Spokane

My Spokane trip was very relaxing, and very fun! I flew out Friday morning, and thankfully it was a direct flight. I have never ridden on such a small plane before, not that it was a tiny plane. The flight was uneventful, and I had my iPod to keep me company. Luckily the plane was pretty empty, so if I had wanted to I could have taken a little nap. The landing went smoothly. I made sure to only take a carry on, so I was able to head directly to the car rental area and head out.
I had an appointment a few hours after landing, so I had enough time to put my stuff away and visit for about an hour before heading out. The first thing I encountered was Jade, my friends' sweet dog. She loves everybody and wants to give love and get lots of petting. She was trying to be good and very patient for me to come down to her and pet her. But her tail could have taken somebody out, and she was whining the whole time because she was so excited. My friends are married with two adorable children. Cam was home and Mer was at work, so I visited with Cam and watched the kids somewhat acknowledge my presence. They've gotten SO BIG since the last time I saw them. The oldest barely recognized me, and it had been less than a year since I had seen him last.
My appointment was at a hospital museum, an institution that I had written a grant for during the summer semester in my preservation class. I got to meet the contact, who is a very nice lady, and she showed me around the grounds. I got to see where the new museum would eventually be. as well as where the collection is currently housed. I have never been to a hospital museum before and had no idea what to expect. There are about five rooms of items, and it could probably use another room to better spread stuff out. The stuff that was in the museum was amazing. There is a Japanese scroll that tells the story of the building of a sister hospital in Japan, old equipment that is no longer being used, items made by patients, items confiscated from patients. It's a great collection, and if anybody is interested in seeing it, I can put you in contact with the person in charge of the collection. The location of the hospital is very peaceful and picturesque. Living in a highly populated area, I forget that you can see animals in more nature locations. While walking from the new museum location to the old museum location we saw a doe with two of her calves (fawns?). I think I was more surprised than they were.
The rest of my visit was pretty much relaxing with my friends. We had bad Chinese food, good sushi, lots of ice cream, and lots of talking. I've missed seeing my best friends. I've lived with them on two separate occasions, and it's been weird not to see them so much. The first time was a summer with Mer, the second time was for a week in between moving from Logan to the Salt Lake Valley. We talked about everything and anything. It's weird to think that other than high school, these guys are some of my oldest friends that I still keep in touch with. I introduced them to John Pinette and the Bill Cosby Himself monologues. I became a buddy to their kids again. I bought their love with play time and fun, and the almost the entire time I was there they wanted me to come do something or tell me something. They're adorable kids.
The last day I was there we went exploring. We went to a park in Spokane that was like a mini fair ground. It was both fun and frustrating. Some of the rides scared the kids, it took some coaxing to get them to at least try them, but it was still a good time. We got to see some waterfalls, ride a carousel over 100 years old, and lots of pictures were taken. Unfortunately none of them were with my camera, so I can't post any pictures.
It made me sad to head back home after so many good times. But, now that I know that it's affordable and doable, I will probably be going out to visit more often. I'm excited for their future, and hope mine will be just as promising.