Summer 2016 Adventures

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Saturday morning

Maddie is freaked out by this suspension bridge over the Spokane River.
She ran across it and wouldn't hang out in the middle where the best view is.

But oddly, she's not afraid of dancing around and singing on top of a pointy, slippery, wet rock.

This is a thousands steps. A Spokane landmark .
In a creepy way.

After some donuts and river-viewing, Maddie and I hit the graveyard.

So apparently, this dude was an early Spokanite. He had a lot of firsts in Spokane: first guy to drive the first commissioned patrol wagon (not sure what the means); the first Spokane police photographer; and first Spokanite to categorize said photos (seems like an obvious thing to do, but he was the first); and the first guy to organize a Spokane Police Beneficial Association. No one (NO ONE) can argue persuasively that those are not super awesome firsts. But his most awesome first of all: "Officer Lewis was credited with being the first person in Spokane to throw a bowling ball in 1889...". Now that's rad.

Or is it?

Call me cynical, but the way that's phrased, with the, "was credited" part, kind of sheds some doubt on if he was *really* THE first guy to throw a bowling ball in Spokane. Where did the ball come from? Did he get it in the mail, take it out of the package, and throw it? Is it possible, for example, that maybe someone made the ball in Spokane and maybe tested it out before handing if off to Officer Lewis for the ceremonial first throw? Or perhaps the guys setting up the first official bowling event gave it a shot before Officer Lewis and his official party of accredited bowlers came along?

I don't want to take anything away from Officer Lewis. Actually., I do: this whole "was credited" business seems pretty cheesy. He's got the wagon and the photos and categorization of photos, and the Beneficial Association... but I'm thinking he's not really the guy that threw the first bowling ball in Spokane and that just adding that he "was credited" doesn't make it so.

It took some convincing to explain that Woodrow Wilson is probably not buried in Spokane.
And I'm pretty sure she's still not 100% convinced, cause, that's a big stone and it's in the rich part of the cemetery.