Monday, November 10, 2008

Laugh Free Situation

This weekend i found myself in the quaint town of Moscow Idaho (pronounced Moscoe), in case you were wondering. A co-worker and i headed out there early Friday to visit with a former co-worker and her hubby. I didn't really know what to expect once we got there. My only experience with any relation to Idaho was this trashy lass i met when living on the east coast, Jenny Idaho. She was indeed. . .a hoe. I don't throw that word around loosely so you know i really mean it. On with the meat (ironic choice of words seeing as we were visiting veggies).

We rolled into Moscow after a pretty uneventful 6 hour ride. We had stopped off in Walla Walla Washington for a quick lunch. My co-pilot and i walked into what looked like a classy coffee shop/cafe. Once we were seated we found the atmosphere to be more like a feline serving Chinese restaurant than a coffee shop. The place was strange to say the least. As you entered the joint you were welcomed by a nicely appointed, wood floored coffee shop. As we ventured further back. . .the place got worse. It went from coffee shop, to low brown diner, to feline serving Chinese family restaurant. The food matched the decor. I opted for a bowl of "Boston Clam Chowder," which was more like heated clam sauce in a bowl with corn, and the ever-so heart healthy BLT. I must give credit where credit is due. . .the BLT wasn't bad but then again. . .who can screw up a BLT? I'll leave out the drink confusion that took place between the waitress and i.

Just one of the delicous items available at the coffee shop.

After an impromptu tour of downtown Moscow we briefly met up with Stacie and Austin before they had to leave for their concert in Spokane. Left to our own devices Kristie and i ventured back into downtown Moscow for libations, food and entertainment. We found ourselves at a place called Mingles. Mingles is a billiards joint that just so happened to be filled with an assortment of other gems. One of these said gems was the untouched shuffleboard table tucked away in a dark corner. I seem to have a nose for shuffleboard like an old person does for pancake breakfasts. We got ourselves some pucks and started chucking away. The table was long and concaved, which made us look a lot better than we are. We even caught the attention of an older gentleman (probably looking for a pancake breakfast) walking past the bar. After a few beverages it was unclear as to who was the victor, in the end it didn't really matter. Another morsel of pleasure Mingles offered was the 60 inch big screen tv, featuring, not basketball or football but fishing. They didn't have just any ol' fishing on display, they were showing cat fishing. Only the finest for our viewing pleasure. The last and quite possibly the finest gem found at Mingles was in the bathroom. Now. . .everyone would expect a condom dispenser in the bathroom, that's common place in a spot like Mingles. But Mingles took class to a whole new level. They had a fragrance machine in the bathroom, with "Brut "like fragrance," Jovan Musk Oil "like fragrance," and of course, not to be left out. . .Aramis "like fragrance." We desperately wanted to take a video of me saucing it up but waited too long and the bathroom got filled with sausage. Apparently the women's room sported a similar feature, only different "like fragrances."

We left Mingles in search for greener pastures but found ourselves wandering around downtown Moscow, taking pictures of storefronts and talking to the local "beat" cops about sticky buns and delis. As the night drew to a close, at 9pm because we're old, it was back to the truck. This trip i was particularly blessed. Instead of sleeping on the side of the road or in a dark parking lot, i had a room with a bed. Life was good.

A shot of the Mingles logo on the shuffle board.
Somebody decided to dump their wine on the table.
And then tried to suck it up with a straw.
and when the head rush got to be too powerful. . .we went for the gutter method of collection.
Here is the stink box from the men's room. I really like the rust in the Jovan Musk Oil "like fragrance" jet.

Saturday we woke up to drizzle and heavy fog. After a delicious breakfast feast we hopped in the car and headed up to Step Toe Butte for a view of the Palousse. Late fall isn't the best time to view the Palousse but it was pretty impressive either way. I took a few pictures but justice was not done. Crappy light and poor skill kept the pictures from coming out as good as the view itself. The rest of Saturday was spent relaxing at home, manging on some tasty mac n' cheese and more relaxing. Sunday morning we headed out for breakfast on the town and people watching only to be foiled by parents weekend and long lines. The trip was nice and it was good to see Stacie and Austin. We we lucky enough to be around the weekend they discovered the sex of their child. I still didn't think the occasion warranted Stacie drinking all that whiskey and pop all those pills but who am i to judge?
A view of the Palousse from atop Step Toe Butte.
I stopped for a potty break along side of this grove of trees. The grove stretched for a few miles along the side of the highway. Each row seemed to be planted in a perfect line.

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