We Need To Take A Vacation: Pend Orielle Shores Resort in Hope, ID

What?  A vacation from a vacation?  Well, as you know, we really are not “on vacation” when we are somewhere.  We’re just “living somewhere else” and hopefully where it is warm!
       There is always a reason why we are in a particular place, it seems, and is not always our choice, (believe it or not, we do not have complete Freedom of Choice) as we coordinate with people and events. 
    However, we had planned to be in the Seattle area for an extended stay (3 months this spring) and hoped to be able to go places more last minute to use the expiring bonus weeks.  But we got involved with activities and enjoying staying in one place for a while (renting our son’s vacation condo).  We also needed to be there until April 15^th to  take care of IRS taxes, as we do Joan’s mother’s, Ron’s mother’s, ours and this time, we helped our son here too, with his.
      We had planned to be in Ellensburg, WA on April 27^th in order to see grandson Clayton, compete in the state music festival with his tuba that Saturday.  His parents (our son) had to rush back to Seattle for a concert that night, so could not stay for the awards ceremony at 5 p.m. , in case he won.  We said we’d be there and could stay and bring him back.
    Then, our friends, Nancy and Stu, from Toronto, but who “live” next door to us in St Augustine in January, were planning to be in Sand Point, ID to visit their son from BC the week of April 20^th at Pend Oreille Shores Resort, Hope, ID.   What perfect timing?  If we could get a unit there too… and we did:  from Platinum Interchange, and one of our bonus weeks.
  It was a wonderful week.  The drive over was beautiful too. 

This looks like what we saw inTexas!

The bridge at Vantage.  Anyone who thinks Washington is green, take a look at Eatern Washignton!

An unusual sunset; we also got brilliant ones...every night - almost!

 Pend Oreille Shores Resort:  We had a lakefront unit so we had a full view of the lake and the sunsets were gorgeous.  It is a smaller older resort but which has been kept up beautifully. 
We had free access to the Athletic Club with a large swimming pool and two hot tubs, fitness room, saunas, and nice locker rooms.  

We loved watching the baby geese, and saw that the parents take turn with other families "baby-sitting" each other's goslings!

This osprey was on its nest on top of a bridge, and there was another one on the other end of the bridge!  How big are their territories?

     We really enjoyed the time together with our friends.  They headed back to Toronto (to do their taxes, which aren’t due until the 30^th in Canada!) and we left for Ellensburg Friday.

   By then, we heard that Joan’s dad had gone to the hospital on Thursday.