Spokane, WA

My wife and I haven’t spent much time with our friends Dave and Abby since they got married and moved to Coeur d’ Alene, so when they come into Spokane and give us a call, we make it a priority to get together. Whenever Dave, Abby, Autumn and I hang out, there’s lots of laughter and good conversation. This time, we decided to meet for lunch at the Park Bench Cafe, and then spend the afternoon enjoying Manito Park.

When we arrived, Autumn and I were starving, so we decided to give the Park Bench’s sandwiches a try. We’re vegetarians (she has been since age 7, I’m a more recent convert), so we had to ask for a special sandwich with veggies only, though egg salad was also available. We sat in the shade at one of the picnic tables and enjoyed our lunch, while Dave and Abby sipped coffee drinks and smoothies. The beverages were great, but the food wasn’t anything special, especially for the prices they charge. Even so, the atmosphere was just great, with people from the neighborhood and park visitors milling around enjoying themselves. There’s no place we would have rather been than catching up with old friends on a sunny afternoon at the Park Bench. Then, things started getting out of control.

When I say “getting out of control,” I mean acorn bits began falling on us from above, nearly every five seconds. Though the trees are so thick you can’t see the top of the canopy, I am convinced we were the victims of an evil squirrel conspiracy to pelt us with bits of acorn while we were trying to eat. We laughed about it, and finished our lunch, moving away from the Park Bench. But I wasn’t finished being the victim of flying objects. While I was taking a snapshot of the cafe, a van drove by and splashed a huge pothole full of sprinkler water all over my clothes. Luckily, it was hot and sunny, and the water was clean enough not to stain.

Also at the Park Bench, a friendly man was selling his unique art, made from hand tearing paper. He tears holes in the paper in order to form images that show through from a white background. He informed me that he has been selling these at the Park Bench Cafe for over thirty years. It’s this sort of unique experience you can expect to have at Manito Park.

The remainder of the afternoon was less eventful, but in a good way. Our goal was to sit in the sun, surrounded by Manito Park’s beautiful trees, and read and talk. Dave and I threw a Frisbee around a bit, and later everyone bumped a volleyball, but mostly, we just enjoyed the beautiful weather, talked, and did some reading. Manito, with its giant old trees, beautiful flower gardens, and ponds full of ducks, is a great place to go any time the weather is nice.