When you live here, it's easy to forget just how captivating our corner of the world can be to certain visitors.

I'll tell you what I mean.

Before I got there, the small daily newspaper in Arizona where I started work while still in college was part of the Hagadone media company for a short time. And it was during that period that the guy who would be my first boss, Art Coughanour, attended some sort of conference for Hagadone editors.

Those meetings were held in Coeur d'Alene. I don't think Art was ever the same.

To say that he fell for CdA would be a gross understatement. He talked about the town, the lake and the Northwesty surroundings the way some guys talk about women. The way some guys talk about shiny cars.

Remember how Cliff Clavin in "Cheers" found occasions to mention Florida? Well, Art was a really good guy and definitely not a bore. But given an opening, he would recall aloud his magical trip to Idaho.

Maybe he was blown away because he had grown up next to the border with Mexico.

Perhaps he had gone back to Arizona with visions of sailboats tacking in his head.

Or maybe Coeur d'Alene just does that to people.

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