'Beyond Blue Sky,' Omi Swim, Street Music

It is a story of passion and brilliance, of a man who follows his outrageous dreams. “Beyond Blue Sky” is available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.

Burt Rutan, the subject of this documentary, is: 1) an aerospace engineer who has designed and built 49 airplanes; 2) the designer of brother Dick Rutan’s plane that successfully circumnavigated planet Earth without refueling; 3) the past leader of a small team of engineers in California’s Mojave Desert who between 2001 and 2004 built the first private manned space program and won the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE; 4) a happy Coeur d’Alene resident who recently spoke at the Innovation Collective.

The 93-minute film covers the journey of aerospace renegades from 2001 to 2004. It details their creation of SpaceShipOne and highlights how the team built a simulator, a mothership, and a rocket-propelled glider to achieve supersonic flight for a fraction of the cost of government programs. 

To me, one of the most amazing things about these engineers’ minds is the scientific complexities they anticipated- and solved.

Around Tubbs Hill Swim

Formerly the Steve Omi Swim, a 1-mile loop in Sanders Beach in honor of this man who died way too young, two years ago a group of Masters swimmers rerouted it to an “Around Tubbs Hill Swim.” It was a good decision.  

Swimmers enter the water on the west side of Tubbs Hill, near The Buoy Bar, swim past the beacon on Corbin Point, and exit 1.3 miles later at Little Sanders Beach. Swimmers have no problem tracking as they follow the perimeter of Tubbs Hill, safe from any boat traffic, protected by kayakers and Marine sheriff deputies. 

Spectators can follow the race by hiking the well-maintained trail around Tubbs Hill.  

This is an official United States Masters race, sponsored by our Kroc Center and open to anyone 18 years and older. This year’s race is July 18 at 8 a.m. It is limited to 125 swimmers and 92 are registered as of June 24. 

For complete information: AROUND TUBBS HILL SWIM

Street Music Success

June’s 2026 version of Street Music, a fundraiser for the Second Harvest Food bank, was a success in at least five ways: 1) $1,623 was raised through donations in downtown Coeur d’Alene; 2) John Huckabay donated $10,000; 3) The Ella Fitzgerald Foundation donated $5,000; 4) The grand total donation, from Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, was $24,453.88 to the food bank; and 5) dozens of generous musicians reported that they greatly enjoyed playing to the delight of downtown shoppers.  

Jenny Wayman, organizer of the event, says, “Thank you to all of the talented musicians and generous people who made donations."

Musical Discovery

It is invigorating to have fresh music to enjoy. Sometimes I follow-up on recommendations from friends; sometimes my Spotify listening leads to a new-to-me musician. When I connect with one of these recommendations, I listen to this person, or group, obsessively, read about them and eventually share it with my 42 year-old daughter, Emily. Usually, she’s been listening to my new discovery for at least five years.

Olivia Dean is my most recent passion. She is a 27-year-old Brit who plays the piano and guitar and sings. Bluesy, warm, soulful, classic pop with lyrics about relationships. My current favorite tunes of hers include: “It’s So Easy to Fall in Love,” “Nice to Each Other” and “I’ve Seen It.” 

A Lesson From My Daughter

During my 37 years of teaching, summers included classes to strengthen my skills, employment to make a little bit of money and weeks in which our family explored the Northwest and points of interest between Idaho and our family in Wisconsin.  

One day, while sitting at the lovely beach two short blocks from our Fort Grounds Neighborhood home, swimming in the clear water, watching parasailers and Brooks’ seaplane land and take off, my 8-year-old daughter said, “I don’t get it. Why do we drive all over to go to places that aren’t as beautiful and fun as the end of our street.”

Hmmmm? Good point, I thought. From that year on, we designated at least one week as “Vacation at Home Week,” in which we tried the activities that Coeur d’Alene tourists were enjoying. Emily liked it. We all liked it.

One Amazing Thing About Our World

We don’t know who “named” the Earth. Unlike other planets, no real historical data can be found on the person (or group) that named our planet “Earth.” The term Earth comes from Old English and High Germanic, and it is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman god.

Quote About Life

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Elliot

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David Groth retired in 2016 after 37 years in elementary education. His last 17 years, the favorite part of his career, were spent teaching fifth grade and juggling at Sorensen Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities. He has lived in Coeur d’Alene since 1982 and has always appreciated the people, the geography, the climate, the rivers and lakes, and the simple things that make days special.