Spencer Jack & Jason Take Us Back To Spokane's Expo 74

FNJ and FNSJ (also known as Favorite Nephew Jason and Favorite Nephew Spencer Jack) ventured to Eastern Washington, again, this time to far east Washington, almost to west Idaho. 

Multiple photos arrived in my email inbox this morning documenting this roadtrip to the warmer side of Washington.

Explanatory text accompanying the photos...

FUD --

I'm pretty confident that you can guess the Washington State location that Spencer Jack and I drove to today.

Did you attend Expo '74? I'm thinking that you may have, given that you might have been living in Ellensburg at the time.

I did not, but I did travel out of the country to attend Expo '86.

Has Texas hosted a world exposition? Now that I think about it, Spencer Jack and I have 3 such sites within a half days driving distance from our home.

Hope you are staying cool, -FNJ & FNSJ

PS -- It was a perfect 80 degrees and sunshine today in Eastern Washington. I had Spencer take some photos of Snoqualmie Pass to share with you. I will send them to you.

 

Yes, I can tell Spencer Jack and Jason are in Spokane, at the site of Expo 74. That is the scenic Spokane River moving rapidly behind Spencer and Jason.

In the first photo, at the top, it appears Spencer and Jason are standing under the remains of the United States Pavilion. Or was it the Washington State Pavilion? I can't remember for sure. That pavilion was a fabric covered frame. After the Expo the fabric eventually disappeared, with the frame remaining.

I did go to Spokane's Expo 74. The theme of the Expo, if I remember right, was Energy. Or some such thing.

I remember my favorite pavilion was the Soviet Union one. It felt oppressive, just like the Soviet Union did, at that point in time. I remember sneaking in at the exit point, avoiding the long line. And a giant bust of Lenin being at the entry.

Yes, Texas has hosted a world exposition. Hemisfair 68, in San Antonio. A Space Needle like structure called Tower of the Americas remains.

I do not know if the site of the San Antonio World's Fair was turned into a lasting landmark, such as what happened in Seattle when the Century 21 site was turned into the Seattle Center, with many of the fair structures still standing, including the Space Needle, the Monorail, the Coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena), the Pacific Science Center, and more.

I enjoyed Vancouver's Expo 86 much more than the Spokane World's Fair. I went to Expo 86 twice.

Above is one of Spencer Jack's I-90 Snoqualmie Pass photos, showing the wildlife overpass which has been added since last I was at this location.

Earlier in the year I was fairly certain I would be driving by this location this coming July or August. But, that is not going to happen...

Lulu & the Golden Corral

My dear ol' friend, Lulu, up in Tacoma, has always had impeccably refined tastes when it comes to most things, especially food. She has the snout of a truffle sniffing pig when it comes to finding a random good place to eat when in some random town on a road trip.

Lulu is not snooty or pretentious when it comes to food stuff. It just has to be good. Over the years Lulu has become somewhat of a buffet aficionado. I've lost count of the number of buffets we've done in Vegas over the years. Usually 2 a day during a Vegas stay.

On our first group visit to Vegas, Lulu's first husband, Pulitzer winning photographer, Geff, dubbed us Buffet Sluts after one particularly spectacular stuffing at the original Luxor buffet, during which one member of our party had so overstuffed himself that he began to sweat profusely. That buffet has since gone to the basement in both meanings of that word. Soon after Geff labeled us Buffet Sluts he started one of his many Cool Site of the Day websites. It was about mountain bikiing. He called it Mudsluts. This has since become the term Pacific Northwest mountain bikers are known by.

This past weekend Lulu was in Spokane for something called The Farm Chick Antique Show. Lulu is a well-known Pacific Northwest antique artsy person. So, the Farm Chicks invited her to their show. You can see Lulu at the Farm Chicks Show by going to her blog.

Lulu blogged from the Farm Chick Show. In her first blog from the show she said something that shocked me, shocked me, I tell you, totally shocked me. When I read it I feared Lulu had had some sort of breakdown.

On the first night of the show, Lulu went out for dinner at a buffet. The Golden Corral. A franchise operation that is all over the country. I've been to the Golden Corral a few times. I don't care for it.

But, Lulu has declared the Golden Corral in Spokane to be the best buffet she has ever been to. In her blog she said it was last meal on earth worthy. When I talked to Lulu on the phone she waxed poetic about the Golden Corral's banana pudding with vanilla cookies. That overly sweet dessert is a staple here in the South. I'd not had it prior to my exile here.

Lulu told me she'd make the 500 mile roundtrip to Spokane just to eat again at the Golden Corral. She threatened to take me there when I'm up north this summer. I'd only agree to that if Lulu agreed to go to Leavenworth. Lulu has some very disturbing ideas about Leavenworth. Leavenworth is one of Washington's top tourist attractions. But its charms, for reasons unfathomable to me, are lost on Lulu. I've always liked Leavenworth.

Distorted thinking regarding Leavenworth, and now this Golden Corral thing. I am in fear of what else I'm going to be shocked by, via Lulu, when next I see her.