Aunt Virgie and Uncle Harry

Yesterday morning, we went over to Mom's to say goodbye and to pick up Grace. We headed out from Mom's about 11 a.m. We took Idaho SR 6, the back way through Potlatch and Emida. We drove through Potlatch, Princeton, and Harvard, (very) small towns that I hung out in during high school. When we got to Emida, I drove around the town, looking at the homes where my uncles and grandpa used to live. Without putting too fine a point on it, the zoning ordinances in Emida are different than the zoning in Wheaton.

Aunt Virgie and Uncle Harry live a couple of miles outside of St Maries, Idaho. My cousin, Jeannie and her husband John were also over. Aunt Virgie is probably one of the world's greatest cooks. She turns potato salad into a world class dish. I know this, because she makes the world's greatest potato salad. She also makes a mean cole slaw. Fried chicken, ham, baked beans, corn relish, and pickles finished off the main course. John and Jeannie brought some orange rolls, which were festive, and easy to consume.

Aunt Virgie doesn't believe in any half-measures, so she had fixed three desserts, just to make sure that we didn't fly home hungry: chocolate pie, rhubarb crisp with ice cream, and mincemeat bars. They all have their merits, and I had a couple of servings of each, but the rhubarb, I think, slightly edged out the other two on the ultimate satisfaction index, although other diners present might disagree.

We did lots of talking about the kids, and segued into stories. Harry brought some snow pictures of this winter. They had more snow this winter than any other winter. One of the ski lodges nearby is still open on weekends. Spring has been very late this year. From winter, the conversation shifted to Alaska and fishing. More pictures and more stories. Uncle Harry uses a cane, now, and Aunt Virgie is slowing down a bit, too. It's always a joy to visit them and Jeannie and John. I'm happy we were able to see them.

We headed out around 5 p.m. for Spokane, taking the back roads through Rockford and Opportunity. We're staying at the Ramada Inn at the airport. Grace is already flying home to Chicago, and we'll be heading out in a couple of hours.