March Madness is here and the beautiful city of Spokane, famous for Hoopfest, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and the super-charged State B Basketball Tournament, is once again preparing to play host to basketball lovers from around the nation. 

Spokane basketball fans are buzzing with excitement because the Lilac City is home to the first two rounds of the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 19th. Although the Bulldogs usually play in the McCarthey Athletic Center, where the men’s basketball team has won an astounding 90% of their games, the NCAA Basketball Tournament games will be played at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

March comes in like a…bulldog?

Well, maybe not, but thanks to Coach Mark Few the former Cinderella team can’t call themselves underdogs anymore. Not just any coach, Few won the West Coast Conference Coach of the year six years in a row. Pretty good, for a guy who got his start in coaching college ball at the school he now leads. Under his unrivaled leadership, the basketball athletic program at…

Traditionally, in Spokane, March comes in like a lion, and we can’t wait to plan our vacation somewhere sunny and warm.

We spend the first few weeks in March wearing down jackets, scarves, and knit pom-pom ski hats dreaming of a vacation far away from cold Spokane. We wear our Sorell boots because we don’t know if we will be knee-deep in snow or knee-deep in mud by mid-afternoon. But March 2010 has proven to be anything but ordinary! This year, the sunshine and blue sky prevails over wind and winter. A light breeze on a Saturday morning becomes a warm, relaxing afternoon more suited to early June than early March. The kids are out in t-shirts and Capri pants soaking up the sun all day long. For once, Spokane seems like a great place for a vacation.This year, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinth can’t poke through the mulch fast enough, and the new growth on my roses provides a promise that this will be a great year for the garden.

Are…

A Great Neighbor

A lady I knew passed away this week.  Edna was a good friend of my mother where they were neighbors in a Spokane retirement home.  I didn’t know her very well but I know she had a big smile on her face whenever I saw her.  She was 92 years old and didn’t look a day over 80!  She looked happy– like someone who had lived a good life.  Edna passed away in her sleep.  We should all be so lucky.

Edna was one of the lucky ones.  I noticed her children and grandchildren came to visit her often. She appeared to have good health, was alert and active.  She was one of the few residents who walked unaided, without benefit  of a walker or wheelchair. Her hair was always done to perfection and her makeup applied with care.  Even her clothing was sylish and well put together.  She stood out as different amongst the other residents of the retirement home in Spokane.  She seemed young!

A Great Friend

Edna and my mother…