We took a trip through the Northwest United States in August 2020. We knew that on 4 August 2020 we had to be in a good location for phone and internet connection because I had a Fee Application Hearing that I needed to attend. The case has only continued since then to the District Court and the Ninth Circuit.

We plan to spend an extra day in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to make sure we had the phone service needed for the call and to act as a hot spot for internet. I thought the hearing would be fairly short so we parked near the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene. I claimed a park bench and the kids played on the beach and around the park. This is the view from my picnic table waiting for the hearing. Hiram is on the far left, Aliza on the far right of the courts. You can see Lake Coeur d’Alene in the background.

First, the Court kicked my hearing after the regular docket. So I ended up waiting like 1.5 hours to even get to the argument. I had briefed everything before I left but apparently the Trustee decided to file another brief the day before that I never got to see or read. So much for imposing deadlines. The Court spent quite a bit more time on the Fee App than I had anticipated, so we were there like 3 hours! It was crazy and I watched my kids play, weary, and the plead to go before I was even done with the hearing.

We had climbed around McEuen Park and Tubbs Hill earlier in the day. The kids were worn out and ready to be done. I won my Fee Application, but as you can see from the appeals above, that was not to last.