Saturday, December 18, 2021

Three Beautiful Things 12-17-2021: I Got Published in Huckleberries!, The New Depot Bar, Uptown for Burgers and The Lounge

1. Back in October of 2006, I decided to start writing a blog. Once I started posting, I also scanned the World Wide Web for other blogs and almost immediately discovered Huckleberries Online, a blog at the Spokesman Review and spearheaded by D. F. (Dave) Oliveria, also known as DFO.

Facebook hadn't really taken off yet, if I remember correctly, and blogs were popular, fun, and numerous. 

Before long, I introduced my blog to DFO and, back then, he posted passages from people's blogs or posted links to things we bloggers were writing, especially when our content reflected on life in the Inland Northwest. He featured posts I wrote from time to time and frequently posted a link to my blog.

Well, the other day DFO messaged me. He'd seen my 3BTs post about enjoying driving in CdA -- it was, by the way, serious -- I don't write sarcasm or facetious things on my blog (yes, it's true -- I enjoy it when Costco is crowded!).  

In his retirement, DFO now writes a Huckleberries column once a week for the CdA Press and he asked me if he could publish some of what I'd written about driving in CdA. It was like old times and I happily consented. 

So, here's what appeared on Friday, December 17 in DFO's column:

Kellogg native Bill Woolum doesn’t agree that Coeur d’Alene traffic is as bad as you and I think it is. And it has little to do with his time living in Eugene, Ore., and a Washington, D.C., suburb. It has everything to do with the intersection at Hanley Avenue and Government Way. Bill and wife, Debbie, were on the way to Michael’s on Monday when the traffic lights went out. “I loved that every single driver knew what to do,” Bill posted on his Kellogg Bloggin’ site. “Calmly, we all switched our thinking and treated the intersection as a four-way stop. No honking. No impatience. Nothing crazy.” A Christmas miracle?

Hey! That was fun. It was also great to be in touch again with Dave Oliveria. 

2.  Debbie, Diane T., and Linda L. and I had a hot time in the old town tonight -- well, late this afternoon and early evening. 

We started by having a drink at The Depot, formerly known as the Hill Street Depot. I hadn't been in The Depot for about two years, thanks to the pandemic and because The Depot was closed for a while for remodeling. The remodeled Depot no longer has a kitchen. It's a cozy bar. The atmosphere this afternoon was friendly, people in small knots of conversation and laughter. I enjoyed it a lot.

The Depot is open Wed-Sunday from 3-8 and I'd like to drop in there more often.

3.  Next stop: the Kellogg Elks Club for Friday night burgers. Those burgers are perfect for me. They are just the right size, not too big, and taste fresh. We saw other people at the Elks -- Jake and Carol Lee were in the house and so were Tim and Cindy. In fact, Cindy alerted me to the fact that DFO did, indeed, include my CdA driving story in his Huckleberries column. 

We ended our hot time on on the old town at The Inland Lounge. 

We joined Jake, Carol Lee, Tim, Cindy, Eileen, and DJ at a table and enjoyed the good vibes in The Lounge. It was a mellow evening. It's possible the cold temperatures and snow-packed streets kept people home -- hard to say. But size doesn't matter at The Lounge. We were in the company of cheerful people and had a great time. 

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