Alice and I posed with the Leadership Sandpoint class at Idaho's only Amtrak stop. I told the story of my mother, my older brother Mike and our English setter, Peggy, getting off the train from Chicago on Christmas night, 1945. Mother, Mike and the dog rode with servicemen coming home from World War II.

That night was Mother's first introduction to Sandpoint, Idaho. It was cold, wet and drizzly as she, her 18-month-old son and the dog walked across the Cedar Street Bridge through the slop, turned on First Avenue and walked a couple of blocks past all the bars to the Rowlands Hotel, which was their first home in Sandpoint. That night Mother thought she had moved to a hell hole. She has since changed her mind and figures it's pretty close to Heaven here.

Alice told the story of the trains which were always on time in those days and how people would take the train 75 miles into Spokane, do some shopping and ride the train home. She also told of those days when the Black porters could get off the train but were not allowed to stay in Sandpoint overnight.

Alice's memory of the Rowlands Hotel was sad. Her mother died there at age 64 in 1964.