The Slice: Rafting the Little Tacoma just wouldn’t be the same

You know how people far from our region sometimes assume Spokane is right next to Seattle?

Sure. Perhaps they confuse Spokane with Tacoma.

But it makes me wonder. How would the world be changed if Spokane really was located over there and Tacoma was here next to Idaho?

Slice answer: Perry Smith saw the question about skills acquired in the military that have no obvious application in civilian life. A retired Air Force tanker boom operator, he recognized the situation.

“My job in the U.S. Air Force was in-flight aerial refueling of B-52s, B-1s, C-5s, et cetera, and assorted fighter aircraft at 400 to 500 mph at various altitudes. This job required a fair amount of skill and each refueling was a new challenge.

“The only comparable job in the civilian world would be a gas station attendant but most gas (fueling) stations are self-service now, and besides, there is no challenge or skill required to refuel a parked vehicle.”

Just wondering: Do you seldom see what your spouse wore to work because he or she gets up and heads out long before you do and comes home, showers and changes well before you return home?

Plotting the Northwest: “My line would start west of the Rockies including Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park,” wrote Herb Postlewait. “From there southwesterly to Bend, Ore., and on to Mount Shasta and Crescent City, Calif. Then up the coast to Whistler, B.C. and over to Banff, Alberta, then back to Glacier National Park. Basically, most of the Columbia River drainage basin.”

If you never had a job where you punched a clock …: Marianne Bornhoft shared this.

“In high school I worked for a company that required us to punch in and out and if you never had a job that involves punching a clock you don’t know what it’s like to wake up in the middle of the night and remember that you either forgot to punch in or out for the day.”

Today’s Slice question: When you imagine the perfect bottle of pop, what is always part of the picture?

A) It’s hot out and the drink is extra cold. B) No high fructose corn syrup. C) No microscopically thin cans or plastic containers. D) It tastes like 1966. E) Boon companionship. F) A baseball game on a radio. G) It’s a flavor you can’t find anymore. H) A choir of angels. I) Other.

Write The Slice at P. O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. Gerald Click is pretty sure he remembers the Frank Howard home run for the Spokane Indians referred to earlier this week. “I was there with my Dad.”