Old Northern Inn Bed & Breakfast: The Piano

I'm in love with the Old Northern Inn B & B. Originally built in 1890 by the Northern Railroad it ran as the Northern Hotel through the early 1900s... a place for miners and "sourdoughs" to get a hot meal and a "hot" bed (if you know what I mean). They say even Nell Shipman, the 1920s silent screen actress & producer (and one of my Priest Lake favorite people) slept there!
I enjoyed managing the Old Northern Inn for four great years with my hound dog, Charlie Brown. Eventually I would love to publish my writings about our adventures living at the inn. For now check out this link http://idahoptv.org/productions/idahoportrait/tour/priestltour.html
that talks about Sam Byars' Forest Lodge located near the Thorofare at Priest Lake. The same piano that this article mentions, is the same piano that now plays at the Old Northern Inn. A rare coincidence of a story:
The piano was saved from Byars' Forest Lodge as it burned to the ground. Eventually boated down the lake to Coolin, the ordinary looking piano resided at Byars' private home (located somewhere near where the current Inn At Priest Lake stands). When Byars' home also caught fire and was destroyed... the hearty piano survived again and eventually ended up in the little white schoolhouse, which is now the Coolin Civic Center. And that is where I found it!
While traveling oversees, David Summers, current owner of the Old Northern Inn, just happened to be reading North of the Narrows, which is listed in the above article. A brief mention of the piano is described. David was inspired and called me to ask if I would keep a look out for any piano in good shape that we could buy to "liven up" the living room area. Who would've guessed that exactly the same day... neighbor Jim Maloney the inn's handyman would visit, and suggest that I take a look at the unused piano that was sitting in a dusty corner of the Coolin Civic Center. I didn't know it at the time, but... the same exact piano that David was reading about, come to find out, is the same surviving piano that I actually bought, and now is happily being played every summer at the Old Northern Inn!
Just so happens that the following summer two women came to stay for a weekend. They kept commenting on how familiar the piano looked and sounded. So I pulled out the book, showed them the passage that David had read, told them the story. Lo and behold the ladies introduced themselves as Sam Byars' relatives! They described how they remembered playing the piano as children in the Byars' home, and verified the whole journey of the piano.
Sometimes I find out that things are just meant to be.

We have moved!

Autumn's Loft has moved to a new permanent location! Still on highway 57 just past mile marker 27, on the left. Open daily, new hours 10-5 with many new artisan creations. Espresso and homemade goodies coming soon.

Lavender Festival 2011

This coming July 4th week watch KXLY for the Lavender Festival spot featuring my photos of last year's festival! Also go to www.povlavenderfestival.com to see the line up of events. Mom and dad will have a booth featuring their rustic wood products... and I can't wait to see their new birch bark creations and cafe table! I will be photographing the Friday night concert gala at Newport Park, also am acting as the Lavender Festival Association's show photographer as well as having a booth of my own. This year we will be selling lavender posters, as well as some new area photo t-shirts and mugs I've created. Hope to see you at this year's festival! Don't miss it!

Essay by Tanya Kane on Autumn's Loft

Autumn’s Loft: Mother Nature’s Inspiration in my Own Backyard


“Let us a little permit Nature to take her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we” ( Michel de Montaigne, translated from French, N.d.).

I found a local artist and art studio for the subject of my final essay, and I was not only able to study and analyse a selected piece, but I also gained insight into the local art business here, while visiting Autumn’s loft in Priest Lake, Idaho. I contacted the proprietor Autumn Oscarson, a North Idaho native artist, and secured an interview with her at her studio and shop, as well as bought one of her best photographs, (shown here with myself ) of our local Priest Lake, entitled: “Fall from Above” N.d., for the subject piece of my art review essay. I feel that I have succeeded in my search to find an appropriate artwork, one that really represents the area that I live in, and one that can communicate it’s message on any wall, anywhere. This photograph is calming, serene, thought provoking, and the quintenscential window into “Autumn” in the Northwest, no pun intended. I respected the value of this piece so much that I bought it. Need I say more?

At first glance, Autumn’s shop is a kaleidoscope of the handiwork of multiple local artisans. This is true, because the North Idaho Panhandle abounds with the natural beauty and bounty of the four seasons. Fall especially arrives with a multitude of colors, wildlife activity, and raw materials with the harvest. This season also brings with it the inspiration, and natural supplies that eventually find their way to the local artisans who create arts and crafts for Autumn’s Loft, courtesy of Mother Nature.



I found Autumn Oscarson online while I was searching for local visual artwork sources for my essay. I discovered her because of her self-promotion efforts, which include a well-done web site, business cards, brochures, membership in local art and business organizations, her own retail store, and a listing in the yellow pages. She uses the best quality cameras for photographing animals and landscapes.




Autumn’s photograph of Priest Lake is a prism into the natural world we both live in. This is a very beautiful panoramic version of a photograph of Priest Lake, Idaho, with the Selkirk Mountains in the background. The artist printed the original photograph in color on lightly textured watercolor paper, and it was matted as shown in the photograph of myself and the artist. The size of the photo displayed is 24.5 X 35 cm, with the title hand written in gold on the back, and the words: Priest Lake, Idaho digitally superimposed in light blue (very close to the color of the lake), in a text box above the artist’s name in the lower right hand corner. She has placed her artist’s credit signature “Autumn”, in gold below that, with a small crucifix above and to the right, reinforcing her spiritual beliefs. I believe the elevation, time of day, and geographic orientation of the shot for this photograph was excellent. I can see that she cleverly used the natural shadowing available in the scene’s foreground, to partially obscure what appears to be commercial activity at the bottom of the shot. This detail unattended to, would obviously take away from some of the natural beauty of the landscape. I can see the scenic fall seasonal colors of greens, gold, crimson tones, shades of brown, and the blue hues of the lake. The mountains with their white peaks covered in snow, dominate the background along the horizon. I can see asymmetrical lines along the ridge line in the background, as they seem to touch the light-blue sky. In the heart of the photograph is Kalispell Island, named for the local native tribe of Kalispell Indians. It appears pristine, and it’s fall colors are starting to be seen on the trees. The lake drains into the Priest River south to the Pend O’reille River, a few miles south of my home. Again, the digital copy shown here in panorama, is a variation of the photograph I bought from Autumn Oscarson.

In conclusion, this photograph, along with a rare in-depth conversation with the artist, an analysis of the “real-world” of art creation, has reinforced my artistic and professional aspirations to become a professional fine artist without leaving the home that I love. I believe anyone can see through the eyes of Autumn’s photograph just how beautiful it is here. My own studio, though incomplete, is a Ukrainian goulash of my artistic dreams. I live in the forest along the river, with all kinds of animals, an environment much similar to Autumn’s. Like her, I draw inspiration from the natural world here in North Idaho, and I understand why she loves this area, not only for her art, but for her home. I also love to go hiking, fishing, and studying with my notebook down by the river with my German Shepherd, and my pistol. I think this is a magical place, one that I love so much, and one that is so far from the industrial city I knew in Ukraine. I am so glad to have brought my young children here with me, so they can experience and create Mother Nature’s art as well. I just want to say that I really think that Autumn Oscarson is a very professional artist, and an inspiration to me and my family, because I now know for sure that we can do this.

So let us begin.

International Picture of the Year

International Picture of the Year.

Here are two very touching photos honored.

First Place :

First Place
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.
During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: 'See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home,' he said 'They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.'

Second Place


Second Place
Todd Heisler The Rocky Mountain News
The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's what he would have wanted'

No Plant is Safe

A squirrel has made it's winter den in my garden barrel! After returning from a weekend of great photography at the Pendelton Roundup's 100th Anniversary... I have come home to find my roses and hydrangea bushes nibbled to bits by deer, and the squirrel that had been hanging out on our new patio furniture has now dug it's way into a lettuce planter barrel. I saw his hole the other day and the fresh dirt flung on our patio cement... looking closer the packed dirt was heaving slightly up and down... he must be sleeping under there! Is it hibernation time already? Has it ever been hibernation time on my front door? I guess it is now.

The Bear is Back!

This past month we've had a visiting black bear in our yard. The first time he ransacked my beautiful birdfeeders, even tearing apart a dragonfly solarlight that held up my roses, as well as the blooms! Obviously he is missing his usual huckleberry delights that normally grace the edge of our yard. Not this year though! Sadly I've only found them at the top of Sundance Mountain on Labor Day: the low, bright red bush of sweet, dark redish-purplish huckleberry. (Note: I also was able to capture amazing light on three dumbfounded grouse at the peak of the mountain.) Anyway... the bear is back as of two nights ago. This time all four of the birdfeeders that I had repaired are now trashed. Even the ones we received as wedding gifts this last May. Not only that, but it's funny that I haven't even seen him yet or been able to photograph him. He stealthily shows up in the night, leaving a huge pile of you-know-what on the grass just outside our door! Abby, our little blue heeler sleeps through it all! Or pretends anyway. Late last night on my way back home from Coolin, I thought I might suprise him. Instead, I almost ran over a small coyote at the 23 mile marker... eyes shining at me, so glad he missed my tire, I mean I'm glad I missed his tail.