The Fertile Lands of Kettle Falls

I Left Sandpoint in my rear view mirror and as I drove away, the energy shifted much like a dark cloud lifting.  The heaviness I had been feeling gave way to a lighter, happier feeling.

My next stop was Kettle Falls, Washington where I lived a year after my husband disappeared, back in 2011.  Even though I was processing through a lot of emotional and physical pain at this time, as I was also in recovery from Lyme Disease, I experienced the community as being very healing and nurturing.  Returning there always reminded me of why I came to live here in the first place.  It’s very beautiful, with the Columbia River, Lake Roosevelt running through the area.  There is a part of my spirit that always feels “home” here.

I spent two days with a friend who is a bee keeper and lives in the nearby town of Marcus.  His place is perched above the river with views of the Columbia filtering through the trees.  The weather was perfect and the gardens and orchards were in bloom.  It was the heart of summer!

My van was parked in Doug’s driveway under a tree and it was a truly beautiful campsite, with a truly beautiful friend.

Doug is a 67 year old man who bikes some 500 miles at a time in Spain every Winter on trails such as the Camino De Santiago, and some less traveled, less popular trails.  He also goes to Bee Keeping events all over the world in places like Ethiopia and Nicaragua.  He is a Master bee keeper and has bees located all over the Kettle Falls and Colville area pollinating the orchards and producing an abundance of honey.  He grows a beautiful organic garden and cooks the most delicious plant based meals.  I always learn a little about Bee Keeping when I am there.  It is much more complex then I had realized.  Quite an art, actually.  I have such a profound respect for the bees.

While in the area, Doug took me to visit a friend of his who produces Hydrosols out of distilled herbs.  Hydrosol is the water created from the herbs that are commonly used in skin care products.  Essential oils are a bi-product.  The day I was there he and his wife were distilling lavender in three very large copper pots and it smelled so wonderful.  Their process was very pure and dedicated to a very high-quality product.  It was an educational opportunity.

Next, we went to a very large Game Reserve in the mountains and drove the long gravel road through the most beautiful Country.  We didn’t see much game, other than deer, but saw the most beautiful nature, lakes, ponds and valleys.  We found a camp spot perched above a lake in the mountains with lush green valleys and tall pine trees and there wasn’t a soul there.  There was a bald Eagle perched up on a tree branch next to the lake and as we were observing it, it spread its expansive wings and lifted into the sky, soaring across the valley.

We got a flat tire, driving on all the gravel roads but made it back to town to get it repaired at Les Schwabs.  We walked the little town of Colville while waiting for the repair and then headed over to another friends orchard where she was harvesting organic apricots.  Kristine was a beautiful young woman of 28 and as vibrant and energetic as anyone I’ve met.  She bought the orchard a year ago without any real knowledge or experience, but a strong passion to learn.  The orchard didn’t have working irrigation and hadn’t been watered in years.  Upon purchasing the orchard Kristine contacted Doug to see if he would bring some bees out to the orchard.  This was part of Doug’s business as the bees pollinate the orchard helping it to produce an abundant crop.  She then asked Doug if he would mentor her in the art of bee keeping.  With the bees, and hand watering, the crops were thriving.  She had apricots, peaches, cherries, pears and apples, but it was apricot season and the apricots were delicious.  I got to take some with me.  As we were there, U-pick customers stopped by filling their bags for fifty cents a pound.  Kristine and her Mom were busily picking apricots for the Saturday markets the following day.  What beautiful, ambitious people.  I really enjoyed meeting them.

One thing I long ago realized about the Kettle Falls area.  The world could go to hell in a handbasket and these people would not only survive but likely thrive.  They were hard workers and produced a lot of food and products.  It was an amazing experience to be here again, to visit old and new friends and enjoy the harvest.