Sandpoint, Idaho

Sandpoint, Idaho is one of my happy places. Lake Pend Orielle parallels the beauty of Okanagan Lake. Sandpoint’s City Beach is a great place for the kids to run amok in the sand. Coldwater Creek has their flagship store here, with a wine bar upstairs. (This alone would have sold me on Sandpoint. I mean, really…more stores should figure out the brilliance of this combination.)

Unfortunately, after our late stop, we arrived into Sandpoint close to 6pm. This gave to boys only a short time to play in the water before we boarded the Shawnodese, Sandpoint’s Public and Charter Cruise Boat. Tonight was their dessert and eagle watching tour.

Which leads me to the real reason that

Sandpoint is our happy place: meet Linda Mitchell and Curtis Pearson.

These are friends that we’ve met in Mulege, Mexico.   They are as generous and kind as you could find in any folk.   They are also the owners of the Shawnodese.  Curtis built the ship himself and captained it exclusively up until a couple of years ago, while Linda is the first mate and the lifeblood of the cruise line.  They put their heart and soul into whatever they do in life; from their fantastic public history cruises to the volunteer dental clinic in Mexico that they work tirelessly for in the winter; these two people are salt of the earth.  I feel blessed to know them.