Microbiology Manager (Food-Caldwell, ID)

The J.R. Simplot Company is a diverse, privately held organization, with roots firmly planted in agriculture and agriculture-related businesses. These endeavors have been around for centuries and will continue to be a vital part of the global economy.  We currently have a Microbiology Laboratory Manager position available at our Technical Center in Caldwell, ID.  This position will report to the Director of Food Safety and Regulatory.

Overview:

Responsible for managing all aspects of the Simplot Food Group (FG) Microbiology Laboratory which will provide laboratory support for the new Caldwell, Idaho processing facility as well as fully supporting the overall FG business.  This position will effectively manage Microbiologist positions which will involve supporting seven day per week coverage on multiple shifts.  The Microbiology Manager will spend time in both administrative and bench top functions.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain good laboratory practices in accordance with ISO requirements.
• Effectively motivate and provide training to the Microbiologist workforce.
• Manage workload priorities for the Microbiologist position.
• Responsible for maintaining and measuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Provide back up support for Microbiologist positions to meet business needs.
• Review and approve analytical results of Microbiologists.

Education and Experience:

• Education:  Master’s degree (M.A.) or equivalent is preferred.
• Experience:  Eight plus years related experience and/or training with previous managerial experience preferred.  Highly skilled in scientific procedures and lab safety. Should have knowledge of food microbiology, chemistry, and food processing.  Ideal candidate has ISO 17025 experience and is familiar with LIMS (Laboratory Information Systems).  Knowledge of laboratory audit standards and QA/QC programs. Manages lab operating budget (~$100,000/FY).
  

Application Instructions

External Candidates:

• Visit www.simplot.com/careers
• Select Job Search
• Select Professional Jobs
• Select All Open Positions
• Apply to Job ID #1274-Microbiology Manager (Food-Caldwell, ID)

Internal Simplot Candidates:

• Please apply via Employee Space using your Simplot email address

Please prepare a cover letter outlining your interest and qualifications and submit with your resume via our online application process described above.  For best results, please upload your resume as a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF document.  This process includes additional job relevant questions, so plan on at least 20 minutes when you apply.

When a position is in the interview stage or has been filled, it will no longer appear on our Simplot Careers website.  If you experience any technical difficulties when applying through our online system, please contact our Employment Center for assistance at careers@simplot.com.

*The J.R. Simplot Company is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer*

To celebrate our new Sweet BBQ Bucks Scratch Game, we are giving you the chance to win FREE Scratch tickets by Pinning your best recipes to our Pinterest board! *See details below.

Prizes:

1st place: $200 in Sweet BBQ Bucks Scratch tickets
2nd place: $125 in Sweet BBQ Bucks Scratch tickets
3rd place: $50 in Sweet BBQ Bucks Scratch tickets

How to Enter:

1. Follow @idaholottery on Pinterest.
2. Make a delicious BBQ dish.
3. Take a picture that showcases your creation.
4. To officially enter:
   1. For Bloggers: Post the recipe and photo in a new post on your blog, announcing it as a BBQ Bucks recipe contest entry and linking to this contest page. Email us at info@idaholottery.com subject “BBQ Recipe Contest” with the post link and with your Pinterest account name/email. You will then be invited to pin your entries to the BBQ Bucks Recipe Contest Pinterest Board.
   2. For Non-Bloggers: Email us with your Pinterest account name/email to info@idaholottery.com subject “BBQ Recipe Contest”. We will then invite you to Pin on our board!
5. Three winners will be chosen via Pinterest “voting, 1^st, 2^nd and 3rd”. The recipe winners will be based on “likes” to the photo.

Contest Rules and Unruliness:

1. Yes! You can enter as many recipes as you’d like.
2. The recipe must include delicious food made on the BBQ or that would be made for a BBQ.
3. The recipe must be your own. The Idaho Lottery holds no liability for any submitted recipes that are plagiarized. Entrants are representing the recipes and photos as their own work, and will be liable if at any time, this is found to be false. So keep it honest people!
4. By entering this BBQ Recipe contest, you are giving rights to the Idaho Lottery to republish your recipe and photo online. All winning recipes will be featured.
5. All entrants must be residents of the U.S.
6. All entries must be received for pinning no later than June 14. The contest will go from May 22 – June 2 and the winners will be announced on July 1, so you can start cooking your own version of these great BBQ Recipes throughout the summer!

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Where will your Summer adventures take you?

xox,

Valleys of Venus

{Amber}

The 18-year-old activist who organized a Gay Pride march in Changsha, China has been detained by police.

According to the AP, the teen, identified only by his surname Xiang, was taken into custody following Friday’s protest.   He has been ordered to serve 12 days in a detention center.

Officials have charged the teen with organizing an illegal march.  Street demonstrations in China require a permit, but few are allowed to proceed.

Roughly 80 activists joined in the march, carrying a giant rainbow flag in support of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) along a riverfront park.  IDAHO marks the 1990 date homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classifications of Diseases.

Read more

Ga – in / Nostalgia (ft. Eric of Shinhwa)

All these photos are taken by me

me and my friend went to

the deep side of the Rexburg Idaho

searching for places where

we can enter photos for Fall Photo Contest

We found these beautiful places

that were hidden in the quiet place

Not only we took a great pictures

but we get to enjoy the beautiful nature

We don’t know the result for the contest

but we certainly submitted

and waited for the result

but nothing have been reported to us.

Well it was still a good experience

I love the nature so much.

Three way waterfall at Perrine Bridge April 2013

Just at the infamous Perrine bridge in Idaho BASE jumping.  Lots of shenanigans  and good times had by all. My crew and I picked a great week to show up. Greeted by many legends of of sport and longtime friends. This was one of the many, “all time” Twin Falls experiences to log. Weather conditions were great but It always tends to be a bit windy out there. Never forgetting my I/O gear,  my long sleeve zip up saved the day, everyday. Not too hot, not too cold.

Off to Moab, UT after I get off work from skydiving. Already packed up with BASE gear, climbing toys and I/O layers.

More pictures and updates to come!! Bee

Bridge info:

Perrine Bridge
Twin Falls, Idaho, United States
486 feet high / 148 meters high
993 foot span / 303 meter span
Built 1976

Picture from highestbridges.com

For context on this dispute, this is a screenshot of an Editorial that I had posted in the description box, at the center of a dispute between myself and Idaho NBC Affiliate KTVB:

The editorial itself was challenging the Journalistic Integrity of a report issued by KTVB Reporter Justin Corr on the premise of Propagandizing, and one sided coverage.

Update 7:56 AM 5-20-13: This Blog Article will now run as a regular news item>

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho

KTVB 7 of Boise Idaho has removed a video from my channel citing Copyright Infringement.

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The initial complaint was levied against my YouTube channel due to a video posting of their broadcast involving a recent Terrorism Case in Boise Idaho. I had placed an editorial decrying what I had considered propaganda, and one sided journalism.

I have emailed KTVB 7 of Boise Idaho, asking that they take down one of my video’s involving a story they ran on their website:

http://www.ktvb.com/home/Boise-man-accused-of-spray-painting-federal-building-136840203.html

The original video in question:

Edward R. Murrow once said, “We must not confuse dissent with Disloyalty, we must always remember that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends on evidence and due process of law.” According to a commentary issued by former Lyndon Johnson Press Secretary, and PBS Host Bill Moyers. This is what he had to say about the State of Journalism in the United States of America:

The video was regarding the country’s media and political system

In this blog post I will focus on two elements of the action:  the highlights of the action and low-lights, which can serve as a lessons learned for the upcoming European Action Days (hereafter EAD). Also, note that this blog post reflects my personal critical reflection on the first EAD of #nohatespeech movement and cannot be taken as a reflection of the activists, neither people involved in the campaign.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Activists of #nohatespeech movement

Although, the timeline to design and develop the EAD and its content on #IDAHO was very short, their commitment, investment and contribution has made possible the action day. Despite various challenges that activists have faced, they achieved to smoothly self-organize and give an oomph to the first EAD of #nohatespeech movement.

• Thunderclap

Thunderclap is a crowd-speaking platform that helps people be heard by saying something together. A thunderclap was designed for the EAD and the goal was to reach 250 supporters. In the first glance it doesn`t sound as a big deal, but engaging 250 people in such a short time was a great achievement. Moreover, thunderclap showed that can bring a `social media blast` in a short time and engage new audience with the action. Definitely a recommended tool for the next actions!

• Storify 

Storify is a social network service that lets the users create stories or timelines by integrating/using social media such as: Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, etc. Storify has proved to be very efficient on preparing reports and articles in real-time by using multiple online resources (a great example is the article prepared by the activist @KoberidzeGubaz on the manifestations in Georgia against LGBT community). Storify also helped the activists to put in one place the Twitter conversation and share in other social media channels (look at this example).

• Engaging influencers in Twitter by activists

Another win of the first EAD was engaging with Twitter influencers, such as: Stephan Fry team (although not directly involved), high-profile activists – Peter Thatcher, international organizations like Amnesty; official institutions – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Fundamental Rights Agency, etc. Except that these influencers bring an added visibility and value to the EAD and campaign itself, they can play a key role on the future actions. Hence, maintaining these relationships and building other partnerships are key elements for the upcoming actions and social media activities.

• Agility

It`s not anymore cool preparing and investing in a long-term strategies on actions and campaigning. The times have changed and now the organizations and activists more and more are shifting from traditional actions and campaigning into more dynamic, collaborative, participatory and cross-functional actions by using multiple medias and technologies. Agility it supports the adaptive planning, evolutionary development,  a time-boxed iterative approach alias `sprints`, and encourages rapid and flexible response to change. The EAD has had a twist of agility on it; the activists have self-organized into cross-functional small teams and worked on various contents. Additionally, the features of the action were more adaptive and implemented on several sprints to build the momentum, raise awareness on the action day and engage new audience.

• TAGSexplorer

TAGSexplorer is a courtesy tool of @mhawksey which makes possible to users to archive and explore the entire event hashtag and reply any of conversations, by using a combination of Google Spreadsheets as a data source and a simple web interface to add interactivity. I setup a TAGSexplorer for the EAD and there were around 1000 tweets archived, which provide very interesting data from Twitter and allows users to check out who engaged during the EAD. This tool is a big win!

LOWLIGHTS

• Timeline to prepare the action

I don`t really remember how much time was given to the activists to prepare the action, but definitely there was just few time! And due to lack of timing, a lot of elements of the action have been developed rapidly, but not reflecting critically on them – if they work or not! Also, the time pressure leads the community of activists to take fast decisions (very often on facebook thread of comments) and this raises couple of questions for the future actions: who made the decisions for the elements of actions? Does the community supports and follows them? Who propose the next steps? Etc. However, in order to avoid this lowlight, more time should be given to the activists for better planning of actions.

• No Hate Speech Facebook group

I personally do consider that closed facebook groups are one of the most frustrated environments for activists to self-organize for actions. First, they are not secure, second they are not user-friendly and third they lack a lot of collaborative features. And following all the comments and notification system is time-consuming and not fruitfull at all. Instead, activists should use other alternative environments for organizing actions such as Elgg  or N-1.

• Pledgeblank

Is a website which allows users to create and run online pledges on various causes.  The website is not user-friendly and it consumed the time of activists to design the pledge on it. Also, the features of the pledge are very static and not visually attractive. From my perspective, the pledgeblank was a waste of time and if you don`t put lots of efforts and thoughts on how you design it and engage the decision makers to sign the pledge, it can easily fail.

• Official Facebook Page

Facebook is the main social network used by organizations and nonprofits to raise awareness and promote actions. Although, an event for the action was created, the official Facebook page of the No Hate Speech Movement was very passive. Although, during the action day the facebook page has got more active, but there was a lack of original content. Consequently, a general engagement of the audience with the content of the Facebook page was low. Facebook page should be used more wisely and put more efforts on it, in order to build the momentum for the actions, engage the audience in debate and conversations on the #IDAHo-related topics.

• Official Twitter account 

The last thing you can do with a Twitter account is to connect it with Facebook and automatically Tweet Facebook posts!
Activists all around the world harness Twitter to update in real time what`s happening, engage in conversations, raise awareness, build community and even self-organize. Unfortunately, the official Twitter account @nohate_speech have had low-profile until couple of days before the EAD. Hence, opening the twitter account for the activists, handling to them for 1-2 weeks, making it more participatory, would be an interesting test to try it out. In the end of the day if Sweden did it, why not the @nohate_speech movement?!

• No Hate Speech official website 

The official website of #nohatespeech movement is visually good, but it lacks the main elements of a dynamic platform as intended to be; currently the website is not interactive, participatory and even to join the movement with the photo it require an Instagram or Flickr account, which is very tricky! However, a lot of activists, friends and colleagues have complained for the lack of information for EAD in the website. Although, the homepage of the website should serve as the main page to provide the latest news, call to action, etc, this has completely missed. At last but not least – the Hate Speech Watch is not very appropriate element for reporting hate speech cases and the question is what happened with the reports about homophobia and transphobia during the action day? How do we handle them? How do we debate them? And how do we react against them?

• Collaborative tools

The social web and new emerging technologies provides today a great variety of collaborative tools to organize the work and speed up the development of the action. Therefore, we failed this time to use several collaborative tools that could save the time and make the performance of the activist more efficient. Perhaps, some of the following tools should be considered for the next actions: Google Hangout, Dotstorm, Etherpad, Pastebin, etc.

• Lack of visual identity 

Every action needs a visual identity with whom the audience could identify. The graphic design is a crucial part of each action or campaign. We missed this element in the action and we struggled with it. A lot more original content could be prepared for social media if the designing skill could exist in the community of activists. Perhaps, having a graphic designer on-baord would be a next win for the EAD and the Campaign itself?

The product is in a 2.5 pound plastic bag, additional lot codes: 062612, 071712, 91412, 100212, 101312, 101512, 101612, 111912, 120112, 120312, 010813, 011813, 012813. Previous recalled lot codes: 020713, 022513, 031113, 031813, 031913 and 040313. The UPC number is 728920130026.

Product was distributed to California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Nevada and sold through Smart & Final stores or Cash & Carry stores.

No reports of injury or illness have been received to date.

This recall was initiated after it was discovered that the label failed to contain an ingredient statement.

Consumers who have purchased this product may return the product to the store where it was purchased for a replacement or a refund. Consumers with questions may contact Smart & Final’s consumer relations at (800) 894-0511, Monday through Friday, or visit our website at: http://www.smartandfinal.com/products/productrecalls.aspx.

San Diego Unified isn’t the only district that will have a new leader at the helm when the next school year starts.

South Bay Union School District is poised to hire a new superintendent after a two-and-a-half-month-long search.

Click here to view the full article

I had the pleasure to film Brent Carnduff of Echelon SEO in an interview setting. I find him very fascinating to listen to and that made for an easy shoot. I didn’t do this under my company (5th Pictures). I was hired to do this as a freelance film shoot. If you are looking to hire a company to do all of your search engine optimizing, Brent with Echelon SEO is your guy!

These are a handful of of the items that make Boise an active location to stay, but if you are relocating right here, I’m sure you’ll discover all of these and perhaps some more.

Boise is rated “one of the 10 most energetic places to live” by Modern Maturity, so it is no surprise that the list of issues to do in Boise is quite an substantial one in the course of soccer period, the Boise State College Broncos are usually a favorite of each the relaxed and the hardcore nearby sports activities fans. With the family, the Discovery Heart, Zoo Boise, and Things to Do in Boise, Idaho Boise Artwork Museum are common points of interest. By way of the summer time, the greenbelt Things to Do in Boise, Idaho is a wonderful location to get out and get a walk or a bike ride, or you can float the Boise River if you’re searching for a way to amazing off. Boise also has a assortment of parks to check out, every single with its possess unique appeal – feed the ducks and geese or go paddle-boating at Julia Davis Park, perform Frisbee golfing at Ann Morrison Park, or go for engagement photographs or senior photographs at the much more scenic Kathryn Albertson Park (just to name a handful of of the parks in the spot). There are also numerous ski resorts in the location, including Bogus Basin, about an hour drive into the nearby mountains Sunshine Valley about 3 hrs east and Brundage around McCall, about two hrs north.

We also have a lot of golf courses, fitness centers, playground parks, and so on in the area. For the more youthful group, a excursion to Accurate Paintball in close proximity to Gowen Area is always an pleasant outing, so extended as you don’t head a tiny discomfort in conjunction with your entertaining. There are also a variety of skate parks, specifically in the Meridian / Eagle location, for these that enjoy skateboarding, intense inline, or BMX biking.

If you’re much more into a comfortable outdoor expertise, there are a lot of climbing trails in the foothills, like a single that qualified prospects to the leading of Desk Rock, offering a full check out of downtown and Southeast Boise – or you can drive up if you want to skip the hike and get straight to the view it’s certainly some thing you will want to see. Also along the lines of fantastic views would be the Boise Depot, at the south finish of Capitol Boulevard just look for pictures for ‘Boise, Idaho’ and you’re sure to discover at least one impression from the depot.

Metode penelitian tersebut misalnya seperti berikut. Si peneliti memegang setumpuk foto di tangannya atau di komputernya, kemudian foto atau video (gambar bergerak) tersebut ditunjukkan satu persatu pada seorang relawan yang diambil secara random. Relawan tersebut menebak orientasi sexual orang di foto tersebut.  Sebuah studi yang dilakukan oleh tiga peneliti dari Harvard dan Clemson University dibawah American Psychological Assosiation pada tahun 1999 berjudul “Accuracy of judgments of sexual orientation from thin slices of behavior” menyimpulkan bahwa akurasi dari penilaian terhadap foto/gambar kira-kira 55% dan terhadap video adalah kita-kira 70%.

Dari hasil penelitian itu jelas bahwa kita tidak bisa benar 100% dalam menilai orientasi sexual seseorang hanya lewat pandangan sekilas. Bahkan gay yang biasanya punya radar untuk mengidentifikasi gay lainnya (gaydar) pun bisa salah tebak. Gay yang sudah dewasa dan berwawasan luas akan mengatakan jangan pernah berasumsi seseorang itu gay kecuali kalau dia mengaku gay. Pernah ada yang merasa bahwa gaydarnya sangat bekerja dengan baik, kemudian berasumsi seorang pria di dekatnya di sebuah bar adalah gay juga. Setelah melakukan pendekatan ternyata lelaki itu bukan gay, dan dia merasa malu.

Kita sudah terdoktrin bahwa gay lelaki itu lebih keperempuan-perempuanan dan gay perempuan itu tomboy. Ternyata tidak selalu seperti itu. Semakin kesini semakin banyak gay yang tidak terlihat gay, terutama gay perempuan (lesbian). Gina Gershon yang berpenampilan agak tomboy dan bermain apik di film Bound yang bergenre lesbian adalah perempuan heterosexual. Sedangkan Portia de Rossi yang sangat feminine adalah homosexual. Lelaki pun demikian. Bila dilihat di website pertemanan gay, maka kita dengan mudah menemukan lelaki-lelaki berbadan kekar yang berorientasi homosexual.

Sehubungan dengan topik tersebut, beberapa bulan terakhir ini aku melakukan penelitian kecil di youtube tentang penampilan gay. Dan ternyata semakin kesini, semakin banyak yang berani coming out (mengaku gay) di Youtube, dan mereka ini banyak yang masih berusia belasan. Ya tentu youtuber itu umumnya dari Amerika dan Eropah, tak pernah kutemukan dari Indonesia.

Yang menarik adalah penampilan mereka tampak sangat heterosexual (berdasarkan pendapat umum). Bila mereka tidak mengaku gay maka kita tidak akan tahu bahwa mereka adalah gay, terutama gay perempuan atau kita sebut saja lesbian. Stereotip bahwa lesbian itu tomboy atau agak tomboy dan pasangannya biasanya bepenampilan feminine adalah bisexual; teori ini semakin tidak bisa dipakai. Karena banyak kutemukan perempuan yang berpenampilan feminine itu adalah lesbian tulen, dan ada beberapa perempuan tomboy yang mengaku bisexual. Memang masih lebih banyak tomboy itu lesbian tulen, tapi ada tomboy yang bisexual atau malah heterosexual seperti Gina Gershon tadi.  Jadi jangan tertipu oleh penampilan seseorang dan jangan men”cap” seseorang dari penampilannya.  Karena seperti kata peneliti tadi, akurasinya hanya 70%.

Semakin kesini sudah tidak dikenal istilah tomboy harus berpasangan dengan feminine. Tidak lagi demikian. Banyak pasangan lesbian yang keduanya feminine atau sebaliknya keduanya tomboy/andro. Memang tetap ada pasangan yang tomboy dan feminine.   Tapi tidak diribetkan lagi harus tomboy dan feminin.  Aku rasa pendapat masyarakat umum yang selalu penasaran yang mana yang “jadi laki” dan yang mana yang “jadi perempuan” tidak benar sama sekali.  Karena dalam pasangan gay, keduanya lelaki atau keduanya perempuan.  Pasangan gay tidak ada aturan yang berpenampilan begini harus berpasangan dengan yang berpenampilan begitu, karena berpasangan itu masalah hati, bukan penampilan.

Bila anda ada kesempatan coba cek beberapa channel di youtube, seperti Rose Ellen Dix, What Wegan Did Next, Stacyand Cydney, Kaylin and lucy, Brea and Greesy, Khatrine & Erica, Sammycaakes, dan banyak lagi. Silakan cari sendiri. Mereka pasangan feminine yang sangat cantik-cantik. Mereka juga sekolah ditempat yang bergengsi, ada yang Harvard, Cambridge atau masih SMA. Pekerjaan mereka juga bermacam-macam. Dari yang kantoran hingga artis. Kemudian cek juga channel LezBeOnTalk: Marissa yang sangat feminine adalah lesbian tulen sementara Heather yang tomboy adalah bisexual. Menarik ya? Demikianlah luasnya spektrum dalam dunia homosexual.

Film lesbian pertama yang kutonton adalah “The L World”, para aktornya pun cantik-cantik dan feminine. Ada beberapa yang tomboy, tapi kebanyakan feminine. Dulu kupikir, mungkin karena film, jadi dibikinlah banyak aktornya perempuan cantik sebagai daya tarik penonton. Tapi setelah kuamati video-video coming out tersebut, ternyata memang banyak perempuan cantik berpenampilan feminine adalah lesbian tulen (born to be gay).

Don’t judge book by its cover sangat tepat untuk topik ini. Jangan menilai orientasi sexual seseorang dari penampilannya. Dan hormati hak azazi orang lain untuk memilih cara hidupnya, karena setiap orang berhak atas apa pun yang membuat dia merasa bahagia.

Happy IDAHO…!!! International Day against Homophobia. Damai di bumi seperti di Sorga. 

Jakarta, May 21, 2013
Mery DT

If you’re a lot more into a calm outside expertise, there are loads of climbing trails in the foothills, such as one particular that qualified prospects to the best of Table Rock, delivering a total view of downtown and Southeast Boise – or you can drive up if you want to skip the hike and get straight to the check out it’s absolutely one thing you will want to see. Also together the strains of excellent sights would be the Boise Depot, at the south finish of Capitol Boulevard just lookup photographs for ‘Boise, Idaho’ and you’re certain to uncover at least one particular picture from the depot. Offering a immediate line of sight to the capitol creating, it carries its very own odd splendor, specially around sunset. Bordering the depot are the Platt Gardens, which give a very relaxing walk in between different crops and flowers, and ponds containing lily vegetation and massive koi (big as in, if I were to consider a guess, about 3 ft in size, perhaps a little far more I’ve only witnessed them from a length, so I can not make a really precise guess).

These are a handful of of the issues that make Boise an lively spot to stay, but if you are transferring below, I’m certain you are going to uncover all of these and maybe some more.

Boise is rated “one particular of the 10 most active spots to live” by Modern Maturity, so it is no surprise that the record of factors to do in Boise is really an in depth one particular throughout soccer time, the Boise Condition College Broncos are often a favourite of both the everyday and the hardcore regional sporting activities fans. With the family, the Discovery Heart, Zoo Boise, and Boise Artwork Museum are well-liked points of interest. For the youthful crowd, a journey to True Paintball in close proximity to Gowen Area is often an pleasant outing, so lengthy as you really don’t mind a minor pain in conjunction with your entertaining. Bordering the depot are the Platt Gardens, which offer a really soothing stroll among various plants and bouquets, and ponds made up of lily plants and huge koi (massive as in, if I have been to take a guess, approximately three ft in size, perhaps a minor much more I’ve only witnessed them from a length, so I can not make a quite exact guess).

Passersby know it as Yaak. But for any true inhabitant it’s “the Yaak.”

The title gives it a distinction only understandable if you’ve really experienced this remote pocket of Montana wedged between Canada and Idaho. Downtown is a bridge over Yaak river, a T intersection of two-lane roads, and one wooden shop: “the Merc,” mercantile.

Thankfully the sun didn’t set until almost 21:00, giving us plenty of four-wheeling time around the property and it’s air strip. We and the Edminster clan were the only diners for Pizza at the Merc, but plenty of taxidermy perched over the casino games. Somehow we walked under the massive American flag at the exit with a stack of Jell-O shots, later enjoyed by the bonfire, of course.

The night of reunions and new introductions in a “cabin” off Montana’s backwoods dirt roads felt like home. We talked fish and bait, laughed at Pete’s med school flash cards, and watched deer near the porch. It’s agreed, we’re ready to move to Montana!

The irony of this trip is that our hearts might never make it to Seattle with so many wonderful places along the way.

Yaak quips: “It’s not a bonfire ’til you’re worried about starting a forest fire.”

“I sent my boys to a Montana college so they’d come back with a Montana girl.”

Day Seven…can’t believe it!

ps. Look out for four-wheeler GoPro videos soon

Here is the website our assignment cam from. We had to choose one, but I sort of combine two of them. I photographed at night from the “perspective of a bug” per say. I am very happy with the final result. My favorite picture is the picture of the sky with two trees in it. I just love how it turned out. I love the color, composition, lighting, everything about this photo. I happy with how all of the pictures turned out. I feel like I accomplished what I was trying to accomplish. At night, from the perspective of a bug. All of the other picture have good, solid lighting, show detail but you can tell it is at night. I am proud of my pictures and hope ya’ll do too! Like, COMMENT and share!(:

I decided to post my favorite of the five on its own so you could get a better view of it!!(:

Absolute favorite of the five!

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Northridge’s LiveRez-powered website helps it take bookings online 24/7.

Northridge Vacation Rentals
Location: Sandpoint, ID
Website: NorthridgeVacationRentals.com
Quick Quote:  “LiveRez was amazing at helping us get started from the beginning – not just with our website and reservation system, but with our whole business. They helped us with tips on best practices, and just went above and beyond anything I ever expected.”

The town of Sandpoint in Northern Idaho is a special place. If you don’t believe that, check out its impressive resume.

• Named “most beautiful small town in American” by USA Today and Rand McNally
• Named “best adventure town” by National Geographic
• Named one of Travel & Leisure magazine’s “prettiest winter towns”
• Named “Best Old House Neighborhood” by This Old House
• Named No. 1 SkiTown in the US by Rand McNally
• Local ski resort SchweitzerMountain named “Best-Kept Secret” by Ski Magazine
• The list goes on…

With a small population of around 8,000 people, Sandpoint is somewhat of a throwback to a simpler time.

That’s what makes it such a perfect fit for Jeremy Brown and Northridge Vacation Rentals. Like the town it manages properties in, Northridge Vacation Rentals is not huge, but growing. It’s inherit value is not in the quantity of homes it manages, but in the care it puts into each one and the level of service it offers every guest.

You see, Brown follows a very simple rule in managing homes – call it the golden rule of property management. He manages each house like he would if it was his own.

“What we always try to think of is if we owned the property, how would we want it managed,” said Brown, who – along with his business partner, Mike Robinson – brings decades of experience both owning and managing properties to the company.

Jeremy Brown and Northridge Vacation Rentals will care for your home like it was their own.

Northridge Vacation Rentals’ over-the-top focus on home care should come as no surprise when you learn about the company’s roots.  The business didn’t actually start renting out homes until May of 2010. Before that time it focused exclusively on the home watch and home care side of its business, and it’s still a big part of their company.

Since offering vacation rentals in 2010, the company has slowly expanded its inventory to seven Sandpoint vacation homes and condos, with more on the way. This level of inventory allows Northridge Vacation Rentals to offer exceptional service to guests and maximize each owner’s investment.

As part of this “golden rule” philosophy, Brown makes every attempt to be transparent in his commission agreements with owners. He takes a “no surprises” approach to end of the month owner statements. As an owner with Northridge Vacation Rentals, you won’t see a bunch of extra fees. If you agreed to a certain commission level, that’s what you get. Owners are only included in additional programs, like paid marketing plans, if they expressly give their permission. It’s the way Brown would want it as an owner.

“Unless there’s been some requested repairs or annual fee cleanings, there’s typically nothing else that comes out of their commission, unless they sign up for it,” Brown said. “It’s pretty plain and upfront and forward.”

Northridge Vacation Rentals also takes a different stance on restricting owners from staying at their homes. While some management companies reserve certain periods of time exclusively for guest reservations, Northridge is different.

You’ll feel like you’re on top of the world hiking outside Sandpoint. The mountain ridges give you the opportunity to see three different states and Canada.

“We’re really flexible with our rental program,” Brown said. “We never restrict how much owners can use their properties. “

Even with allowing homeowners to use their homes whenever they want to, Brown is still able to help them maximize their investments. One particular success story is when Northridge Vacation Rentals took on a property that was previously managed by a larger competitor and increased the owner’s income by more than 30 percent in the first year.

“We’re a smaller company, so we’re able to focus on the individual property and promote and push it a lot harder than if we had a mass of 100 properties,” Brown said. “So, there’s a lot more focus per property.”

It was an impressive feat, considering the first year managing a property is harder because you don’t have established repeat guests.

“We kept all the neighbors happy, and got a lot more renters through the property,” Brown said. “It worked out great.”

Brown promotes a strict good neighbor policy. He knows that being able to rent out vacation homes and condos is a privilege that some other cities and towns in the United States are starting to take away. And, he knows the answer to keeping that from happening in Sandpoint is ensuring that his guests understand how to have fun while respecting their new neighbors.

This waterfront home off nearby Priest Lake allows guests to enjoy the natural beauty of Northern Idaho.

“From the beginning, we’ve always taken on the harder-to-manage properties,” Brown said. “You just have to definitely keep on top of the problems and maintain peace among the neighbors that live within the block. If you have rowdy renters, you’ll hear about it.”

This philosophy has helped him gain favor (and business) from some of the condo and home owner associations in Sandpoint. And, because he’s earned their trust, Brown takes his job very seriously.

“We currently manage two home owners associations that we also manage rentals within,” Brown said. “So, we obviously have to keep the owner of the vacation rental property happy, and we also have to make sure that all the other home owners are happy. We definitely have a lot to lose if we do a poor job.”

In addition to its small-town charm, Sandpoint and the surrounding area are home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in all the United States. It’s an outdoor wonderland, whether you’re enjoying the waters of gorgeous Lake Pend Oreille that sits adjacent to the town, hiking through the rugged terrain of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, or experiencing the fresh powder at Idaho’s largest ski resort at Schweitzer Mountain.

Nearby LakePend Oreille is 43 miles long and the fifth deepest lake in the United States at 1,150 feet deep. With the lake having been carved by glaciers during the ice age, it’s no surprise that majestic mountains seem to rise directly out of its deep blue waters.

Sportsmen will be pleased to know that the lake is home to two of Idaho’s longest standing state records for the trout family. Nelson Higgins’ 32-pound record Dolly Varden has stood since 1949, and Wes Hamlet’s 37-pound Kamloops Rainbow Trout has stood since 1947.  According to Brown, anglers are still pulling monster fish from the water of Lake Pend Oreille. In fact, he said the winning Rainbow in the most recent K&K Spring Fishing Derby weighed in at more than 18 pounds and the winning Mackinaw was more than 26 pounds.

You’re bound to run into native wildlife and breathtaking views hiking through Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

The lake is a beautiful site from atop the ski runs at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. But, it’s not the only thing you’ll see. At 6,400 feet elevation, you can view three states, Canada, and three mountain ranges. In the winter months you can enjoy spacious runs, with more than 2900 skiable acres – even more than its world-renown neighbor to the southeast, Sun Valley.

Sandpoint also offers a thriving arts community and boasts a wide ranges of festivals throughout the year. No matter the time of year, there’s truly always something fun to do in Sandpoint.

“I think that we’re just really, really blessed that we get to live in such an amazing area,” said Brown, a third-generation lifelong resident of Sandpoint.

And if you’re planning a trip to Sandpoint, you should check out Northridge Vacation Rentals’ beautiful website, where you can book online – just like a hotel – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s filled with a wealth of information on the properties available through the company’s rental program, along with information on the area and on services the company offers owners.

Another thing that is available 24/7 is Northridge’s vacation rental software. That’s an important detail for the company, because they pride themselves on responding to issues around the clock.

When Brown and the team at Northridge Vacation Rentals first started managing vacation rentals, they stayed local, choosing Boise-based LiveRez.

“LiveRez was amazing at helping us get started from the beginning – not just with our website and reservation system, but with our whole business,” Brown said. “They helped us with tips on best practices, and just went above and beyond anything I ever expected.”

And now, nearing their three-year anniversary with the company they continue to jump on the new technology offered by LiveRez. They’re so plugged into their software that they even offer to beta test new features before they come out.

One new piece of technology that’s really made a big difference is the LiveRez CRM system, which can automate the bulk of a company’s communications with guests and owners. And while Brown doesn’t have hundreds of properties to handle, he also doesn’t have a huge staff. The business is staffed by him, his business partner, Mike, and their wives. And, with the level of detail that they give each home and each guest, they don’t have time to sit in the office and do repetitive tasks.

You can stay right on the water with Northridge Vacation Rentals.

“It’s really freed up a lot of time for me,” Brown said of the CRM system. “I really enjoy it. It’s helped a lot.”

“I think smaller companies would need it more than other companies,” he continued. “I don’t have a huge team of reservationists and secretaries and people to handle these things. It’s all just a few people. And the more time I sit behind the computer is less time I spend out in the field looking over properties and talking to the home owners.”

LiveRez has not only saved the company time, but also helped them grow their business and make more money.

“We increased what we earn on each property every year since the beginning,” Brown said. “So, every year each property makes more and more, so it’s definitely been a steady, upward growth.”

LiveRez’s world-class software helps Northridge Vacation Rentals offer world-class service, and stay competitive, even in the face of larger, more established competitors – a challenge not much different than the one LiveRez faced when it first started.

So, maybe it comes as no surprise that the partnership between these two Idahoans has resulted in the growth of both businesses. But, isn’t that what a partnership is really about?

“I would recommend LiveRez to anyone,” Brown said, “…besides my competitors.”