My anticipation was high last week as I looked forward to my friend, Patty's visit; Now her few days here have come and gone.
Thursday morning we share warm hugs and happy greetings at the airport curb, load her suitcase into the trunk of my cool blue Charger, then drive off to explore a few interesting sites in the Lilac City. We pose for pictures at Spokane Falls and stop at Starbucks for coffee au lait.
I've known Patty since our long ago days in Bell. She and my brother were childhood sweethearts and dated several years before deciding to go their separate ways. From the moment Walt introduced me to Patty we became fast friends, and have remained so all these years. I am God-mother to her son Nick. He once asked his mother, " If Kathy and Gary are my Godparents, does that mean Gavin is my God-brother"? Sounds perfectly logical to me.
Gary, in Spokane on a tractor repair errand, joins us for lunch at Cyrus O' Leary's. Patty suggests I try a drink I've never had before , an Arnold Palmer - half lemonade, half iced tea. It's refreshingly good on this hot summer day. The three of us laugh and talk and pose for more pictures. Soon Gary leaves to pick up the part he needs for the tractor while Patty and I head for Aunties Bookstore in what once was the old Liberty Furniture Company across the way. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, the Liberty Building is a perfect location for Spokane's prime literary hub.
Patty and I are drawn to books like sailors are to the sea, so our entry to Aunties isn't a quick in the door out the door stop, but a long afternoon stay; A book lovers delight. Together we browse the aisles taking turns to lift an interesting title or cover illustration from the shelf , i.e. "Remembering the Bones" by Francis Itani and "Little Heathens - Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression" by Mildred Armstrong Kalish.
I've known Patty since our long ago days in Bell. She and my brother were childhood sweethearts and dated several years before deciding to go their separate ways. From the moment Walt introduced me to Patty we became fast friends, and have remained so all these years. I am God-mother to her son Nick. He once asked his mother, " If Kathy and Gary are my Godparents, does that mean Gavin is my God-brother"? Sounds perfectly logical to me.
Gary, in Spokane on a tractor repair errand, joins us for lunch at Cyrus O' Leary's. Patty suggests I try a drink I've never had before , an Arnold Palmer - half lemonade, half iced tea. It's refreshingly good on this hot summer day. The three of us laugh and talk and pose for more pictures. Soon Gary leaves to pick up the part he needs for the tractor while Patty and I head for Aunties Bookstore in what once was the old Liberty Furniture Company across the way. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994, the Liberty Building is a perfect location for Spokane's prime literary hub.
Patty and I are drawn to books like sailors are to the sea, so our entry to Aunties isn't a quick in the door out the door stop, but a long afternoon stay; A book lovers delight. Together we browse the aisles taking turns to lift an interesting title or cover illustration from the shelf , i.e. "Remembering the Bones" by Francis Itani and "Little Heathens - Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression" by Mildred Armstrong Kalish.
When I was in my early twenties and Patty in her teens we both enjoyed reading historical novels by Frank G. Slaughter, Frank Yerby, and Victoria Holt. Today Patty chooses a non fiction about the history of Impressionist art while I discover two I know I can't leave the store without : " Service Included-Four Star Secrets of An Eavesdropping Waiter" by Phoebe Damrosch and "The Yellow House - Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Provence" by Martin Gayford. "Service Included" is an interesting choice for me as I've never been a waitress or worked in a restaurant, nor do I ever plan to - not because I don't think it worthy employment, but because I seriously doubt I could balance food and drinks on a tray before I stumbled bumbled about, bumping into something and sending glasses and plates crashing to the floor, but the title and cover picture peek my interest. I read two chapters before purchasing, and am drawn in to what Entertainment Weekly writes of the memoir : "Both a sparkling stylist and the sassy heroine of her own narrative, Damrosch balances the sweet and the tart". Sweet and tart. I like that. I will actually read " The Yellow House' first then mail to Patty before she leaves for Paris in November.
Back at Dobbs' Retreat I open a bottle of Full Sail pale ale, Patty pours herself a glass of white wine; Gary is already on the deck ready to grill a rack of baby back ribs for our outside dinner.
A jillion stars twinkle in the night. I'm grateful for Patty in my life and tell her so.
My mother arrives on Friday and there's more hugs and happy greetings; Love is in the air and genuine feelings of friendship and care swarm all around. When in Coeur d Alene the three of us decide to only patronize local retailers and eateries, including Hudson's Hamburgers on Sherman Ave. Patty had sent me an article from the June issue of Gourmet magazine touting the famous northwest hamburger place and wanted to go there. The sunny afternoon is humid and the line to find a spot at the small lunch counter is long, but worth the wait. Hudson's has been serving the same style hamburger since the Great Depression. There are no side dishes at all, the only choice you have to make is : ketchup, hot ketchup or mustard.
While still in line outside the door, I notice an elderly gentleman standing in line, too. When he turns his head I recognize it's Monsignor Tim. I take his hand and quickly say hello then proudly introduce him to my mother and Patty. He kisses my cheek and says, "Kathy, how good it is to see you. Have a wonderful afternoon". Monsignor Tim is a well known priest in north Idaho parishes, his kindness and gentle spirit has touched many. Today, his greeting adds something special to my already special day with Mom and Patty.
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