Coeur d'Alene

After my high school reunion, my friend Michaelle returned to Spokane for a brief visit. She invited us to Coeur d'Alene Lake, but I have to say, I didn't want to go. If anyone else had invited me, I might have found some way to escape.

But when we arrived, I found the atmosphere quite pleasant. The sun was bright and the air was just the right temperature for a day on the beach. And it turns out she also invited Rick, another of our high school friends, so we had something of a mini-reunion with just our little group.

The only downside to our day was that we arrived just in time for a Christian Rap festival and competition; not that I have anything against a positive Christian message, it's just that rap music never much appealed to me. And besides, rapping to Jesus strikes me as somewhat irreverent; it just brings out my traditionalist and conservative tendencies. I sat for a while in a state of judgment until one of the rappers gave his testimony. He spoke about living a life of crime, drugs, and violence, until one day he encountered God. In fact, Christian rap played an important role in delivering him from that life. After hearing his words, I remembered that someone once said that the Divine will use any means possible to lift people out of suffering and darkness. That thought reminded me to show greater tolerance and compassion for those who live a different way.



Afterwards, Dakota and I explored the beach. We found this artificial stream flowing into the lake.



Michaelle will kill me for posting this picture. She'll just have to use some of that tolerance and compassion I mentioned earlier. Besides, I think it's a lovely picture. It shows her laughter, which is something I truly appreciate about her friendship.



When we spoke today, Rick commented that my blog has been very "Zen" lately. I'm not sure if he regards that as a good thing or a bad thing. We never got that far into the conversation. After his comment, I thought it would have been funny for him to pose for a picture in a meditative pose, just to honor those Zen postings. I had to settle for a picture of him on the beach with an innertube. Of course, he looks very comfortable in his natural element, so maybe that is all the Zen we need.



The kids posed with a moose statue.





Boats and airplanes on the lake.



The concrete steps near the beach are a popular place to hang out.



The exposed roots in this photograph belong to the tree at the beginning of the post. I like the way the tree stands on the last point of land before plunging into the water. It looks so lonely, elegant, and just a little Zen. ;)