The Slice: Leaves, postcards – we want to see it all

It never did climb to 99 degrees this summer. So The Slice’s contest based on predicting the first day that would happen fizzled.

But if you think that’s going to make me swear off reader participation competitions, guess again.

Today I’m announcing two.

Since fall officially begins this week, today seems like the time to launch The Slice’s Best Leaves of Autumn Contest.

I haven’t done one of these since 1997. To enter, all you need to do is mail me a good-looking leaf.

Make sure to tell me how to reach you. And describe where you found the fetching foliage.

I’ll figure out some categories along the way.

Let’s make Nov. 1 the deadline. And yes, there will be prizes for the winners.

The second contest was inspired by an e-mail from Slice reader Jan Arkills.

“This summer we had a house guest from Tasmania with Friendship Force and we were trying to find post cards with unique Spokane photos on them,” she wrote. “What we found was practically nothing at all.”

She felt most looked like scenes from some generic American city.

“No great photos of the Davenport interior, Duncan Gardens, the Campbell House, the Spokane River in all of its glories, Steam Plant, golf courses, et cetera.”

So Arkills suggested that The Slice sponsor a post card-photo contest. “Let’s see if we can show what a great city we have,” she wrote.

Consider it done.

So go ahead and take a picture that you think would make an excellent local post card. Then send it to The Slice. Both actual prints and e-mailed photos will be accepted.

Don’t worry about lettering, labeling or graphic design. The photo is all you need.

Winners will be declared in three categories: Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Rural Inland Northwest.

To keep things simple, let’s make the entry deadline for this one Nov. 1 also.

There will be prizes.

•Tropical Spokane: Before we wave goodbye to warm weather, here’s a flashback to spring.

North Sider Elsie Patterson was working in her garden when David, the 3-year-old neighbor boy, came to the fence. “What are you doing, lady?” he asked.

She replied that she was planting vegetables.

David’s next question was “Are you planting bananas?”

•Slice answers: Marie Christensen said Sherri Skladany, a teacher at Pratt Elementary, is the happiest person in Spokane.

And Jerry Harrison said Palma Sabatini might be the happiest person, in part because she is now a retired elementary school teacher.

•Today’s Slice question: What happened when you tried to implement one of those magazine tips on becoming sexier, healthier or richer?