Ben Garnett/Grove/Stevens walking and an old man rant...

There are three ways down the the hill. None of them are great. My least favorite is to head down Bernard which turns into Grove and depending on which fork you take, Ben Garnett or Stevens. The sidewalks end or shrink down to inches. Cars bomb up the hill for fear of losing momentum I guess. It has really turned into a dump, as well.

I imagine that revelers speeding back home from partying Downtown toss their empties in this convenient location. You have to admit, it is more of an upscale detritus.

I love Spokane, obviously. The reason for this blog is to share with others what a great place Spokane is. So, this is hard for me to say. But, here goes:

Spokane has really become a more dirty, more rough town in the last year or so. If you only get around in a car, the only reason you may agree with me is that you read about the almost daily shootings in the paper. If you walk or ride a bike, you've seen it (and smelled it).

Howard Street Downtown used to be a favorite route for me, but its decline has been swift and undeniable. The map store now is a convenience/beer store with the colorful characters that come with such an enterprise. Spokane Shaver? RIP. The Blue Spark's clientele now look like they just came from the Mayfair. Youthful panhandlers are now full-on and some of them are delving into the pedestrian hassling biz, just for kicks. Closer to the park, things are still OK. Boo Radley's, Atticus, Mizuna and The Steelhead are still holding the line. 

The Paulson Building has a used clothing store on the main floor. I like used clothing stores, a lot. Just never thought I would see one anchoring the Paulson Building.

Been spit on (albeit accidentally) by a youth who was practicing spitting in front of Riverpark Square.  This is a skill which apparently young Spokanites take a lot of pride in. Downtown is where one showcases this talent.

Shooting, stabbings, shit your pants, blah, blah, blah, every day. It is only February, folks. Summer is usually when things really get going in Spokane. When it heats up, hold onto your hats!

Does anyone have any idea of what has happened to our town? I think the obvious answer is that I have become a cranky old man.

What I have been doing

No ice fishing, lots of running, some union stuff, biking to work, working, and crocheting Daphne some bling.

Keeping summer going...

These next couple months, if I were wealthy, would be the months I would point the private jet south and vacate Spokane. It's that late-winter/early-spring weather and lack of light that seem to kick me in the head every year. A few years ago, I built the sauna to help out during this time, and it's been nice. This year, I tried some new tactics and techniques.  They seem to have really made a difference. Here's a product that I would recommend.

The Philips wake-up light is a $75 gizmo that, according to perhaps apocryphal Internet reviews, does as good a job as expensive light therapy lamps to combat the winter onslaught. The concept is fairly simple. If you want to get up at 6 a.m., the light starts to come on at 5:30 and gradually increases to full illumination at 6. Then the light stays on, and you have a traditional alarm,  radio or the sound of chirping birds. I opt for the chirping birds.

After I bought this, I realized I probably should have consulted Sarah first. But, as luck would have it, she had been thinking of us getting one as well.

The light inside the dome is halogen. I have been slowly getting us switched over to LEDs, all over the house. However, the halogen light seems to have a sunshine like quality to it - a very warm color. So, no plans to swap it out.

I can say that this winter I seem to have more energy and a better outlook compared to other years. Sarah says she feels the same way. Placebo effect? Maybe. I'll take it.

Ice and fire

The fish weren't biting this morning.

Happy fishing on Saturday.

Sarah and I went Ice fishing on Eloika Lake, Saturday. We caught some bass and perch.

Beautiful sunny skies.

The ice was interesting in spots - thin with slush underneath and then thicker below. Probably about 7 inches when it all froze up later in the day.

A bald eagle soared on past our fishing spot. A Fish and wildlife officer told us there is a quarry nearby where they dump roadkill. The eagles eat so much they can't fly. Sounds like an Elk, WA version of Coeur d'alene.

A guy was doing touch and gos on Eloika, in an airplane sporting skis. Not something you see too much of around here.

I am going to get out on the ice as much as possible this winter. Yes sir.

Trade Winds Demise?

If they tear down the Trade Winds, I will be a little sad. I always pictured this as a swank place in its day. What it became of in its later years was nothing short of a dystopic setting for a future world - Thunderdome, Waterworld, Planet of the Apes, Oz. And that was cool too.

It would be neat to see it revived. Maybe a Mister Uke-athon benefit to bring the leis back to 3rd Ave.? In the meantime, there is this. 

Shirts are no longer available on the website, but contacting Mr. Santini directly may render some results. 

Liberty Park Ruins Today

No the park didn't ruin today. I saw the ruins today. I won't be sawing them. Never mind.

Cool runnings yesterday

 

An icy run as usual. Been running more to work than riding. Mostly, I use the Due North cleats, If the snow is real deep, then I will switch over to Yaktrax.

When you are dressed warm, have good traction, and have an interesting podcast to listen to, there is no better form of winter transportation. Nobody has had to push me up a hill, yet. 

Cool WWU X-Country Recruiting Video

I can see why Ike likes running there!

Watch more video of 2012 Cross Country Season on Flotrack on flotrack.org

Sauna view this morning

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sled parts

As seen on my run home from work this morning. Manito sledding has been a little rough this year. Had a kid as a patient yesterday who really hurt himself.

Stay out of the trees. Wear a helmet. And recycle.

Games

And the funny thing is that it's really hard to get anyone to play any games at our house. We did play Settlers on Christmas.

Merry Christmas Spokanites!

Some more Christmas cross-eyed 3D fun taken this morning. Click picture to make bigger. Instructions on how to do this are here.

Once you click on the first one, you should be able to right arrow through the rest. Merry Christmas!

First really good snow ride of the season!

Stayed mostly on the shoulder where the snow was deeper. When I first stepped outside, I found the street slippery enough. On the bike, I didn't slip much at all, even in really icy spots. In some stretches there were tracks that make me think a Pugsley had just gone through.

It was that perfect time where the ruts hadn't frozen and you didn't have to pick your line too much, just peddle and enjoy the snow.

Gaiser Conservatory Holiday 3D Spectacular.

You know how to do this, right? OK, here's how it works, Click the picture you want to see and then when it comes up, stare at it. Cross your eyes until you create a third picture in the middle of the two.  That's the 3D one. 

Gaiser Conservatory Christmas Lights

Best after dark.

I really like the smell of this place. Humid, hot, nice. 

More info here. 

Click on the picture to make bigger. 

Soon-to-be-closed Engine 9 first in at neighbor's fire...

Too bad E-9's crew was in a spare rig this morning and not their regular engine.

There has been an Engine 9 for over a hundred years serving Spokane's South Hill. Hopefully, the last fire put out by Engine 9's crew, before the city council shuts it down in a couple of weeks, will be in the real Engine 9!

How does Spokane's fire service value stack up against its closest comparable?

And again, this underscores why firefighters take the big trucks to medical calls.

Cliff Park

We live in the middle of some great parks. I usually pass through Cannon Hill and Manito on my way to work. When I'm just walking around, these are a usual destination.

I hardly ever go down to Cliff. Walking around doing errands yesterday, I visited Cliff Park. Beautiful on a warm December day.






Somewhere, I read that Cliff is the highest point in Spokane. New stairs make access to this height very easy.

The view up there was probably pretty amazing a century ago before trees grew up and around it. It looks like there are observation telescope mountings remaining along the rock wall on top.

The trees around it focus your view more on the sky above. And on top of the cliff, you feel a little closer to it.

Why does a big fire truck go on medical calls?

This is a question that I get asked a lot. You can see from the photo above, and if you do a Google search of "fire trucks, engines, paramedics. etc.," the norm is that firefighters use fire engines and ladder trucks to deliver emergency medical services. The photo above is featured on this website.

Why is this the norm?

Quite simply, firefighters have to be prepared, no matter where they are, no matter what they may be doing - building surveys, fireworks patrol, training, etc.  - to respond to any type of emergency. These emergencies include house fires, heart attacks, auto accidents, hazmats, garage fires, strokes, entrapments, car fires, deaths, apartment fires, stabbings, heroin overdoses, people getting run over, shootings, etc.

So, firefighters take the fire engine or ladder truck with the pump, the hoses, the ladders, the nozzles, the breathing apparatus, the cutting tools, the axes, the chainsaws, the defibrillator, the medications, the oxygen, and the all their protective gear with them wherever they go.

If a fire call comes in and they are on a medical call and the patient is OK, or the ambulance shows up, if they are returning to the station from a medical call, if they are on their way to a medical call and they see smoke billowing out of a home, if they are picking up medical supplies from the hospital, they can respond immediately because they are already with, or in, a fire engine or ladder truck. Likewise, if they are at a fire, because they have medical gear on their fire apparatus, they can perform emergency medical services for a fire victim immediately.

All of this saves time. Time is the enemy for firefighters - whether they are in their EMT role helping a stroke or heart attack patient or whether they are acting in their fire suppression role in the early stages of an exponentially expanding apartment fire.

If you have a scanner and were listening to the recent Lincoln Terrace apartment fire, you would have heard fire companies, from all across the city, clear from the medical calls they were on ASAP and proceed directly to the fire. They didn't have to drive back to the station and get "the big fire truck." Today, you can walk by the scene of this fire on 7th and Lincoln, and see what could have happened, if the response had not been timely. With homes and apartments, uphill and right against the apartment complex, the fire would have spread quickly and pretty far into the neighborhood.

To me, and probably to you, this concept seems like a simple thing to explain to others.

If you ever get asked why firefighters take the big trucks on medical emergencies by a friend or neighbor, would you please let them know? Thanks!

A tale of two cities...

A friend referred me to an article about the budget woes of Tacoma and their fire department. I dug a little deeper and thought you may want to know how the budgets of your Spokane Fire Department stack up against Tacoma's. Also, what is the call volume like in comparison and some other numbers for your perusal:

Fun Facts!  A TALE OF TWO CITIES!

2012 Tacoma daily staffing - 74
2012 Spokane daily staffing - 59
2011 Tacoma run volume - 25,000
2011 Spokane run volume - 30,000+
2012 Tacoma Fire Dept budget - $131 million
2012 Spokane Fire Dept budget - $43 million (35 general fund, 8 EMS levy)
2006-2010 Tacoma median household income - $47,862
2006-2010 Spokane median household income -  $40,367
2010 Tacoma population - 198,397
2010 Spokane population - 208,916

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/11/10/2362852/tacoma-fire-budget-would-close.html
http://www.spokanecity.org/_documents/articles/2012/06/25/2012-Budget-Brochure.pdf
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53/5370000.html
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/53/5367000.html