Tag: herman

Spokane, A July Adventure: Dinner at Luigi’s

Sunday, July 9

We were hungry, it had been mentioned by Texas Dr. Gary, and it was close at hand (we were still afoot), so we headed for Italian dining at Luigi’s, a block from the riverfront.  As soon as we entered, I knew we had made the right choice as a large poster greeted us of the Ruth Orkin image of “An American Girl in Italy”, a legendary photograph made in 1951 and discussed back in 2011 on my HHR photoblog.    Luigi staff were conversant about the image and eager to discuss the backstory, too.

Our waiter, Kristoffer, provided useful intelligence on Washington wines (and led Herman to procure and pack a couple of bottles for his flight home).  A good time was had by all, but we had to tote uneaten excess back to our room.

[rDay Eight-Hundred-Thirty-Seven]

Spokane, A July Adventure: Getting There & Looking Around

Sunday, July 9

Never had been in Spokane before.  Grabbed a few views while driving around seeking the hotel and getting a bit of the lay of the land.  Stretched our legs walking around a few blocks as evening approached, with Herman striking up conversations at almost every step.  Two Spokane residents impart some tips and intelligence on the local scene.

When we went to the hotel for check-in, I was sidetracked — still belted in and doing “windshield photography” —  by, of all things, birds flying about around the hotel entrance.

Of course, there were the cars.  Rather disconcerting to see such an unusual proportion of cars representing the Porsche marque, seemingly everywhere.  We spotted a small group on a side street, polishing and fussing with their cars, so we stopped to talk.  Turned out to be a five-Porsche family from Texas, a surgeon named Gary with his 2014 Cayman, his orthopedic surgeon daughter with a mid-80s 911 SC Targa, and the others just driving off — they had convoyed all their cars from San Antonio and Austin.  Then we encountered a gentleman from Orange County who was hosing off his travel dust from his late model Cabriolet, very similar except in color to the one Herman left behind in Kansas City.  And on and on.

Now, having been in town less than a couple of hours, it is time for Sunday dinner.

[rDay Eight-Hundred-Thirty-Seven]

Spokane, A July Adventure: On The Way

Herm flies in to Boise from Kansas City, then drives a rental Chevy Cruze in the dead of the night, landing in LaG City, where I meet him on Sunday to flee north.  We take a slight detour and travel Old Hwy 30, then cruise through the Indian reservation on the edge of Pendleton, and then hit the freeway to the Tri-Cities, with a stop in Kennewick for lunch.

And here is a pano of one of my favorite Old Hwy 30 curves, high above the valley. This is a “secret” route that my Porsche friends, Kevin and CJ, like to traverse briskly with our cars. (Depending on how you are viewing this post, you may or may not be able to see the full resolution — the original panoramic that this is based on has dimensions of 100 inches wide — that’
s over 8 feet, you know — and 18 inches high; available upon request) but this scaled down version should be expandable to at least 24 inches by 4 inches.)  Yes, Herman is jealous of our driving roads, saying that the like is almost nonexistent for the times he wants to “exercise” his Porsche.

Spokane, A July Adventure: Introduction

Herman — I think you have met him before, like here — is a long-time friend I first met when we attended college together in Warrensburg, Missouri in the early 1960s. Although I can’t seem to locate any relevant pics I made from that period, I do have this scanned image (that I converted to B&W from the fading Kodachrome original) he sent me from Paris in 1964 (on the trip I was supposed to join as well, but … well, that’s another story):

But I was able to quickly lay my hands on a couple of shots made when I spent some saloon time with him (where? Kansas City?) in 1974.

 

So, back to the current adventure. The destination was Spokane, WA, because we had decided to attend the annual Porsche Parade, sponsored by the Porsche Club of America. To learn more, take a look at the previously-published epilogue for this series,

The Spokane Adventure: “Two Pretty Girls”

That’s enough for now. Stay tuned for a day-by-day, maybe even more granular, account in this series.