Saturday Slight

We have a weekend with Annie. She pulled in about 11:10 last night after leaving work in Seattle. She said the trip seemed longer than usual, but I think she got here earlier than usual. Whatever the case, we're glad to have her home.

She has plans to see her friend Kelsi from Missoula and her friend Marita from Wisconsin. Annie hasn't seen Marita for five years, so I'm sure they'll both enjoy a good visit tomorrow. We also will do the customary Second Avenue Pizza feed at home tonight while Annie shows her Mount Rainier photos on the big screen TV. It will be fun to listen to the commentary.

Bill and I started the weekend out in a big way last night and happily so in downtown Sandpoint, no less.

"Wanta go try that new pizza place?" he asked as we drove to town.

"Sure," I said, having just read about it in the Daily Bee's "Bests" for 2008.

We drove around the downtown blocks only once, found a parking spot next to the U.S. Bank and walked to The Loading Dock. Of course, after noticing a woman in designer summer duds walking down the sidewalk with a foo-foo pooch in one hand and a cell phone in the other, I had to make a snide comment.

"We may not be appropriately dressed to socialize in exclusive Sandpoint tonight," I said. Bill was wearing his Carharts and an Idaho Dept. of Lands T-shirt, while I wore jeans, held tight by my Western belt and buckle and slightly stained with a residual layer of grass clippings sprayed on the pant legs by the weedeater.

My ensemble did, however, include new slip-on trail shoes, new socks and a brand new 18-hour bra, purchased from Wal-Mart just hours before. While walking to the restaurant, we didn't know a soul except for a former student, Israel Gonzales.

Once inside The Loading Dock, though, my preconceived notions of life with the tourists changed. At the counter stood Nissa Clark, a beloved former student. Over by the sundries stood my young friend Buddy Chambers (of America's Funniest Home Videos fame), and then Velma, Queen of Fun from KPND walked out and yelled a loud hello to Bill. I was feeling right at home, and especially so when Velma admired my belt buckle.

I also met Nissa's daughters, who carry the pizzas to the diners. I also saw Tasha Thomas who just returned from a visit to Washington, D.C. and a personal tour of the White House, compliments of her buddy Bryant. Jack, Robin and Amy Dyck walked in and stayed long enough to say hello. The place serves tasty wood-fired pizzas but also plenty of funky and fun atmosphere.

A gnarly singer with glasses, one of those high-fashioned Western straw hats and a few leg tattoos, along with his talented drum beater, kept the crowd mesmerized as folks ate and people watched. After all, while dining at the outside tables, visitors get to see a steady stream of people taking advantage of Sandpoint's "Walking Town" image as they cross Sand Creek on the new pedestrian bridge to and from the City Beach (which for all anti-bypass people was created from fill dumped into the lake).

That restaurant on the corner of First Avenue and Bridge Street is historically a good place to attract the beach crowd coming back from a big day in the water. I remember many a time decades ago, wishing I had more nickels to walk inside to Hayworth's bakery when I biked by and smelled heavenly aroma of fresh maple bars.

The food has come back, and whoever owns the place has developed a gold mine for Sandpoint's summer tourism.

We ate our pizza, drank a glass of beer, listened to music, visited briefly with Janice Martin, who was in town from Seattle, and watched more people. I was really enjoying myself, figuring this was like Christmas in August to see so many familiar faces in downtown, no less.

Some of the people coming from the Edgwater/Beach House Restaurant started looking pretty familiar and a lot like students I'd had a few years back. Turns out some were from the Class of 1988 reunion, and they were on their way to P.J.'s for the main Friday night program. They'd already done their gig at the Edgewater, where the Class of '78 was also getting together.

I finally said to Bill, "Could we go down to the Class of '78 reunion for just a few minutes?" My friend and former student Mitzi had invited me. He said yes, so we headed across the walking bridge for our first time, and I commented that this was quite the night on the town. The best was yet to come. As we rounded the corner at the restaurant, Billy Bopp yelled out, "I know her."

From then on, the next hour presented a full smorgasboard of hugs and gabbing with mostly familiar faces. I hadn't had the one classmate who told me she and another of her peers were the only girls to get in a fight at the high school during that era. Upon hearing that, I told her I'd be careful and nice so as not to incite any violence at the Edgewater.

Bill knew a lot of the class members, so I didn't even have to feel guilty about dragging him down there. Second time in a week I'd seen Becky Marienau Hawkins after she and Ed and the kids came out of the bushes at Roman Nose Lake on Sunday. I can't even remember who all I talked to, but by the time we left an hour later, my voice had turned hoarse.

Always loved that class, and last night I loved seeing even more people who weren't even in the class but showed up.

My usual griping about going to downtown Sandpoint has been pretty well shut down for a while after last night's fruitful experience of familiarity. I guess the thing folks like me have to do is to know when the reunions are scheduled and then head to town. It was a fun night.

Now, on this lovely Saturday, we have to get moving and try to shut off the pasture from equine escape by nailing up at least two levels of boards around the enclosure. Then, the horses can go back into knee-deep grass rather than nibbling the short stuff.

Happy Saturday, and do go try The Loading Dock. It's a fun place.