In 1997, Hastings House published my book: Passion for Wine. For years I had worked with top-rated restaurants, with people like Emeril Legasse, and at places like Commander's Palace in New Orleans. Guess I have some skills. So, when my best friend opened a restaurant here - Dish Home Cooking - I volunteered to lend a hand. So, I put together their wine list, offering over 25 wines rated 90 points or better, and eighteen wines with accolades such as Editor's Choice or Best Buy. Most of these wines are under $25. You might think, "What is a REALTOR doing waiting tables?" Well, first, I manage the restaurant on weekends, and in a small town, that often means we, meaning the owners and I, take care of tables personally. Second, I hope that love of food and wine never leaves my veins. Some ... 01/22/2010

Not Quite Punk. Not Quite Punk. What do you think of when you hear the words "Not Quite Punk?" You think of punk. Well, they aren't. At least, not quite. The local group, Not Quite Punk was one of the bands I saw at the Bash for Cash concert last month raising funds for charity at the Panida Theater. Their music ranges from Jazz-abilly, Blues, and kind of a jazzy, blues, rock that is their own style. I have hosted the North Idaho Arts & Adventure radio show on KSPT and KBFI for the last five years, and this band was on my show this Tuesday at noon. At the Bash for Cash several groups performed. The premier group was another local band: Illusion 33. Illusion 33 started out doing local gigs, and I interviewed them two years ago. Within a year of founding, Pat Ficek did this great video of... 01/21/2010

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Trish Gannon, the editor of perhaps our best publication: the River Journal. Trish is one of those totally unassuming people that does the best of work in a job that gives the least of accolades. What I mean is, we have a newspaper in Sandpoint. We have several other publications. Here is the truth: our other publications are okay: exactly what you would expect in a small town. Sandpoint Magazine is admirable, at times the local paper is laughable, but they really do try hard. The Sandpoint Reader is little better than a marginal step above a small college news rag. The others are typical. The River Journal is at a premium level. Good writing; fulfilling subjects, engaging reading. What's more, and since I am a web geek, their website is the kind... 01/21/2010

This week on my radio show - North Idaho Arts & Adventure - I hosted three great examples of why Sandpoint is a very cool place to live. First on were three beautiful girls representing Yoga Day USA: Kerri Kuntz from Sandpoint Hot Yoga, Julia Quinn from Twisted Root Yoga, and Abbey Corriveau, from the Integrative Athlete. Abbey and Danny had been on my show about a year ago, and a nicer couple you simply couldn't meet anywhere. Danny is a champion at Jiu-Jitsu, and as their website claims, you can Achieve fitness and athletic goals utilizing kettlebells, Ashtanga yoga, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. They met in college, and chose Sandpoint as their best place to start their lives together. Yoga Day USA is an opportunity for yoga studios/teacher in Sandpoint and across the n... 01/21/2010

Looking out over Schweitzer Mountain's "Sunnyside chair #4" I saw this rare sight the other morning.  The colors were amazing.  (The chair hadn't opened yet).  Not bad for an iPhone Today it is snowing lightly.  It looks like another powder day. Here's a Schweitzer update:  I just took my obligatory 7 runs this morning and I am exhausted.  ...soft, deep powder on every run, top to bottom.  It is on the warm side so it wasn't champagne powder (a little on the heavy side) but smooth and silky none-the-less.  Basically...UNBELIEVABLE. 01/17/2010

Recently, I blogged about our efforts to transform the great community event of the Sandpoint Winter Carnival into one that also added sales dollars to local businesses in Sandpoint. The first change was Dine Around Sandpoint. Mel Dick and I had a conversation about Dine Around San Diego one evening, and the next day, I bought the www.DineAroundSandpoint.com domain. To be fair, this has been instituted in large part due to the massive efforts of Mel. I did the balance of the work, getting the websites and brochures done, and communicating with the various restaurants, but without Mel, it simply wouldn't have happened. The problem in Sandpoint, at least in the past, is we could not get the varying groups and businesses to come together in a combined effort. One event competed with anothe... 01/16/2010

Many of you know that my brother Randy and I both moved our families to Sandpoint with the idea of planting roots, raising our families together, and perhaps building a business.  Randy has been a ‘coffee geek' for over a decade, having worked with the best in the industry in the coffee meccas of Seattle, Italy, and Hawaii.  He is committed to his craft and is highly skilled in sourcing, roasting, preparing, and educating on coffee.  For years I had been encouraging my brother to write a business plan and to pursue his dream.  It started to occur to me last winter that I might help him with this venture, and before long I was as excited about the idea as he was.  Our vision literally came together last winter over the long rides on Chair 6, where we made the decision to pursue our goal ... 01/10/2010

  The Spires community at Schweitzer in my opinion offers some of the most unique and valuable real estate at any ski area in the country.  It is rare to have property literally at the top of the ski mountain, offering both a pristine and tranquil setting, with great ski access at the same time.   The development of Spires actually begins just before Boundary Chute off Schweitzer's South Bowl, extending east along the ridge and dropping another 1000 feet or so through gladed powder stashes.  Individual homesites are available at the top of these expert ski runs.  Local powder hounds are often familiar with the treed powder lines that run from the ‘out of ski area' lines down 1000 feet through the Spires land - commonly known as ‘Reservoir Run'.  Property owners in The Spires have always... 01/09/2010

With the Sandpoint Winter Carnival beginning Thursday with the annual Taste of Sandpoint, we kick off our late winter season of happenings. One thing that was glaring this year was how many North Idaho communities dropped event after event. Every month I update the www.SandpointID.net/calendar.html events calendar. Unlike other calendars, I try to include other areas, such as Hayden, Priest Lake, and Schweitzer Mountain. As I updated from last year, I began to notice that other small towns, and even Schweitzer and Stoneridge Golf community were dropping annual music events and activities like crazy. I understand. Times are tough and revenues are down. Perhaps they will start them again as our economy improves. Maybe not. One thing I know is that Sandpoint has not taken the same road. La... 01/09/2010

Just wondering how much a tunnel would have cost in lieu of the Sand Creek Byway. By no means is this scientific. Using the New Zealand Manapouri Second Tailrace Tunnel bid published by the Colorado School of Mines figure of $132,000,000 in 1998 dollars for the 10 km tunnel, I came up with the math. That would be $174,000,000 in 2009 dollars. The rock was old, about 13 million years. Our mountains are also old and have a similar geologic nature. Our byway is 2.1 miles. Let's see, one mile is about 1.6 kilometers. So, 3.38 x $17,400,000 per mile cost = $58,000,000. The bid price at the start of the byway construction was $98,000,000. The Manapouri Tunnel took 18 months to complete. Our byway won't be finished until 2012 and began in 2008. Certainly there would be additional costs for the... 01/09/2010

So, what's up in my life? Lack of time. Who knew when I moved to North Idaho that I would wear so many hats. Let's see, here's my life: Host of two radio shows - North Idaho Business and North Idaho Arts & Adventure. REALTOR® for Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty. Had two closings in the last two weeks. Just finishing organizing the Sandpoint Winter Carnival. Among the different tasks for the Carnival has been organizing the Winter ArtTrek: over 80 artists at 17 locations, including map, website, and advertising. See this year's schedule at www.SandpointWinterCarnival.com and check out last year's successful event plus pics and videos at www.SandpointWinterCarnival.org We are also creating two new events as part of the Sandpoint Winter Carnival and Sandpoint Mardi Gras:... 01/05/2010

Okay, so I don't have any hard data, but I am working with dozens of local businesses right now, so I believe i have the skinny. For the last several weeks I have been organizing the Sandpoint Winter Carnival. Part of that is putting together the Winter ArtTrek: 80 North Idaho artists displaying art at 17 locations in Sandpoint, Idaho as part of the Winter Carnival. Also, we have been putting together the new event called Shop Around Sandpoint. Add to that working closely with 15 restaurants for Dine Around Sandpoint (www.DineAroundSandpoint.com). I manage one of those restaurants every weekend - Dish Home Cooking - and I can say pretty clearly that while we in North Idaho may not have had a banner Christmas, it wasn't bad. Cedar Street Bridge, which was virtually empty, now has almost ... 01/05/2010

Gear up for the 36th annual Winter Carnival provided by the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association.  This year's event is Thursday-Monday, January 14-18, 2010. The long-standing tradition promotes area businesses by drawing visitors from across the region to enjoy the snowy playground in the Greater Sandpoint area...while also providing fun activities for the entire family. The Big Sky Journal has this to say about the event... "Whether it was the dogs, the skiing or the fireworks, I’m convinced: Sandpoint is no longer for the beach bum in me, it’s a winter haven I won’t soon forget." Kicking off Winter Carnival is the Chamber’s Taste of Sandpoint presented by Dine Around Sandpoint on Thursday, January 14th from 5 to 8 pm. Local favorites showcase their delectable culinary dishes, win... 01/05/2010

My blog ("KENT'S SANDPOINT, IDAHO / SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN BLOG") centers around the uncompromised attributes of Sandpoint and the rest of North Idaho.  There is a part of me that feels a little guilt about exposing what we have here to anyone who is willing or able to read about it.  I have to say, I'm over it.  In a weird way, it seems that what is wrong with North Idaho is the very thing that makes it such a great place to live. Our weather is definitely questionable.  If you are looking for bright sun, low humidity, moderate temperatures and calm winds...this is not for you.  We have four distinct seasons.  Winter can be miserable, especially if you are used to Southern California, for example.  We get sleet, clouds, rain, heavy snow and even some below 0 temps.  The roads get rutted w... 01/03/2010

I drive by Schweitzer Switchback #7 twice a day every day.  This is the highest and last switchback on the trek up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort and, fittingly, has a viewing turnout.  It is a rare occurrence when I don't stop just to look out over our beloved Sandpoint Valley.  This is truly an inspiring view in virtually any weather condition.  Today I couldn't pass up a photo of the colorful morning sky!  Enjoy! 01/02/2010

Today is Decmeber 28, 2009, and we had four guests on the North Idaho Business radio show on KSPT and KBFI. Today's guests were Ryan Bliss from the new store at Bonner Mall: The Vapor Depot, Kyle Mercer from the Garden Company, Chief Robert Tyler of the Sandpoint Fire Department, and my old friend Pat Fecik of Captured Image Video Productions. The Vapor Depot is a smoking alternative product that uses electronic cigarettes. No smoke, a great way to quit or at least get rid of the cancerous parts of cigarettes and cigars, and is very cool. They started as an internet start up, and now have a brick and mortar inside the mall. You can learn more at www.theVaporDepot.com or call 877-867-0965. Chief Robert Tyler of Sandpoint and Chief Rob Goodyear of Sagle were asking for volunteers for our ... 12/29/2009

Unbelievable!!  That is how to describe 2009.  You can add the positive or negative inference as you feel it deserves, but the word seems to be spot on for the year.  As we move in to 2010, we are seeing the economy begin to move in a positive direction, ever so slowly, and we are seeing the Government begin to slowly withdraw itself from the Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) Market.  Earlier this week the Treasury department stated that they will no longer be a buyer of the Mortgage Backed Securities as of the new year, but the Federal Reserve will continue to spend it's 1.25 Trillion available in that market.  They did promise however to give an unlimited line of credit to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make sure that they would never "fail".  (Did your eyes just pop out too?) The bond ... 12/29/2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN! 2009 has been quite a ride!  I want to thank all of the ActiveRain members for helping make this year the best it could be!  The knowledge, humor, friendships, education and, yes, even new clients are much appreciated.  Here is to 2010 and all of the good things to come!     12/23/2009

The Story of Sandpoint, North Idaho Sandpoint, North Idaho, Schweitzer Ski Resort, and Lake Pend Oreille gets a lot of attention, with a new article about to come out in Country Living magazine, and me, Gary Lirette, and Sandpoint recently featured in Where to Retire magazine. Now you want to know the inside story. In the last few years we have had literally dozens of articles, television shows, news reports, etc., that have touted our area as the paradise of the West. Sure, we have some of the same issues that most communities our size have to tackle, but the good far outpaces the bad. Tourism and traffic has grown, but that has grown our business base, and it still only takes minutes to get anywhere. Crime is so low that many never lock their doors. Charity and neighborly help abound ... 12/21/2009

In a study just published by the UK's University of Warwick and Hamilton College Idaho was ranked the 14th happiest state in the US. The researchers used the happiness levels of a million individual US citizens to discover which are the best and worst states in which to live in the United States. The study found a quantifiable correlation between objective quality of life factors such as air quality and congestion and the subjective opinions of those that live in the subject states. This correlation was made possible by a study by Stuart Gabriel and colleagues from UCLA published in 2003 which considered objective indicators for each individual State of the USA such as: precipitation; temperature; wind speed; sunshine; coastal land; inland water; public land; National Parks; hazardous w... 12/17/2009