Date Night: Farm Pie School

First off, I'm going to apologize for the length of this post documenting our 2.5 hour pie making class. I just couldn't help myself. It was too dang fun!

Prairie Home Farm is described by its website as, "Nothing fancy, just farm. A five acre, 100 year old farm featuring pumpkins, fall produce and decorations. An old milking barn, all the farm implements, tools and old machinery imaginable, combined with Linda’s scattered vignettes, make for a perfect back drop for fall family photos ops. Throw in about 12 different kinds of farm animals in their pens, pastures and coops, and you’ve got a perfect autumn day steeped in good ol’ farm tradition."
"LIL’ PUNKIN PIE CO. Is the farm's little off shoot featuring farm fresh fruit pies. Found in a repurposed outbuilding, lil’ punkin pie co. was born out of an over abundance of fruit on the farm and Linda’s insatiable passion for baking. All these little pieces contributed to a simple pie business plan- farmy, homemade, none too fancy, classic fruit pies using local ingredients with a very small carbon footprint print!"
We learned of Linda's Farm Pie School while visiting her very popular booth at Coeur d'Alene's Wednesday Night Farmers Market. We were so IN! And what a gracious hostess she was.
After ogling her darling décor, we headed outside for a farm tour.






The scraps from the pie prep were hysterically fed to the eagerly awaiting farm creatures.



This farm oozes cuteness and showcases Linda's great style.



It was then back to the farmhouse for ten of us to learn all her pie secrets.

"Pie and Coffee is approximately the third best social interaction
a man can hope to have with a woman."
I have not seen a vat of Crisco since my Mom made pumpkin pies, decades ago. What a memory evoker.



Apple pie... Oh my!



For over two hours we were in the company of delightful people being taught by a delightful hostess. It was a fabulous date night. And we have two pies to eat tomorrow to confirm it all.
"We must have a pie.
Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie."
~David Mamet

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The Carousel & Its History...

I love Merry-Go-Rounds! What fun to experience this one, in Coeur d'Alene, celebrating 100 years.

The Spillman Junior carousel was hand-carved by the Herschell-Spillman Engineering Company in North Tonawanda, New York in 1922.  The carousel has 20 ponies and two chariots and is a children's Merry-Go-Round which was designed for traveling carnival use.  It is not known what year it made its way to Coeur d'Alene for permanent installation at Playland Pier.
In 1942, Playland Pier amusement park was built on a wooden pier overlooking the lake and public beach.  It was enjoyed by generations.  The park included many rides and activities including this Merry-Go-Round.
In 1975, the amusement park closed and the rides were dismantled. The pier burned down in December 1975. The carousel disappeared for over 10 years, to date no one knows where it was.
The carousel surfaced at an auction in Puyallap, Washington in 1986. Carol & Duane Perron, collectors from Hood River, Oregon bought it and spent a year restoring it and adding it to their vast carousel collection.  Carol, a Coeur d'Alene native, was thrilled to have her childhood Merry-Go-Round.  The carousel then traveled around the country for lease.
In 2010, a local newspaper article reported how carousel history buffs Richard Le Francis & Julie Clark discovered where the old carousel was located.  They decided it needed to come home to Coeur d'Alene, and began their quest to enlist local support. The Coeur d'Alene Press published an article about their goal.
New residents John & Pat Foote saw the newspaper article and contacted Richard Le Francis.  John, a Montana native and entrepreneur was also a history buff and his family had carnival history.  He and Richard reached out to the Perrons in Hood River to inquire if they would be willing to sell the old carousel. They agreed, and John & Pat purchased the carousel and gifted it to the newly formed non-profit CdA Carousel Foundation.

Six years later (with the support of a local benefactor and many volunteers), the carousel opened to much fanfare. Over 1800 riders rode that first day! What fun that we could experience this local history. Did I tell you I love Merry-Go-Rounds?

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Horse. Flea. Athlete.

This had to be our most diverse day: the Itty Bitty Horse Show, a Flea Market, and the inspiring finish of the Ironman 70.3. So dang fun!


We returned to the Kootenai Fairgrounds for a new Miniature Horse & Pony Show. What fun seeing these little guys strut their stuff.


The Roosevelt is Coeur d’Alene’s oldest remaining schoolhouse (1905-1972) and is where the owner attended first through fourth grades. Converted to an Inn in 1994, this one time 4-room school house is now a grand five story bed and breakfast, complete with 14 rooms and suites.


We visited for the history and for the once-a-month Flea Market.

We enjoyed the setting, the live music, and the people-watching.
Our final stop was the finish line for the half Ironman that had been occurring all morning.

It was so fun to dine alongside the race course and watch all the cheering. The athletes were incredible. We found out that the men's winner did the entire course (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run) in only 4 hours. The winning woman's time was 4 hours 28 minutes. WOW.
I had to borrow this sign just to remind my friend, Brady, that I'm a member of her Fan Club. When I sent this image to her she wrote back, "Ha ha. You brought your everyday sign to ID!"

I think what has surprised me most about this month in Coeur d'Alene is its diverse activities, most of which are free. We have loved it.

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