Living in the Inland Northwest

Sandpoint, Idaho: Voted the 'Most Beautiful' Town in America in Rand McNally's Best Small Towns in American - Best of the Road Rally Sandpoint, Idaho was once again featured on the national scene in the Rand McNally's announcement on July 21, 2011 for being the 'Most Beautiful' town in America. N...

Gary - My iPhone passed away yesterday. Old gurl was almost three years old (that's 120 in cell phone years). She had been running slower lately, and been showing signs of her age. Her screen is now a white background with a group of straight lines on one side. I will miss you gurl. RIP. Cathy -...

While many of the more spendy wines are fantastic, my goal, personally, is to find incredible wines rated 90 points or above that are mouth-watering and less than $10. Okay, this is not an easy task, but it is my goal. This week I have chosen nine great wines either $10 or under, or within a buc...

May 5, 2011, Sandpoint, Idaho...Bonners Ferry, Idaho artist Diana Moses Botkin has been selected to create the original artwork for the 2011 Festival at Sandpoint fine art poster.  Known for her oil paintings of landscapes and the human form, Moses Botkin was chosen by a committee made up of the...

Back in high school I remember performing Hanson's Song of Democracy. It was our bicentennial celebration. The Vietnam War had just ended, and we had been a nation for 200 years! Joining the Army shortly after that, I have to admit the esprit de corps was lacking. The demise of our national pride...

At Yoke's Fresh Market in Ponderay near Sandpoint there is a sense of pride in being the top regional wine-selling store. Admittedly, it is only my part-time job, but the wines carried are stellar. One of those is the Nicholas Cole GraEagle. This wine has a special story. In December, Nicholas Co...

On Friday at Yoke's Fresh Market in Ponderay near Sandpoint, Idaho, Dustin Lewis will be sampling some of our best value wines: Cycles Gladiator. The time is 12:30 to 3:30pm. Cycles Gladiator scores consistently in the mid-to-high 80s, and garners Best Buy ratings from the major players. Here is ...

Last night my girlfriend called me to tell me she was on a call. She is part of Northside Fire Department and the call was a breached large gas line. An excavation crew had punctured the large pipe in spite of having a map. Maps are only so accurate. O'Hally is a super hero, but so are all the fi...

In the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range of homes on Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho, I'm not doin' too bad. In October I closed a home on Sunnyside for a very nice couple from Virginia. The home was originally listed for $1,200,000. Through negotiations, we saved that couple almost a half milli...

At last I've broken the 100,000 point mark. I promise much more to come. Gary Lirette and his love O'Hally enjoying life