Good Morning All!
Happy Birthday wishes go to our friend Kellie Lovelace, a beautiful woman in so many ways, who celebrates her 28th birthday this coming Monday! Here’s to you Kellie. Have fun on your special day of celebration! And Happy Birthday wishes also go to friends Raelene Vogelsang, who I had the pleasure to worth with on fund-raising efforts for Christ Kitchen & Christ Clinic; and to my dear friend, partner & mentor extraordinaire, Hal Seim, who celebrate their birthdays this coming Tuesday, May 7th.. Here’s to both of you and have lots of fun on your birthday! Our world is certainly a much better place because you’re in it!
Speaking of good, good friends, I had the pleasure of attending a Rotary Club meeting at the beautiful Coeur d’ Alene Resort Golf Center with long-time friend, James Prussack. It’s always great to hang out with James. His friendship is golden and treasured greatly. We had a fun time meeting new friends there and I was impressed by the Rotary Club’s “Four-Way Test” that they have all members recite at the beginning of the club meeting. It goes like this:
“The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do
First…Is it the TRUTH?
Second…Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Third…Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP?
Fourth…Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”
Good principles to live by, don’t you think?
One thing I forgot to mention about my recent stay at The Tana House is my visit with April, the daytime bartender at the Dew Drop Inn in Coram, Montana. I stopped in to distribute some flyers about this coming Wednesday’s Firewise Community meeting at the Martin City Fire Hall. I had a delightful time visiting with April as she poured me a delicious mug of Tamarack Brewing Company’s Yard Sale Amber and told me about the history of the Dew Drop Inn. It was built in the 1930s, just after Prohibition, and was one of the only watering holes between Columbia Falls & Glacier National Park right along old Highway 2. It’s got great atmosphere and a terrific wood stove positioned right smack dab in the middle of the bar. A wood fire blazing and a glass of your favorite beer…now it doesn’t get much better than that! Do stop in and say hello to April (she works the day shift) at the Dew Drop…you’ll be glad you did!
I was sad to hear that the actor who played “Chewbacca” on “Star Wars” movies has died. “Chewy” and “Lando Calressian” (played by Billy Dee Williams) are my favorite “Star Wars” characters. It must have been great to play in disguise a character like the beloved “Chewbacca” and hear all the accolades (and good pay) that came with playing that role, but not being readily recognized in public and chased by paparazzi all the time. Fame with anonymity and bringing joy & entertainment to millions…what a great life to live! Here’s to you, “Chewbacca”!
Well, tomorrow is Bloomsday, that great day of celebration of Spring in Spokane where some 40,000+ people hit the streets in one of the biggest fun runs in the world. I’ll be “running” it with my friend Rose McIntosh, concert violinist & massage therapist extraordinaire. It’s always fun to be a part of this mass of humanity celebrating life and our beloved City of Spokane! Not having trained much for this year’s race, I’ll keep in mind the mantra…”Who won the race…the tortoise or the hare?”
My mom & I ventured out yesterday afternoon to one of our favorite attractions, Treasure Towne in Post Falls ID. We love to see what new antiques, furniture & other collectibles are on display and for mom to catch up with her friend and the owner of Treasure Towne, Dorothy Stark. While mom was snooping around the store, I bumped into a fellow by the name of Calvin, who originally hailed from Casper, Wyoming. We were jointly admiring a pair of vintage cowboy boots when we struck up a conversation. For some reason or another, the topic of hunting and meeting up with wild animals ensued and Calvin shared a riveting story of the time in the back country of Wyoming when he and his 14 year old son at the time unexpectedly came upon a grizzly bear. They barely had enough time to raise their rifles and dropped the bear some 10 feet from them…Whew! A close call, to say the least! Calvin regretted having to shoot the grizzly, as he said, looking back on the encounter, that it could have been avoided had they paid more attention to the bear tracks in the snow. Grizzlies have distinctive bear tracks to a brown bear…their long claws are pronounced in their tracks. Fortunately, Calvin was not hunting alone and the two of them had stayed close together while tracking wild game. I mentioned that their experience must have bonded father & son closer together and gave them something to remember for the rest of their lives and Calvin readily agreed. What a great new friend was made at Treasure Towne…we promised each other to get together again for coffee or lunch sometime. It just goes to show that you never know what you are going to find at Treasure Towne! Mom & I topped off Treasure Towne adventure with a margarita and a taco and an enchilada at Toro Viejo in Post Falls. I asked the waitress what “Toro Viejo” meant in Spanish and she said “Old Bull” and mentioned that he was in the kitchen preparing our meal! You’ll want to check out this Mexican restaurant if you’re ever in the vicinity.
Speaking of Mexican culture, here’s to “Cinco De Mayo” which will be celebrated this Sunday. It celebrates the victory of the Mexican people over the tyranny of a foreign power (France, I believe) at the Battle of Puebla. It reminds me of one of my heroes, Benito Juarez, who was the first president of the Mexican Republic. He and our beloved President Abraham Lincoln were contemporaries and friends. I wish I could have been in the White House when they first met each other. Two champions of democratic republics…may our two countries have more of these kinds of leaders in the future!
Here’s to our new neighbors Same & Kim and their children Oliver & Jack. I met Sam last night and welcomed him to our wonderful neighborhood. Sam asked me if I knew anything about the history of the house he purchased and I mentioned that one of the previous owners was an artist and his wife a framer. He said that must explain why the house is filled with fabulous lighting fixtures from the old Ridpath Hotel in downtown Spokane. Indeed, the house has some awesome lighting fixtures. Sam said it was a primary reason why they fell in love with the house. How about that!
Here are some thoughts for the day:
“I don’t want to return to the past. I don’t yearn for when I was 18 years old. I was in high school then. I had acne. I had a terrible hairdo. I’m sure I was sporting polyester pants.”
—Joe Scarborough, former Member of Congress from Florida & co-host of “Morning Joe”
“I have a resistance to change in things that I feel comfortable with and that I’m used to.”
—Dennis Quaid, actor of “Frequency” movie fame
“Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King…His love endures forever…For He is good, He is above all things…His love endures forever.
With a mighty hand and an outstretched arm…His love endures forever…For the life that’s been reborn…His love endures forever.
From the rising to the setting sun…His love endures forever…And by the grace of God we will carry on…His love endures forever.”
—Chris Tomlin, “Forever” (2001)
Here’s to a great Saturday & GO CUBS GO!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, etc.)