Wednesday, June 11, 2025

Three Beautiful Things 06-10-2025: Blood Draw and Chocolate Croissant, Jess Walter at Gonzaga, YOLO! Loaded Burger at Capone's

 1. Several days ago, as I looked ahead to June 10th, I thought I'd go to Kootenai Health, submit to my weekly blood draw (which today the transplant team changed to once every two weeks), and drive to Spokane and do some wandering around until I attended the Jess Walter night, put on at Gonzaga University by Northwest Passages, the Spokesman Review's ongoing series of on stage conversations with Pacific Northwest writers. 

Then came the heat dome. 

I couldn't wander around Riverfront Park and other spots in today's heat. 

So, I had my blood drawn, broke my fast with a mighty delicious chocolate croissant and latte at the Big Blue Coffee Co. They serve coffee drinks, pastries, and other delights just outside the lab.

As it turned out, I'd had a restless night before driving to CdA, so, once back in Kellogg, I rested, napped, and only left the house once to pick up bagels at Beach Bum Bakery.

I wouldn't have had the stamina to wander Spokane, heat or no heat. 

2.  Around 5:45, I arrived easily at Gonzaga's Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center and checked in.  

Tonight's event launched the public release of Jess Walter's latest book, So Far Gone

My ticket included a signed copy of the book and a free drink token, so I picked up the book and ordered a crisp and refreshing bottle of Heineken 0.0% alcohol beer. 

The program was superb, brilliantly conceived and carried out. 

Rather than follow the usual procedure of having one person interview Jess Walter, tonight's program featured Spokane's mayor (Lisa Brown), WSU's basketball coach (David Riley) and a wonderful lineup of Jess Walter's writing colleagues appearing one by one, either on stage or by video tape, to each ask Walter an interview question. Among writers who asked questions were Sharma Shields, Cindy Hval, Shawn Vestal, Leyna Krow, Timothy Egan, a funny and startling video appearance by Erik Estrada, Craig Johnson, Matthew Sullivan, and several others. 

Jess Walter's graciousness and his stimulating, open, generous, very intelligent, kind, funny, and eloquent answers to the questions deeply impressed me, making this evening, coupled with the Northwest Passages event I attended in April featuring Leah Sottile, two of the finest book related programs I've ever attended. 

If you go to YouTube and search for Northwest Passages, you'll discover a trove of past Northwest Passages programs, including the Sept. 8, 2024 presentation featuring KHS Class of 72 author Kenton Bird discussing his and John Pierce's book, Tom Foley: The Man in the Middle.   

3.As I left Spokane,  I hadn't eaten since having another Sloppy Joe wrap early in the afternoon, and as I neared Coeur d'Alene I decided for old time's sake to stop in at Capone's in Midtown.

I enjoyed another 0.0% alcohol bottle of Heineken and ordered a loaded hamburger packed with Swiss cheese, bacon, grilled mushrooms, grilled mushrooms, tomato, dill pickle, and red onion. 

I should never have eaten such a loaded sandwich around 9:30, but I figured YOLO! 

I'll enjoy this gluttony now and hope against hope that it doesn't keep me up all night. 

Turns out I only woke up a couple of times with a little intestinal unrest, but, on the whole I slept fine and got away with eating not wisely, but well. 



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