Huckleberries: She knew all along, husband left in dark

As an extra precaution with Baby No. 4 on the way, Deputy City Administrator Sam Taylor, of Coeur d’Alene, and his wife, Kathryn, underwent DNA testing. It was all good. But the tests had the side effect of revealing the gender of the baby earlier than usual.

On Tuesday, as they were waiting for the results, Kathryn suggested that they do something special to announce the gender, like a barbecue. They hadn’t done anything like this for the first three babies, all boys.

Sam was immediately on board. He got to work on his to-do list: Barbecue planning. Create a Facebook event. Invite people. Edit Kathryn’s invitations. (Sam has a background in journalism.) Be patient. Be kind. However, he was worried that the results might not get to them before the barbecue planned for Sunday.

He was fretting about it at dinner Wednesday when he noticed Kathryn grinning like, as Sam describes it, “a dishonest snake oil salesman who has been caught in an Old West town.” Sez she: “What if I already know?” Sam was stunned: “You know?” he asked. She nodded. She had set him up. It was all a smoke screen. Worse yet? Kathryn wasn’t talking. Sam and the boys would have to wait like everyone else until pink or blue silly string shot from cans at the barbecue.

And you’ll have to wait until Tuesday to find out, too.

Junior succeeded, too

On Thursday, Huckleberries introduced you to George Jewett, a timber giant who gave his name to Coeur d’Alene’s historic Jewett House on Lake Coeur d’Alene. His son was no slouch either.

Sara Ferris, of Coeur d’Alene, sends Huckleberries the obituary of philanthropist George Jewett Jr. from the May 26, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle. Junior added his name to the family’s considerable accomplishments in the timber industry and philanthropy. Also, he was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 2005.

From his obit: “He was renowned in sailing circles for chairing five America’s Cup syndicates for three yacht clubs from 1973 through 2000.” Of the boats whose syndicates he chaired, says the obit, Freedom won the cup in 1980, and Stars & Stripes won the cup in 1987. President Ronald Reagan invited Junior to the White House after the Stars & Stripes win.

And best of all? He grew up on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner: Huckleberries noticed that the National Lentil Festival poster will be revealed June 1 in Pullman. Which brings to mind this favorite poem, “The National Lentil Festival in Pullman,” from Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue: “Noble legume,/small and classy,/full of protein,/although gassy;/a boon for farms/from Sprague to Lind,/if I attend/I’ll stay upwind” … Vicki Isakson, of Post Falls, theorizes that we may be getting our just deserts this Spring of our Discontent. Quoth: “(Ma Nature) is angry! I think all that negative talk about our long winter is getting (us) punished … Item: City of Coeur d’Alene proposes to buy 47-acre old Atlas Mill site for $7.85 million. Comment: How long until Coeur d’Alene’s CAVErs (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) take their usual stand against this visionary plan? … In the “S-R’s Loss Is Coeur d’Alene’s Gain” Dept: The Coeur d’Alene School District hit a home run in picking S-R business editor Scott Maben to be its next communications director. Good manager. Good writer. Good egg.

Parting shot

You may know that the Kootenai County Republican Party is trying to stop construction of a long-planned – and needed – transit center for Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone. But did you know that some local Republicans refer to Citylink as City-litter? Get it? The transportation system spreads the poor and elderly all over the Lake City. Hence, “litter.” F’shame. Huckleberries is more concerned with the hard-line ideologues who get elected to local GOP precinct committeeman posts and then work tirelessly against their lower-income constituents.