Pretty much equidistant from Canada, Washington and Montana, Sandpoint is located on shore of Lake Pend Oreille, the deepest lake in Idaho. Just how deep is it? It is so deep that the Navy used to test drive submarine models in it. The population is hovering around 8000 right now, but sadly we have been "discovered" and way too many people are moving here to take advantage of the lake, the mountains, the rain, the drizzly winter, the deep snow and the rising unemployment rates.

Coldwater Creek mail order began here, as did Litehouse Dressings. Laughing Dog Brewery makes some pretty tasty beer, and in my opinion,Ivano'sis the best Italian restaurant in town, but that's only my opinion. If you want a very cool experience, take in a show at the Panida Theater, a restored 1927 movie/vaudeville house saved by the community.

The library will celebrate its 100th birthday soon. We are in our fourth location, beginning with a room over the Masonic Lodge, moving to rooms over City Hall and then the old Post Office before finally building a library at the present location in 2000. It was designed to be big enough for the next 20 years, but we are already using nearly all the available space. Success is a tough thing to deal with.

Yes, success is hard. Schweitzer's rates are skyrocketing and traffic is painful (but isn't it always?). This is why the current rain makes me sad, as I'm not intrepid enough to bust my bike through town and brave the lack of sidewalks in the dark and wet. However, my snow pals love the rain, or "precip," as the cool kids call it, because that means it's starting to snow up top. Perhaps another record year of snowfall? But shh... don't spread the word, I like not waiting for the chairlift and getting fresh lines every day. I've never ridden a cooler mountain, and if this continues, it will be epic. Once again.