Mosaic Monday #32 - Rain Drop Dancing

A visit to Spokane is not complete without a walk along the Spokane River, so that is how we began Day Two of our mini-vacation (see Day One).  Throughout our visit, I was very impressed with the trail system and its landscaping.  These are pleasant, green spaces that belie the fact you are in the middle of a bustling city.

Our meandering had an objective - the Davenport Hotel for his and her massages.  And didn't I direct us to the wrong hotel?  Spokane boasts 4 hotels that bear the name Davenport, and I mistakenly thought the Davenport Grand housed the spa.  We should have been at the Historic Davenport Hotel.  Good thing we had plenty of time - even with a speed walk covering 7 blocks, we still had an opportunity to enjoy a glass of champagne before the spa service.

When we emerged from the hotel, we found rain had begun to fall, scuppering our plans for a thorough walk around downtown.  Based on my past work-related visits to town, I knew it was only a few blocks to the indoor Mall, so we set that as our new destination.  It was serendipity that we snagged a table on the "bridge" of the Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar, with a three-story high view of the street outside and the atrium of the mall.  And the dishes we chose were an unexpected delight for the taste buds.

Upper right: Buffalo Chicken with Gorgonzola Grits

Lower right: Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Left: The Festival lured us to town for this particular weekend

By the end of our meal, the rain had eased and we decided to explore river-side Huntington Park.  Again, the layout of the Park next to the Falls struck me - simple lines with gorgeous plants, sculptures and seating spaces.  It was outdone only by the Falls - if you watch the video below, you will see the Park and the Falls, deafening throughout.

For thousands of years, tribal families gathered at "Fast Water" to

fish for salmon.

My blogging buddy Kit at A Montana Life raves about several of her favorite spots in Spokane, and we took her advice and visited Boo Radleys, Atticus for cake and coffee, and then Auntie's Bookstore.  It was all I could do to resist buying a dozen cute items in Atticus, from home décor to nifty coffee mugs to cards and books.  We held ourselves to a bag of coffee - you can never have too much black gold!

At the book store, we inquired about outside seating, with an adult beverage in mind.  One recommendation was Zola, and I was sold as soon as it came into view since it had a patio and umbrellas - I like to absorb the sun, but Spousal Unit prefers the shade.  I couldn't resist jumping up to take pictures of this VW bus parked across the street.  It was then that I noticed the dark clouds gathering to the east.  We strolled the remaining blocks to our hotel, and just in time - the heavens opened!  On the news that night they reported streets flooded in close proximity to Zola.

The next morning, the rain continued, and we seized the opportunity to have a relaxing morning in the hotel.  The desk in the room looked out over the river, and the space had ample light to engage in some drawing and stitching.  Then it was off to the Flour Mill across town, which beckoned with its promise of specialty shops, and the Ethiopian restaurant we found there was a pleasant surprise.  (Not to mention some truffles from Chocolate Apothecary.)  We had time to squeeze in an afternoon movie before meeting one of my former work colleagues for a drink at the Elk.  A couple of hours later, we shared a bear hug before our Uber pulled up to the curb.  Dropped at Bridge Press Cellars, we sampled wines while listening to the Jesse Quandt band.  The gig was over before we were ready to call it a night, so we dodged the rain drops for a couple of blocks - Zola again!  The reggae beat was thumping, with an enthusiastic audience working it out on the dance floor.  But our dancing wasn't over when we left the place - the wet stuff still fell from the sky, and we found ourselves hurdling curbs, jumping puddles and giggling like little kids all the way back to the hotel.  No-one would have mistaken us for the cast of "Singin' In the Rain"!

NOTE TO ALL MOSAIC MONDAY PARTICIPANTS: My visits to some of your blogs will be delayed since I will be on a camping trip Monday and Tuesday!

Mosaic Monday

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.

Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Monday (U.S. Mountain time).
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog.
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back.
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by.
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully.
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 

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