I'm home now after a week at Lake Chelan with Margaret and Sandy. The three of us have been friends since high school and meet each November for a 'Northwest Gals Get-A-Way'. You might say we're a 'condensed version' of a larger group of friends who have remained close since those long ago school days in the 1960's. With Marg living in Sammamish, Sandy in Tri-Cities and me in north Idaho, the short driving distance makes it easier for us to get together more than once a year; Cherished time we look forward to, always wishing the other 'Bell Belles' could join us in our happy, carefree time.
Our Chelan days are lazy, easy - not planned before hand. No time schedules, or alarm clocks to wake us, we get up at our leisure to lounge around in our pj's , watch early morning T.V. and drink coffee. We share stories about our husbands and children and anquish over wrinkles and weight gain, and laugh out loud over silly things we've done, and hope to still do.
During our stay we visited favorite and familiar spots - Leavenworth , the marvleous mock Bavarian village named after Captain Charles Leavenworth; Apple Auntie's Antique Mall in nearby Cashmere , Mill Bay Casino and downtown Chelan. While in Chelan we added a new shop stop to the number of stores to browse; Kelly's Ace Hardware. Little did we know how fun and interesting it would be. It was only after the ever observant Margaret noticed kitchen utensils through the window that we even decided to walk in. I was looking for a certain type of cheese slicer, and she thought by some off the wall chance, I might find it there. To our surprise we did ! Not only did Kelly's have the cheese slicer I wanted , they also had the 'Life Hammer' Marg was looking for.
We were just about to pay for our wares when we learned how true their store moto , " Old Time Friendly Service From Friendly Folks Since 1925", really is. A smiling middle aged sales clerk, wearing work jeans and a plaid shirt hurried over to tell us more about the advantages of the "Life Hammer" and the importance of having one in the car. The three of us were all ears and wide eyed, when he said, "Come over here, and take a look at these survival items". His enthusiasm was contagious, so off we went like Camp Fire girls following after our troop leader, down one aisle then another.
He took time explaining and showing us a variety of survivalist items one should carry in their rig during winter weather. He made each one sound so vital and neccessary , we wanted to buy them all ! Margaret suggested they'd make good stocking stuffers for Christmas, Sandy and I agreed. He then led us over to the autmotive section and picked up a jug of alternative gas fuel safe enough to keep in our car in case we ran out of gas. According to Ace Man, it was good for 10 miles . Wow ! We wanted that , too. Although, I can't remember the last time I ran out of gas; I think college. Still, we all agreed , driving in northwest winters is full of uncertainty and requires good planning in case of some unforeseen road hazard. So everything Ace Man was telling us seemed to make good sense, and we took turns nodding to each other, saying, "Yeah, that's right", confirming his counsel.
Finally , the friendly sales clerk led us to a display of soy candles neatly arranged on a shelf towards the front center of the store; He carefully picked up each one and placed it under our nose so we could smell the scent . Being polite, the three of us oohed and aahed and said , "How nice", but by this time we were ready to move on, and head for the Hallmark store across the street. We thanked Ace Man for his help , bid him adieu and walked out the door still talking about survival items to keep in our car, and marvelled over the friendly service at Kelly's Ace Hardware.
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