Spokane, WA

On July 19th we loaded up two vehicles and headed to Jump Off Joe Lake. It is above Loon Lake and about 37 miles North of Spokane along highway 395. We should have taken the boat but my son in law wanted to check it out before hauling the boat along.

walking on the Centennial Trail at the Military Cemetery entrance. This can be reach from Government Way at mile marker 28. For us, we went past Spokane Falls Community College and turned right on Government Way and approximately 2 miles later you will see a sign for the Military Cemetery

When the weather is pleasant and not too hot, Riverfront Park is a great place to go for a walk, enjoy the scenery and have some fun. Some friends and I recently went for a stroll in the park on a Sunday afternoon. We were actually trying to simultaneously pass time and enjoy the weather and our walk did just that. We started our walk near the carousel and new fountain. We made our way northward across the bridge that crossed the Spokane River. Standing on the bridge facing up the river gave us a beautiful view of the park’s famous clock tower.

Finch Arboretum is located on Sunset Drive, just west of Spokane’s Browne’s Addition. As you go up the hill away from downtown, watch for the signs on your left. Finch is a great place to hang, but if you’re alone, bring an mp3 player, because the only problem with Finch is that you can hear the freeway, though you can’t really see it that much.

Heading out early to the South Hill’s Lincoln Park this morning, with dog and kids alike, tongues hanging out, eager with expectation, the sweet, cool air promised yet another magical summer day to come and reminded me that the early mornings of summer definitely top my list of “the closest things to heaven on earth.”

We took our cold drinks and limped sorely to the car, and drove west to High Drive. Along the drive there is ample parking on the west side of the road. We parked the car and limped our way down to the trail just over the hillside. We never got very far, but we had already done our exercise for the day. We were happy just to watch those who were jogging and walking their dogs, and wander around the trail, taking in the breathtaking view of a misty Latah Valley. The surrounding hills were beginning to swallow the valley in shadows, darkening the hues of green. The friends from out of town were impressed with the view, made perfect by a train gracefully making its way across the valley. We watched golfers enjoying the end of their round at Qualchan Golf Course below.

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.

Green Bluff had their annual strawberry festival this year on the last weekend on June and the first weekend of July. Strawberries are my favorite fruit, but unfortunately I was unable to attend the festival on either weekend. The only chance my husband and I had to go up there was on a weekday evening and fortunately we found a grower that was open until 7pm on most weekdays- Knapp’s. We have been to this grower before to pick raspberries, so we figured it would be a good place to pick some strawberries as well.

I have always admired the Spokane Falls from the street but as I was driving one day on Monroe Street I noticed a sign that said “Spokane Falls View Points”. I had some downtown shopping to do so I forwent their parking which is found near Bridge Street and used the parking garage at Riverpark [...]

My husband and I are big fans of Cold Stone Creamery’s Birthday club- where you sign up on their website and get a coupon for a free ice cream treat on your birthday. My husband’s birthday was last week and his birthday coupon was about to expire so we decided to go redeem it before it was too late. The closest Cold Stone Creamery to us is located on 29th Ave between Freya and Regal on the South Hill (The address is 3011 E 29th Avenue).

Aside from having delicio