Out for a Stroll

I've found that there are many benefits to living in a city in which things happen. Not to knock on good ole Yakima but... not much going on for those under the age of 21.  Spokane on the other hand, has a few things going for it.

Last week: Pig Out in the Park. This week: Manito Park.

Reina and I decided to go to the park today and enjoy the last big of warmth before the Spokane winter brings hibernation upon us. Lucky for us, the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Probably in the high 80s. A little warm in the direct sun but absolutely perfect in the shade. And what a coincidence, Manito has TONS of shade!

Being the walkers that we are we strolled through the park simply enjoying the flowers, the weather, and the quiet of the park. At least it was quiet before we walked through.

One of the many beautiful things about this park is how exciting it is if you're not super familiar with it. Having gone to Manito only a handful of times Reina and I haven't even come close to walking through all of it. So, much to our surprise we turned the corner of the walking path and were surprised to find this awesome bridge-tunnel thinger!

It was at about this moment in which we (by we I mean Reina) remembered that I had packed my camera for an event such as this.  So it wasn't long before it was out of my pack and focused on Reina.

What I wish I had taken a picture of was all of the "cave drawings" that people had come along and painted with ample amounts of sidewalk chalk. It looked pretty convincing in all reality. A full scene of mighty hunters chasing something along the lines of a four legged animal.

Let's not get too side tracked thought.  It just wouldn't be a true Connor/Reina adventure if there wasn't food involved somehow. It just so happens to be, that yesterday while Reina was getting her haircut she stumbled upon an article in a Spokane magazine showcasing a little place called The Park Bench Cafe in lovely Manito Park.  And so, while we were out for a bit of fresh air, we decided that we would find this little cafe and try out some of it's tasty lunch-time items!


Unfortunately for us and our appetites however, we didn't know exactly where in the park it was. In our defense - Manito is a large park - extremely large if you're from Yakima. We thought we'd be polite social creatures and ask a group of people for directions.

The lady with (we think) her daughter and grandchildren kindly gave us exact directions. We thanked her graciously and headed on our way down the way she had directed. After leaving we cracked a joke about how not funny it would be if she had given us wrong directions.

... Shouldn't have cracked that joke. That lady's directions turned out to exactly how not to get to the cafe.  Oh well we said, things like this happen all the time. Fortune smiled on us and we found ourselves in front of a man dragging some hoses and wearing a shirt that said "Manito Park" on the chest. Obviously a park worker will know his way around the park.  Simple solution: ask the park worker how to navigate the park to get to the park cafe.

Wrong.

I don't know, maybe we're terrible at following directions or we just attract the "wouldn't it be funny if we gave them wrong directions" type of people. Either way, two times asking for directions later we were no closer to finding our way to the cafe. In fact, we were closer to being back to my Jeep than anything.

It seemed like there was no other solution at this point than to turn to my trusty (kinda) Smartphone GPS powered by Google Maps.

To make a long story even longer, the GPS lied to us at first not knowing our exact position. Frustrated at having this always happening to me I decided to not trust the GPS anymore.

Big mistake. Should have trusted the GPS despite it's betrayal of any sane form of directional knowledge.

Finally with the cafe in sight we stopped for a quick picture and a kiss in the lovely but not currently blooming Lilac Garden before hitting the homestretch.

Let me tell you this. It was worth the effort. As a man, I know it's not exactly rocket science to make a decent sandwich. It is however an art to make an amazing one.

The people working at The Park Bench Cafe are like the Da Vinci's of the plain old deli sandwich. Who knew that turkey, ham, roast beef, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a little bit of mayo could stop two people in the tracks and admire the beauty of the world surrounding them.

Okay, in all honesty it was probably way we were positioned on old style park benches (the ones where the benches are separate from the table and have bench backs) between the beautiful park and the arguably as beautiful residential area of the South Hill with squirrels and birds running around that made us enjoy ourselves so much. But that sandwich was pretty stinkin' good too!

Overall and incredibly perfect day and yet another reason I like Spokane so much.

I hope that all of you take the time to get out and take a stroll through a park close-by. You'll be amazed at what it does to your high blood pressure:)

God bless,

Connor

p.s. Go Spokane Parks and Rec. for spending a decent amount of your more than decent budget helping the environment. I found this biodegradable cups to be pretty awesome:)