The Slice: Asked and answered

This is a response to the reader who wondered if she was right to encourage her son and his husband to relocate from Portland to Spokane (Saturday’s Slice).

“No, Molly, you are not delusional,” wrote Amy McGarry of Spokane Valley. “While I do get tired of defending Spokane to friends in Seattle or Portland, nevertheless, I persist. I can’t speak for everyone in Spokane, but I will speak for me, my large extended family and extensive network of friends; we welcome your son and his husband with open arms. Maybe the woman you met at the party hasn’t been to a Spokane gay pride parade lately, or read letters to the editor or talked to her gay friends who live in Spokane. If she had, I doubt she would suggest life in Spokane ‘would be horrible’ for the couple because they are gay. The potholes, however, might make them miserable.”

Though most feedback on that was along similar lines, not all was. The Slice heard from readers who flat-out oppose same-sex unions, but I have to say the discussion was remarkably civil.

Ranking the seasons: “Spring, summer and fall, as great as they are, are simply fillers between ski seasons,” wrote Chic Burge, who noted he started skiing on Mount Spokane on Dec. 4, 1950.

“Autumn ranks at the bottom of the pile,” wrote Audrey Wagner, who is originally from Australia. “The season here is far too short.”

Here’s a note I received after writing about my dentist retiring: “I think I was 15 (it might have been earlier) when I first started with Dr. Copetas,” wrote John Speare. “I saw her all through high school and college, until I moved to the West Side in my mid-20s. When we moved back to Spokane in my 30s, she was again my dentist. Now I’m 46. Every now and then she has me sign some slip of paper that’s attached to an ancient chart where I see the signature of my 15-year-old self. I always get a kick out of seeing that. She’s been a wonderful dentist over the years. I’ll miss her and the quiet stability of her presence.”

You never know when this might come up: Born-in-Spokane actor John McIntire (“Wagon Train,” “Psycho”) had a supporting role in the classic Jimmy Stewart newspaper movie, 1948’s “Call Northside 777.”

Today’s Slice questions: Have you ever bobbed for apples? How did you do? What’s the secret to success?