So, we've been gone for the past while and our trips have taken us to Old Town, Idaho......then to Soda Springs, Idaho......then to Denver......and then back home again. The first half of our trip was to celebrate the life of my grandma, Agnes Torgesen, and attend a funeral up where she grew up as a child. I don't feel that I can adequately capture her influence and example in a post like this.....but I will say that she made the best Swiss Steak, had a wonderful spirit, was a tremendous example to everyone that knew her, and was able to demonstrate what it means to have integrity and charity.
Here is a picture from a cooking lesson she gave me up at the homestead a few years ago. That Swiss Steak is the best and she makes it the best.
beautiful country up in Northern Idaho
We visited the dam that was built along the Falls- Albeni was my GGG Grandfather
"Albeni Falls was named for Albeni Poirier, a Canadian immigrant who moved to Rathdrum, Idaho, in 1883 and discovered the falls on the Pend Oreille River. Poirier remained in the area to become one of northern Idaho's leading citizens. Using Indian trails as his guide, Poirier widened roadways to accommodate wagons and then began his own ferry enterprise at the falls in 1891. Poirier branched out his business interests to include a saloon and a butcher shop near the falls that now bear his name, was active as a member of the school board, and participated in Democratic party politics. The falls were eventually drowned by Albeni Falls dam in 1955. "
view from the dam
my dad, sisters, us
crossing the railroad tracks
zoo buddies
Did I forget to mention our trip to the moon?
getting ready for her next mission
mini t-rex
fountains with a beautiful view of downtown
delicious western slope peach from the farmer's market
birthday party #1 had a really talented balloon man
16th street bus- Hannah loves riding it
story time
making a craft at the library
outside the children's museum
birthday party #2 had a bulldozer pinata and lots of candy
Isn't this cake amazing? Done by my talented friend, Amy.....
How many kids does it take to excavate a garden plot?
It's great to see friends!
Bye-Bye capital city!
We went huckleberry picking this past weekend. It was our first time and we brought home about 14 cups after 3 of us picking for an hour an a half. No wonder these berries are so expensive! They are spaced out on the bush and we had to hike for a while before we got to the patch. We could have sold the berries at the local farmer's market for $40-$50, but instead we're keeping them and enjoying delicious huckleberry pancakes. The huckleberry is Idaho's state fruit and has never been domesticated. It's really hard to find patches because people keep them a secret since they're so delicious and expensive! 
hands after picking
hard at work
Hannah "enjoying nature." How else are you going to keep a 3-year-old occupied and out of trouble while you pick huckleberries on a dense slope? (She loved having the portable DVD player to watch Max & Ruby!)
The start of our hike- Hannah was a real trooper. At the beginning she kept wanting to get out of the backpack and said, "my bum is frustrated!" But it was way too steep and rocky and filled with tree roots for us to make much forward progress with a toddler so she stayed in the backpack most of the time.
Hannah liked it when the trees were all around her!
Louie Lake
nice view
enjoying some wild huckleberries
building a sand castle with Grandma in McCall
