The Slice: Made them feel right at home

Carlos Alden and his wife, Janine, were hiking on Maui recently when they stopped for a snack.

The trail mix purchased there on the islands seemed especially good. So they examined the package.

That’s when they learned that their Hawaiian treat had come from Spokane.

•So these two high-profile Spokane personalities are about to go out on a date: And the man, a politician, asks one of the woman’s teenage sons if it’s OK with him that he’s taking out the boy’s mom (she’s in the media).

No problem, the boy says. “Just be sure to bring her home late.”

•Viva IN Life: Spokane’s Ken Martin was in Las Vegas and got a local entertainer to check out the S-R features section. So much for “What happens here stays here.”

•Cap counting: Sprague’s Craig Wilken has 643 baseball-style hats.

Keith Kolterman in Odessa has 1,087. (His wife, Becky, sent photographic proof.)

Spokane’s Lucky Fleming said he lost count at around 3,000.

And I think I forgot to mention that yours truly has about four.

•Proposed billboard message: “Keep Spokane Green, Bring Money.” — Milly Treherne

•Two for Tuesday: 1. It is a good idea to steer clear of a person paying bills.

2. Birds will stop building a nest if you point the radio out a window and tune to the KPBX pledge drive.

•Titles for an instructional video to be given to newcomers: “How to Live the Life of Riley in the Great Northwest.” — Leonard Riley

“Don’t Yawn, We Just Live Here.” — Heather Durchman

“Beware of Natives: They Blame You for Ruining Their Quality of Life.” — Bonte Schroeder

“You’re Not in Kansas Anymore.” — Joanie Leyba

•Believe it or not: “People complain about rude drivers in Spokane, but the other morning, when the light was out at Freya and Trent, everyone took turns very nicely,” wrote Nola Barrett, one of the readers I played catch with last summer.

•Differences between Appalachia and Northeastern Washington: “Appalachia has better bird life,” wrote Maria Washington.

“In Appalachia, they eat the roadkill,” wrote Bill Mahaney.

•Label your lifestyle: “Child-Free/Don’t Cry for Me.” — a married Spokane teacher named Daniel who wishes people would resist stereotypes and uninformed assumptions.

•Warm-up questions: Who takes golf clubs everywhere? Whom would you vote for if Chris Marr ran against Bill Simer in a political race? What’s the best way for a woman to discourage a man in her workplace from blatantly staring at her chest? Should there be a minimum age for saying, “Back in my (fill in the blank) days”?

•Today’s Slice question: Are there rural people around here who try to impress their small-town friends and co-workers with their exhaustive knowledge of Spokane?