The Slice: The weaker sex? Ahahahahahahaha

Teenage boys contemplating going on a thrill ride at an amusement park sometimes learn an important fact of life from their female companions.

Some girls are fearless. And that can be kind of exhilarating.

Let’s move on.

Places where Slice readers have experienced exceptional star-gazing include …: On a sailboat halfway between Mexico and the Marquesas Islands; north of Barstow, California; Farragut State Park; near Big Fisher Lake (close to the Canadian border); Alaska (multiple locations); Hawaii (multiple locations); in the middle of the South Pacific; Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness; Botswana; rural Texas; Wake Island; Beauty Bay at Lake Coeur d’Alene; aboard Navy ships at sea; outside Billings; the Australian Outback; in the Andes of Peru; Chaco Canyon in New Mexico; off the west coast of Florida; Lake Titicaca in Peru; near Odessa; and the Grand Canyon.

Slice answer: Hayden Lake’s Lila Kimm and her husband are on the same page when it comes to politics. “But even after 62 years of marital bliss, July 16, we still have both Best Foods mayonnaise and Miracle Whip in the fridge.”

If that makes no sense to you, don’t blame me. It was fully explained in a previous column. Try to keep up.

Just wondering: What do you suppose freaks out spiders?

The art of the deal: “The story in your Slice column on Monday about the child who negotiated for a waterbed after being denied a dog reminded me of an incident when my grandson was 3 or 4 years old,” wrote Judy Long. “His very sincere request went like this: ‘Mom, if I can’t have a dog can I get a donkey?’ ”

Judy continued. “We are city dwellers so that gave us all a good laugh. He is about to become a high school senior but still hasn’t lived this story down. And probably never will.”

Slice answers: What happened after you drank wild water?

“I had no ill effects from slurping up a little stream water at Glacier National Park,” wrote Lorri Stonehocker. “But my husband, Bob, took a picture of me with my butt up in the air in this not very ladylike position.”

Jo Pickens said her answer could be summed up in one word. “Giardia.”

Warm-up question: Who around here has traveled most extensively in Canada?

I know it’s not me. I have been to Prince Edward Island and Vancouver, but I’ve missed a lot of places in between.

Today’s Slice question: What’s your Second Half of the Year’s resolution?

Write The Slice at P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210; call (509) 459-5470; email pault@spokesman.com. You cannot help but be awed by what Maine’s Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain did at the Battle of Gettysburg.