Next, I emailed two friends at the Spokesman, figuring if something newsworthy was occurring here in Bonner County, they'd know. And if they didn't know, they'd find out. My sleuths were Erica and Susan. Susan wrote back first, assuring me she'd get to the bottom of this mysterious sighting----which she did. Turned out to be a sheriff's department hostage drill.
Erica wrote back and told me Susan was on the story. She also sent me a photo of her in the Coeur d'Alene Marathon. Erica's boyfriend Matt, who served as pit man, was riding a bike alongside her. That photo is available this morning by scrolling down at "Huckleberries Online" which can be found at (www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs/nhb/)
Along with the photo appear several comments about Erica, who is a highly-respected Spokesman journalist. I'm especially proud of that because I spent three years working with her and introducing her to journalism. She was a natural, intuitive writer from Day One. She was also a fun, impish student who, along with her circle of buddies, has remained a good friend ever since.
This morning, I'd like to share an experience I had with Erica when she attended a journalism convention in Albuquerque, N. Mex., back in 1991. It's a segment from my newest book, and it's part of a chapter outlining my ten most memorable moments of teaching.
Another story in Lessons with Love (currently being reviewed by U of Nevada Press for acceptance) is called "Stay Outa My House." It also features Erica and her friends, but I'd hate to reveal her fiendish side this morning. So, I'll stick to this anecdote, which may explain her new fetish for running marathons. Enjoy:
Teaching Moment Number 9, Santa Fe Scare: In April, 1991, eleven of my students, another chaperone, Dwayne Sheffler, and I attended a national high school journalism conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As an added benefit to the experience, we took a side trip to Santa Fe. While Dwayne accompanied most of the group for a late afternoon, early evening tour of the town, I tied in with the two younger journalism students, Erica Curless and Courtney Ferguson. We left the hotel and headed west on a mission to shop and to eat dinner at one of Santa Fe’s restaurants. Along the way, I purchased a beautiful Zuni turquoise ring, while the girls picked up some souvenirs. We then found a ‘50s restaurant, ate fat, juicy hamburgers, and headed to the hotel to meet the rest of the group for the drive back to Albuquerque.
About a block into our return walk, a tall, slim, disheveled man, appearing extremely inebriated, began to follow us. He seemed determined to catch up with us. If we switched to the other side of the street, he crossed over. If we sped up, so did he. While continuing our momentum, we tried to act calm and unconcerned. Not an easy feat, but we did our best. Suddenly, the hotel seemed hundreds of miles away. The man kept inching closer. We hurried our pace. With the girls ahead of me, I purposely stayed in the rear, tightly clutching my heavy purse, planning how to use it as a weapon if he caught up to us. Finally and thankfully, we recognized the back end of the hotel and broke into a run. It was both strange and frustrating to walk into the lobby, meet our group lounging blissfully in the couches and chairs. We tried to convince them that our lives had been in immediate danger. In our lame attempt, we learned quickly it was a “you had to be there” experience. The rest of the group’s “so-what?” response irritated us. Nonetheless, the return to a secure comfort zone among friends surely made us the most relieved humans in Santa Fe that Saturday night. Erica now writes for the Spokesman-Review newspaper, covering county and city government in North Idaho’s Kootenai County. Courtney works as a job coach in Portland, Oregon.
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3 comments:
Neat story! Makes me want to run out and buy the book! I was thinking about you yesterday...had an interview with a small ISD here near Houston - language arts - "what would you do," they asked, "to inspire your students to read?" I thought about it a moment, then replied.."I'd get them hooked on the author and what she/he was going through at the time of writing." I then gave them the example of Lois Lowry. I wish I had had a long time to plan for the interview - I didn't. However, I think my answers were right on....
white armored vehicle was heading yesterday to the school bus yard.
They had the bus drivers involved in their terrorist attack practice.
well this class of situation are impossible to predict, and the worst part are impossible to avoid, but in the way that happen to you is really awful.
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