Handlebars on the tree part of one family’s North Idaho heritage

Like others before them, Connie Anderson and her family were lured to the Inland Northwest by rumors of a Shangri-La in the woods of North Idaho.

A convergence of events led them to Coeur d’Alene 22 years ago. First, there was a co-worker of husband Mike who raved about Idaho. How beautiful it was. How inexpensive the land was. Then, there was an article in “Conde Nast Traveler” magazine naming the Coeur d’Alene Resort as the best resort-hotel in the United States.

So the couple packed their two sons into a car for a road trip from Danville, California, to Coeur d’Alene. They stayed at the resort and fell in love with the city. And the rest was her-story. Oh, and one more thing, Connie, whose full name is Constance Drue Anderson, tells Huckleberries she felt at home when she saw her initials, CDA, plastered all over town.

Aiming to please

Steve Green has done it again. Steve? He’s the Coeur d’Alene man who grew up peeing outside on a north-central Idaho farm. Steve was fond of the experience. So much so that he installed a urinal with handlebars on a tree for his biker buds, near the old family farm. Tongue firmly cheeked, Steve told Huckleberries earlier this year: “It is tradition and I feel that it’s very important to carry on my heritage.”

Now, onward. Steve’s daughter, Trina Green Scott and her husband, Ryan, built a cabin at Bayview on Lake Pend Oreille this summer. As a house-warming gift, Steve installed a urinal against a nearby tree. Steve’s daughter wasn’t thrilled about the gift. But her 5-year-old son, Eon, couldn’t wait to try it out. Says proud grandpa: “The family tradition is being carried on for the fourth generation.” Don’t judge.

Birthday inflation

An elderly woman recently asked a Wells Fargo bank teller at the Coeur d’Alene branch for a $50 bill to put in her grandson’s birthday card. When the teller asked the age of her grandson, the customer paused. And then said uncertainly, “Thirty-two?” And: “I used to give him $5 bills but $5 doesn’t go very far anymore.” Bingo.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner (the following is offered in memory of former legislator Gary Ingram, who championed government openness in Idaho): They have thrown us out/ and they’ve locked the door;/ we can’t watch them make/ sausage anymore – Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Closed Meetings”) … It seems like only yesterday that Spokane teacher Erin Daniels Bangle of On Track Academy was a student photographer for the North Idaho College Sentinel. Now, she’s 44 – and her students can hardly believe it. That news prompted one student to tell her: “Aren’t you halfway through your life span?” Aren’t children adorable? … For those keeping score at home, Heather Branstetter has personally sold 2,032 copies of her book, “Selling Sex in the Silver Valley: A Business Doing Pleasure.” That doesn’t count the books about the old Wallace sex trade sold by her publisher and other outlets. She may produce an audio book of her work. Some have suggested a pilot episode for a TV series. Or a movie. Stay tuned … Oopsy: Last week, Huckleberries incorrectly listed the closure date for the Kimball manufacturing plant in Post Falls. It shut in 2015 … Vicki Isakson, of Coeur d’Alene, wonders how many signal light changes must a driver endure, without green coming up, before s/he runs the red light. She, of course, was “asking for a friend” … A recent readerboard message at Zip’s Drive-In in Hayden: “Roses are red/ catsup is, too/ eat a corndog.” OK, it doesn’t rhyme. But it does make you think about corndogs, huh?

Parting shot

KXLY’s Kris Crocker was struggling to limit her personal Facebook page to only people she knew. But her big heart betrayed her. “Oh,” she told herself, “they look nice. I can’t delete them.” In desperation, she concluded on her Facebook page: “If you are NOT nice, feel free to unfriend me, as I have misjudged you.” And that’s how you get on the naughty list.