Last fall, workers removed Lake Walcott’s wooden docks for the winter as usual. “They literally came out in pieces,” Hobbs said. “They just deteriorate over time and don’t function very ...

Every blissful July afternoon on Lake Coeur d’Alene is underwritten by a host of little chores. John Hough’s least favorite has been dock maintenance. “Miserable, miserable docks,” he said.