18 July - Lunch with Fassler's and Visit to Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Bob Schwandt

18 July
This morning we headed into Spokane WA and further to Coeur d'Alene ID to first have lunch with Mike and Sherry Fassler and then to visit Doreen's aunt and uncle, Phyllis and Bob Schwandt.

Mike Fassler was working in Coeur d'Alene ID and that worked out well as Doreen's aunt and uncle live there too.  It is a relatively short drive from the Spokane area and just short of an hour from our campground.  So it is in Idaho, but since we drove there solo without the RV, we can't post the sticker yet :-)  Doreen did grab a passing snapshot of the state sign.

She also took a couple pictures of what we suspect is smoke in the atmosphere from the forest fires.  

We met Mike and Sherry at Bardenay's Restaurant and Distillery in Coeur d'Alene about 1100 hrs.  It is situated on a scenic pond and was an opportune time for a selfie!

Outside seating seemed appropriate since it was a gorgeous day.  We spent a whole lot more time talking and getting caught-up than eating.  Mike was originally from Kansas and Sherri from Canada.  They were active duty Air Force and then I met them in Des Moines as Mike joined our Air National Guard unit.  I hired him as a full time employee with our Communications Flight.  As our unit grew and staffing grew, I had to spend more time as Branch Chief and less time as ground radio maintainer, my specialty.  Mike came into a vacancy in radio maintenance militarily, so I basically "handed my baby off to him" LOL.  We grew to become good friends as we were "family" in the Comm Flight.  We watched each other's children grow up, etc.  Mike and I have stayed in contact since he retired from the Air Guard December 2011 and moved to Liberty Lake WA.  It was great to see them  and plan to get together again before we head further east!

Mike had already moved to Washington State and was unable to attend my military retirement in 2015, so I gave him my retirement coin today.

Sherry and Mike Fassler, Doreen and Ed.

After lunch we headed to the Renaissance at Coeur d'Alene, an assisted living facility where Bob and Phyllis live.  They are very fortune to have their son John living just a few blocks away.  Bob is 94 and Phyllis is 95.  They moved here from Decatur IL where Bob was a chemical engineer for Staley's.  I do not know the details but I believe he was on the ground floor of developing "gas-ahol", the predecessor to today's Ethanol.  As I have mentioned before, Bob is one of the smartest guys I have ever met, and could turn a soy bean into just about anything you could imagine!  It's kind of funny yet a tribute to him when our family gets together.  One of our kids will come up with some sort of a question, no matter the science involved, and one of them would say, "well, uncle Bob would know!"  True dat! Bob and Phyllis were always very good to our family and we will forever be indebted to them.  We are glad to be able to spend some time with them here.

So we arrived at the Renaissance and found them sitting outside in the shade.  We talked with them for a bit and then a couple young ladies had arrived to perform inside, so we headed back to the RV.  We will see them again several times while we are here.  Here is a picture from the last time we were here, 2014, for their 70th wedding anniversary celebration!!  We will get current pictures later this week when we visit them.

 Tomorrow we plan to visit Fairchild Air Force Base and downtown Spokane.  Doreen found a gondola ride across the Spokane River falls and we are also investigating a white water rafting trip as well.