After much recollection and writing, I have finally finished the travelogue from our trip to Spokane in September. I wrote this more for Luke, so we can remember all we did with him, but if you are so inclined, set aside some time and give it a read. If you are short on time, just check out the slideshow on the sidebar for now.
Trip to Spokane: Sept 5-14
Saturday 9/5
We’re back from our 9 day trip to Spokane, Washington. Our maiden voyage was a great one, taking in most of the sites of Spokane and many of the surrounding locals of Eastern Washington. We started off our Saturday afternoon by hitting a farmer’s market on the way back from the airport and picking up purple potatoes and freshly picked huckleberries. Then we arrived at their new home, a beautiful, contemporary condo overlooking the falls of the Spokane River. Just across the river we could see aptly named Riverside Park. For the Labor Day weekend, a festival called Pig Out in the Park was going on in the park, bringing extra rides, musicians, and people to the otherwise quiet park. We rode the ferris wheel, giant Radio Flyer wagon slide, and walked back across the falls to a nice dinner at home.
Sunday 9/6
Upon arriving we were immediately struck by how different it looked topographically and even geologically. Eastern Washington is semi-arid, almost desert-like with brown steppe, sage brush, and mostly evergreen trees where any are growing at all. But with the warm temperatures and mostly sunny weather, you can grow nearly anything and everything so long as you water it. The parks are lush and replete with plants we know and love back East, but in sizes and bloom states rarely seen back home. A perfect example of this is Manito Park on the South Hill of Spokane. The park was designed by the Olmstead Brothers of Central Park and Biltmore Estate fame, and the attention to detail and ‘garden rooms’ is evident. I was just so impressed that in early September every single garden could still be at peak bloom and color. It was a treat to walk through on our first full day in town. Before strolling through the park, we had a wonderful lunch at Luna, a French-inspired restaurant that grew most of their own produce. Everything was fresh and delicious…a great place to try regional specialties like the Idaho ruby trout (looks and tastes similar to mild salmon) and huckleberries.
We tried to go Arbor Crest, a hilltop vineyard, for an outdoor concert but a strong storm blew through and cancelled the show. Ben and I toured the grounds briefly, very lovely up on the mountains overlooking town and looking on to the timbered mountains of Idaho just over the border. Instead of the show, Ben and I went out on a dinner date at a great restaurant called Millfords, stopping to listen to the last concert of the weekend at the park festival: the totally irreverent but funny
Austin Lounge Lizards.
Monday 9/7
I should mention that just before we arrived in Spokane, Tom had just come home from a business trip to Japan. He was dealing with a big time change and jet lag of his own, so he was up in the night when Luke was waking early, still on East Coast time. So sleepless in Spokane, Tom took Luke on an EARLY morning adventure in the pre-dawn damp and dark city. They headed out with Nelle in search of coffee, finding most places tightly closed up, until they finally found the Starbucks kiosk in the Davenport Hotel open for business in a most regal of settings. The lobby of the Davenport is worth a visit just to see how fine hotels used to be; Luke loved the fountain in the center teeming with koi. He reported in excited bursts on all this and their walks when they came back home later that morning. Oh, the adventures grandfathers can take you on!
The remainder of our Labor Day was spent boating with family friends, Gordy and Judy Jones and her niece in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The weather was cool and a little rainy, but it was a treat to see the mountains and pretty lake homes from water. Luke was not sightseeing, however, as he was too busy ‘driving’ the boat with Ben for the latter half of the trip. He finally tuckered out after a stop for drinks and snacks, rocked to sleep by the boat over windy water as we raced a storm back to the docks.
Upon leaving the boat, we Tom, Susan, Ben, Luke, and I drove further into the forests of Idaho to see the lay of the land….so different than the arid, sparsely treed area immediately around Spokane. Luke was still asleep from the boat ride back until several miles down the road on further into Idaho. Through his sleepy haze, he surprised us all by looking around confused and asking, “Where are the other three?” We couldn’t believe put that together and counted who was ‘missing,’ but it was a perfectly logical think to ask. Just goes to show you how attentive even two year olds are to details.
Tuesday 9/8
Tueday was a red letter day for Luke….and his sentimental mama. This was the day of Luke’s First Haircut. Tom had an appointment to get his cut, Ben needed a trim, too, and so it turned out to a be a boys’ day for haircuts at Leland’s on Wall, a great barber shop along Tom’s walk to work. I was apprehensive, but I knew it was coming and what better time than for them all to get haircuts together. Luke watched as Tom and Ben had their turns and then sat on Ben’s lap for his trim. Just cleaned the curls up a bit, but it still made him look older to me. The end result was very cute , and he was so proud of his haircut.
After all this, Tom went into work for a bit and we later toured the Clearwater Paper offices, meeting some of Tom’s new coworkers and of course seeing Mr. Jones again. Luke went right to Gordy, which was very sweet to see. He certainly remembered him from boating the day before.
We packed a lot into this day, leaving the office to drive down through the Palouse to Steptoe Butte. The topography is wildly different in this wheat and grain growing section of the state: rolling, mound-like hills as far as you can see in every direction. The only major outcropping is Steptoe Butte, a quartzite mountain rising to over 3600 ft and about 1,000 ft over the surrounding hills. The view was the top was stunning, with the fields below rolling out like earth-tone quilts. We noticed lots of apple trees growing along the road up, so after having our picnic lunch on top and enjoying the view, we headed down stopping along the way for apple picking and then apple-pelting as the boys started throwing them at each other. Luke even took a few cheap shots at Ben from close range. I picked enough for a pie and was happy for the experience, thinking all the while that maybe Jonny Appleseed had brought these apples all this way west.
From Steptoe, we took in one more stop, driving down to the college town of Pullman. It was a quaint town and we enjoyed walking around the downtown shops before stopping for drinks and appetizers in a restaurant in what was their old Post Office. I like seeing the old structures get a new life and this reincarnation was very charming. It was a nice final stop before making the drive back to Spokane for the evening.
Wednesday 9/9
After our long day on Tuesday, we spent Wednesday at home and walking around Spokane. We visited the Flour Mill shops next door to Tom and Susan’s building. There I secretly bought some silver sheet metal to start on my first metal working project in jewelry: a simple silver ring for Ben for our upcoming fifth anniversary. Next it was back to the park for more rides and slides, visits to wine and cheese shops and some nice cheese selections to take home: Comte’, a truffled pecorino (in homage to our Italian compatriots), and Luke’s mild favorite, Mimolette. It was only a quick walk back across the footbridges and we spent the evening enjoying the roar of the falls from the balcony.
Thursday 9/10
Tom had to go away for the day on business, so we relaxed at home most of the morning with Ben finally getting time to while away the morning reading the paper and drinking coffee. We rallied in the afternoon and headed out to a large cat rescue center called Cat Tales. It was amazing to see the tigers, lions, and yes, even some bears (Oh my!), as well as cervals, pumas, and bobcats. All the animals were rescued either from an injury in the wild, owners who could no longer care for them, or from entertainment acts. We saw one of the remaining Zambian lions, with his long dark mane and keen eyes; you may have seen him, too, since he was a retired MGM lion that roars through the movie credits. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and the animals all looked healthy and well cared for. With Susan’s love of animals, I’m sure she will become a regular visitor.
When Tom came back home, we made a stop by the Davenport Hotel and then went out to dinner at the Steam Plant, literally a converted steam-powered generation station. They are now a nice restaurant and functional brewery, making several different kinds of beer, including huckleberry ale---talk about seasonal and local!
Friday 9/11
Friday we took a trip to Walla Walla and the surrounding wine country. As it turned out, the locals grow apples and some grapes, but it seemed like most of the wineries in the area use grapes grown in the nearby Columbia Valley. The town was very nice to visit and walk around, with a mix of restaurants, tasting rooms, interesting boutiques, and Luke’s favorite, a real old-fashioned candy store. This shop reminded me of the popcorn and hot nut counter that was in the Sky City store in Murphy when I was young. All children have or make good memories from a special candy or treat store, even children who are now adults.
Most of the actual wineries must have been a bit of a drive out of the town, but you could get a feel for what the area had to offer just by visiting the downtown and tasting their wares. Ben and I were impressed with a very young winemaker (21!) who is turning out surprisingly well-blended bottles at Sweet Valley Wines. The Otis Kenyon room is another to visit; don’t skip their Malbec if you make it that way!
Saturday 9/12
The highlight of Saturday was the Spokane County Fair. Ben read about it in the paper, so we decided to check it out. It was a great traditional county fair with rides and a midway, farm equipment, produce, livestock, a rodeo, and even train rides on a decommissioned Union Pacific rail. Luke enjoyed playing on a hand-powered rail push cart the repairmen used to scoot around on the line many years ago. All the animals in the livestock barns were a big hit with Luke, too, and of course all the rides: He rode motorcycles, baja carts, and a carousel before calling it a night.
Sunday 9/13-14
We all rose early to make it to the airport for our 6:15AM flight back home, but our pilot had other plans. He was supposedly sick and didn’t get to call in and let anyone know until it was nearly time to board. There were no other one-stop routes home to Knoxville all day, so at the last minute we decided to be bumped to the same flight on Monday morning and have one more day in Washington. This plan was much better than bouncing around the western hubs with a 2-year old in tow, plus everyone got one more day of vacation and visiting. We took advantage of the time to finally make our neglected apple pie and celebrate Tom and Susan’s anniversary (which was the next day) over dinner. Early to bed again and this time with even less bags in tow, we finally made it onto our flight back to Knoxville and work and all our regular routine. Our time in Spokane was a welcome break and a wonderful introduction to the Northwest. Luke enjoyed his time with his Bacca and Nonna and constantly talks about wanting to go back. We have lots more to explore and I’m sure Tom and Susan are game for any and all adventures to come.
The garden wedding in St. Augustine was amazing. Such a beautiful location, good weather, and the most fun reception I’ve ever attended. My friend Amy was a gorgeous and gracious bride, and Ben and I were proud to be there to witness her vows and finally meet her husband Carl. We wish them all the best and know they have a wonderful life ahead. 
On Saturday, we sweated alongside everyone else who gathered to watch and paddle at an annual dragon boat race for charity. Luke liked picking his favorite boats by color and seeing how they did in each heat race. The weather was a little more bearable on Sunday, so we finally made it to the Knoxville Zoo. We saw the requisite lions, tigers, and bears-oh, my!-but also got to watch an elephant get a head-to-toe scrub down with his trainers. Our zoo also has red pandas, which I haven't seen very often. We hoped to see the newly-born chimp, Baby George, but they were not out when we came through. It's a good reason to take Luke back in the fall. Be sure to check out our zoo slideshow on the sidebar. As you'll see, Luke has lots of fun when auntie comes to town.
This spring we were fortunate to celebrate both Mother's and Father's Day, as well as my mother's birthday, with my family at our home here in TN. We missed seeing Ben's mom and dad on these holidays, but we were grateful to be back in the States this year to share these days with family. My Mamaw was also able to come on Mother's Day, so we had three generations of mothers to mark the occassion. Luke was getting lots of attention and love, especially enjoying his time playing with Aunt Chele.
