1. I drove to Coeur d'Alene today to take the kind of walk I enjoy the most. I parked the Sube just north of 4th and Wallace and walked toward the lake, not really knowing what I was going to do. I reached Front Street and decided to do something I'd never done before and walk the route of the floating boardwalk. It was a flawless, cool, clear afternoon, the lake stretching out for miles without a ripple on it and hardly a boat. The cobalt lake surface set off the distant hills topped with snow beautifully.
Because I haven't walked much during the winter, I like to walk in downtown areas -- or on this boardwalk -- because I can readily find public benches or tables to sit and rest a bit. As I build strength back in my legs again, I'll need to sit less often as I walk, making walking the routes I usually take in Kellogg more appealing, as well as walking on the Trail of the CdAs.
2. I had decided that after I walked for a while, I'd try out The Crown and Thistle on 4th Street, just north of Sherman Ave.
Crown and Thistle is built in the style of an English pub and offers a menu of pub fare: fish and chips, meat pies, Scotch egg, pasties, bangers and mash, and other such offerings. They also serve Guinness, Harp, and other beers from the U.K.
To my surprise, after all these years, I experienced a moment of truth at The Crown and Thistle.
I ordered a 10 oz glass of someone's ESB -- wish I'd written the brewer down -- and haddock and chips.
My food arrived and I started to eat the haddock and suddenly I realized that I love the idea of fish and chips, but I don't enjoy the actual meal that much. I took some time and thought about this. I thought about fish and chips I've eaten everywhere from the Atlantic ChipShop in Brooklyn to Billy Mac's and Newman's in Eugene to the Fisherman's Market and Grill in Coeur d'Alene and I realized that while I'm not put off by fish and chips, I honestly don't enjoy them that much.
The haddock and chips I ate today had no defects: the fish was moist and the breading was made of a beer batter and was crispy and intact (not damp and falling apart).
I cannot and will not fault The Crown and Thistle!
I simply would rather eat other fare and I'm writing this largely so that I hope I'll remember that when I return to this place or go to other similar spots, not to order fish and chips.
I really think it's a meal that I want to enjoy more than I actually do.
I enjoyed my malty ESB. I ate at a very slow time in the pub so I had a pleasant, quiet time.
I actually just wish I'd had my come to Jesus moment regarding fish and chips before I sat down and wish I'd ordered something else.
Ha! I'm a slow learner.
3. I walked several blocks up 4th Street back to the Sube and drove out to Fred Meyer where I found a jumbo muffin pan, put it in my cart, and bought a few other things I needed.
When I returned home, I was relieved to discover that the jumbo baking cups I accidentally ordered online fit perfectly in the holes in the muffin pan I bought, so I'll be in business soon baking some muffins.
When I finished shopping, I checked my pedometer.
This was my most productive day walking in along time.
I took over 5300 steps in just over 50 minutes and racked up about 2.3 miles.
I did exactly the kind of walking I enjoy most today, a combination of walking city streets with a stroll very near water and, along the way, I found plenty of places to sit the two or three times I wanted to give my legs a rest.
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