Connie's blog

Well, today, May Day, 2007, I have the double pleasure of telling a tale of two Connie's. Let's hope it's the best of times for both.

At 6 a.m. sharp today, Connie's Restaurant reopened its doors after a three-month lay-off. At first, the word on the streets was that one more Sandpoint landmark had gone into history. Then, that notion changed when La Quinta manager Bonnie Eng said that was not true at all. She was looking for a new lessee.

She found the right folks in Donna Brundage and Jenny Jaegar. The lease was signed and for the past week or so the marquee along Cedar Street has let drivers know that Connie's would be back.

I think Bill and I will go try out the newer, better Connie's today or tomorrow, and, of course, I'll report back. It will feel just as good to return to one of my favorite town meeting spots as it did a few weeks ago when I walked the halls of what my era calls the old junior high. Can't wait for that place to open, and I guess part of it might be open for business this summer cuz John Snedden tells me his 1967 class will celebrate its 40th-year reunion in the gym.

Gosh, Bonnie's part of John's class; is there a common denominator there? She must have some extraordinary influence in this town. Too bad she couldn't worked her magic with the old grain mill and a few other beloved relics that turned to dust in Sandpoint.

Anyway, that's the first Connie's good news. The second involves another Connie who's started her own blog. Her name is Connie Book Lloyd, and she's the daughter of Larry and Ardella who got a lot of play in my second book because of an "assumed" wolf sighting that made me get stuck in the mud. When the whole ordeal had ended, Ardella and Connie's sister Jolene had not egg but mud on their faces, their necks, their clothes and their feet, and Larry laughed like nothing I've ever seen.

Later, Connie and her hubby Thane collaborated with Larry to nail up a "wolf crossing" sign in our driveway. We brought it with us to the Lovestead, and I'm sure the neighbors wonder what the deal is as they drive by and see it right next to the road.

Well, Connie took good care of the Love house and the Love animals for years, and we were pretty sad when she and Thane moved to Rathdrum. They've found a new life down there and have found their own thrills as geocachers. Besides that, Connie snaps some pretty breath-taking photos, and I've told her a time or two she also needed to keep up with her writing, cuz she's a dandy with the written word.

So, this morning I'd like to direct you to her new blog where you'll see some drop-dead gorgeous photography and some lovely thoughts about life, family, the outdoors, etc. I'm really proud of Connie for taking on the world of blogdom, and I'm so glad she's sharing her talents with others. So, check it out: ( http://www.livelovelaughhope.blogspot.com/). I like the title cuz it says a lot about Connie.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Connie, and Welcome back, Connie's. May both of you have "the best of times." And, for the rest of us, in both cases, it's a good day in the neighborhood.