Summer Time Fun

It has been awhile since SIT has posted anything so I figured it was time. Well Izzy did since she seems to get her picture taken quite often and has tons of fun.

We put the fifth wheel in Cascade Idaho for the summer with the vision of coming here frequently to get some lake fishing in. Well, the frequency hasn’t been that often, the fishing has been happening if you call putting the boat in the lake, casting, and reeling but without fish on the hook. From what folks are saying the fishing has been pretty bad for everybody. That makes us feel better!

 Peaceful

Snow Hangs On

So, instead of catching fish we have been enjoying reading, walking, golfing, boating, and getting Izzy in the water. We were up here at the same time as our friends Everett and Nancy one weekend. We had a nice long boat ride around the lake and enjoyed some dinners and cards. Izzy had fun hanging out with us too, although she doesn’t care much about playing cards. Chasing squirrels yes!

 Cooling Off

 Posing

Protecting

 Chipping with an angle

I'm in Heaven

You Have To Let Go So I Can Throw It

I'm Tired

Dinner Time

 On The Lake Keeping Watch

Boating with Everett and Nancy

When we weren’t up here we were busy working on another rental house to sell. That’s what changed the summer for us so we were using a paint brush instead of a fishing pole. The great thing about this though is the sale of the house is happening now – keeping our fingers crossed. The sad thing about this though is this is the house that brought Steve and I together.

For those of you that don’t know this story I decided to sell my house in order to buy a bigger one. My Mom moved in with me shortly after I moved to Meridian. It was time for a bit more space. Along comes this nice looking gentleman who is in the market for a house. Long story short, he bought the house, and gained a wife! So we will always have wonderful memories from our first rental property as Henderson and Henderson!

Will try and post more excitement from the world of SIT soon!

One More State

April 13-21, 2016

SIT hits the road again as we are heading home. We have many routes we could take as we journey west, so decided on one that would take us through an area we had not yet explored. Plus going this way we can cruise through one more state!

Izzy was in heaven when we could have the windows rolled down since the weather was a bit cooler than Florida.

We planned on pretty much just driving and spending the night in each place once so didn’t get much exploring done at the places we landed. We did spend one night in Tupelo Mississippi which was fun since we had been to Graceland during our two year adventure. So now we can say we were in the town where Elvis was born!

As we continued our trek home we decided to stay an extra night somewhere along the way. We chose The Lake of the Ozarks. This was new country for us and gave us a chance to do some exploring of the pretty interesting landscape.

We stayed at the state park so had a chance to wander on some of their trails and of course Izzy had to adventure in the water. We hiked the Coakley Hollow Trail which is located at the Ozarks Caverns. Their season hadn’t started for giving tours of the caverns but the hike was nice and the flowers were in bloom. The Dogwood trees were in full bloom and I can only imagine what this place looks like in the Fall.

Color along the trail

Silk worms at work

See that Butterfly?

 In Motion

Our camping spot provided us with some exclusion as well so Izzy got free rain and of course a place to chase her floppy or sticks!

 See I Found a Stick

Get Ready Izzy

We left this area on a Monday and continued west. We managed to travel through Kansas which was a new state for us. We also thought Kansas would be boring and flat, but the area we went through was quite pretty and plenty of topography and scenery. Much like we found Missouri to be.

We spent one night in Laramie Wyoming and wandered around after dinner. We came across this place in town. It is the Ivinson Mansion and was built in 1892. At one point it was used as a boarding school for the Episcopal Church. Today it is a museum and events center. It was already closed when we wandered around but the architecture and grounds are pretty cool. If you are ever in the area stop by.

We arrived home on April 21^st and hit the ground running. One goal for the summer is to utilize the boat we bought last year a tad more! Stay tuned for fishing fun from SIT!

Sunrise Fishing

March 2016

As out time here is winding down we wanted to get out one more time with the boat and do some fishing.

We managed to get on the water by 7:15 and were treated to a beautiful sunrise.

The wind decided to start blowing which means the water gets pretty choppy. We started out with a bang as Steve caught a nice sheepshead. Unfortunately all the rest of the fish must have seen that happen since we didn’t get anymore.

We headed back to the dock around 11:00 since the water was trying to kiss us now as well as rock us to sleep!

Besides wanting to fish one more time we also played golf. We had better luck on the course than on the fishing. The course we have played most while here is very nice and can be pretty tough. That’s just fine with us as we are there to enjoy the scenery and have fun. It’s not like we are making our living by playing golf. Good thing as we would starve!

Izzy wasn’t left out either as we got her to the dog beach again. It’s fun to watch her play by herself although she does try and get us to throw something for her to fetch from the water.

 Hunting for Shells

Will You Come In With Me?

We are busy getting everything ready to leave our winter vacation spot for now, although heading back to Idaho and the beauty of the west is just fine with us!

Stay tuned as more to come from SIT!

Hidden Waters

March 2016

One of the reasons we wanted to hang out in this part of Florida was the access to the Intracoastal Waterway. So we figured one of the best ways to check out all of the small islands, canals, and the river itself was from a kayak.

If you recall we did a motorized kayak tour with my brother and sister-in-law over Christmas. This time the motor was ourselves as we finally got our fishing kayaks out on the water. We picked a day that the clouds were supposed to be around for a while but it also meant a bit of wind.

The conditions didn’t deter us and we set out from the boat launch near the dog park. Steve was curious about a canal we would drive over so that was our target destination.

We paddled across the Indian River and headed for the canal. We had a head wind and current to deal with so at times I would look like I was paddling but not moving. We managed to make it to the main part you could see from the bridge and it was very pretty.

 Say Cheese

Straight Shot

Target Spotted

This stretch of the canal has a golf course along one side and some huge older oaks line both sides. The ability to take pictures while paddling is challenging but I managed a few with Steve moving along. For the cool oak I had seen I pulled up to the bank and Steve hung onto my kayak so I could get a nice shot.

Just Hanging Out

Ready, Set, Go

Keeps An Eye On The Water

 Intertwined

 Needs a Barber I believe

Reaching Out

Overall the trip was fun and peaceful and gave us a nice work out. Pretty sure when we come back in the Fall they will get quite a bit of use. Next time we will have to put the fishing gear in there with us!

Fish On!

March 2016

We were working so hard fixing our “beach house” we hadn’t taken time out much to play. So one day we did take an afternoon off and play golf. It was nice to get away from the painting and laying floor although we knew we had more to do.

A Bit of Water and Sand

We spent the next few days finishing up the rooms. The weather hadn’t been the greatest so having our little remodel project was okay. The winds and rains were pretty strong and we did have a couple tornado warnings with one touching down within the county. The nice thing about it was the sunset one evening. We managed to get outside in time to get a few pictures of the color and the clouds that looked like a thick wavy blanket.

Blanket in the Sky

Sunset over the canal

The weather was finally nice and the work done, yahoo, so we loaded up the boat and went fishing for the day. We launched out of Ft. Pierce since we have had success in the river there catching sheepshead.

The day was gorgeous with not too much wind and some cloud cover. I caught the first nice sheepshead we could keep and Steve decided to catch a catfish. He ended up catching two. These catfish you don’t want to keep. Unlike the catfish we have at home, these are considered trash fish here. I guess because that’s kind of how they taste.

Not What We Want Although Fun to Catch

Captain Steve 

 Finding a New Spot

The Spectators

Steve did start catching sheepshead as well, but he also found this funky looking guy. We have had a few of these in the past take our bait too. Oh well, it’s not what you catch but the fact that you’re catching something to begin with, right?!

Funky Looking Fish

  

We got home with seven sheepshead this time. Steve cleans the fish and I clean the boat and gear. I am so okay with that arrangement! We shared this catch with our neighbors across from us. Victor and Carole have been great and easy to get to know. They will head home sometime in April so we have been picking their brains on the close-up process for the house. It will be interesting to see how our little place fairs during the summer.

 Fish Cleaning Station

I guess we were pretty tired of working as we played golf a couple days after fishing and went to the beach on another day. I could get used to that schedule much easier than painting walls and putting in floors! I think Steve could too!

You’re probably wondering if Izzy is having any fun too. Well she is as we try and either take her to the dog park every day or throw her floppy a few times a day right outside our door. We have two empty lots next to us so that’s Izzy’s private playground right now. She’ll be sad if they get filled with homes.

  

We’re not sure about snow-birding this far from home but decided to give it a try. So if you need a winter get away be sure and let us know – we have a guest room and would love to have you come visit SIT!

Will keep you posted as to what’s next for our Florida adventure here on the treasure coast.