The Slice: The dynamic apparently moves in reverse, too

Several readers wrote to say the grandparent drain (Sunday’s Slice) is a two-way street.

Here are a couple of reports.

“Eight months ago we were living in Bellingham,” wrote Judith Kocher. “Our daughter and son-in-law informed us they were moving to Spokane with our grandchildren. So … here we are in Spokane. We love it and are happy to remain close to our granddaughters. So it goes both ways.”

And Kristi Burns said that while West Side grandbabies might be luring grandparents away from Spokane, it should be noted that high-quality people move here for similar reasons.

“In our case, my parents made the choice to move west from Massachusetts to live here in Spokane near their grandchildren. I am so grateful and appreciative of how they uprooted their lives! As grandparents, they are available and around to hang out with their grandchildren, go to various sports activities, pick up kids from school, have quality time with their grandchildren and laugh at my husband and I as we get confounded regularly by our children’s actions.

“So we can’t be the only family who has been graced with parents who move to Spokane … are we?”

Featuring Idaho in the role of the Soviet Union: “The mention of low-flying B-52s brought back memories of my tree planting days on the Nez Perce National Forest in the early 1960s,” wrote Rick Barth.

“The bombers would try to outwit the radar at Cottonwood by flying just above the mountaintops up and down the south fork of the Clearwater River. You couldn’t hear them coming until they were right above you. The roar would certainly break up the monotony of trying to poke 400-500 trees in the ground each day. Sometimes you would see the shadow first and then hear the roar.”

Eight engines’ worth.

“They looked so large and close you almost thought you could toss a rock in the air and hit them – not a good idea, of course, and not really possible. They never ceased to startle and awe us.”

Today’s Slice question: When did you realize that camping just wasn’t for you?