of the a.m.

Equipment decision: Keep toting the rain/sun shelter “wing”, though not used during the first week of the trip, and dragged over numerous mountain climbs, it has provided ultimate comfort in the past three days – shelter from the sun at the beach, luxurious dining during a wind/rain storm on Moyie Lake, and Uno playing rain shelter from the weather in Yahk. Tanya’s poem about the tarp:

“Sun Tarp”
A shade, a house
A place to rest
To catch your breath
To view the rest.
Though heavy (comparatively)
The thought of sun
In the future
Makes the case
For it’s place.

Tarns’ latest injury: Two good slivers in his left foot. “NO!!! Not the tweezers! The splinters will come out if I soak my foot for ten days.” (Tarn currently still has the splinters in his foot and is wearing socks and shoes.)

Sampson’s quote: “You have to get used to sitting on a seat all day and pedaling”
Q: Do you like that? “Yeah.”

From Markos’ journal:
July 25 Today I found hooks on an island right before we found our campsite. We got ice cream.
July 26 One day I saw a caterpillar. It had a brown body, a black head, like twelve black legs and six red in the front and it had white fur all over.