where our hearts are at....

"Pa said there were too many people in the Big Woods now.  Quite often Laura heard the ringing thud of an ax which was not Pa's ax, or the echo of a shot that did not come from his gun.  The path that went by the little house had become a road.  Almost every day Laura and Mary stopped their playing and stared in surprise at a wagon slowly creaking by on that road. 

Wild animals would not stay in a country where there were so many people.  Pa did not like to stay, either.   He liked a country where the wild animals lived without being afraid.  He liked to see the little fawns and their mothers looking at him from the shadowy woods, and the fat, lazy bears eating berries in the wild-berry patches."

 

 

Those are among the first few paragraphs from the book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

 

On a whim while at Bookman's with the boys and girl I decided to pick up the first book in the "Little House" series.  Those two paragraphs pretty much sum up how the Daddy-O and I feel. 

 

 

For the lifestyle we want to live we have simply outgrown Tucson and Tucson has certainly outgrown us.

 

I didn't blog much about it in detail but back in September 2012 we rented a class C motor home and headed to Idaho.  We had one place in mind, Grangeville.  We had been sold on it by what we could find on the Internet.  The name Grangville, at that point, simply represented to us just the place we would want to call home some day.  It didn't mean that was the city we wanted....just the idea of that small town.  Truthfully, after three FULL days of driving when we finally made it there we were, in one word, disappointed!  It was bare, flat, gently rolling hills.  There was some forest.... just way over there!  We decided to settle in for the night to sleep on it all and then in the morning we would explore. 

 

(Taken at the Bear Den RV Park)

 

 

Well, by that afternoon we were sold on the town of Grangeville.  Grangeville, itself, was the city we wanted to call home. 

 

For the first part of that day we explored Main Street

 

(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

 

I wasted no time soliciting the quilt shop and making small talk with the owner.  From there we played at the park for a while.
 

 This park is beautiful.  The kind you actually want to stay at all day.  There are big, big trees everywhere.  A pool.  Clean picnic tables abound.  It's just really a lovely place to come and hang out at.  Best part of all...the coffee shop is right across the street. 

 

 

 

No, Grangeville doesn't have the typical stores .  There is no Starbucks, Home Depot, or Safeway.   Well, except for Napa Auto Parts.  For the most part it is all Ma and Pop shops.  The nearest town to shop at any of the typical big box stores is Lewiston which is about an hour away.  Our planning will have to greatly improve, we know.

 

Wanna know what is even better?

These guys... 

 

 

We are a hunting family who enjoy these tasty little morsels and to have them just laying around on your lawn is awesome.

 

 

It's been over a year since we were there and recently out hearts are being called back there again.  In fact, we hope to return sometime in the spring.  This time however we plan on doing more homework.

(The snake river)