Surprising secret weapon in retirement
Doug Eastwood, former parks director, retired from the city of Coeur d’Alene in 2013 after a 35-year career. He’s not been letting any grass grow under his feet, though. An avid bowler for the past two decades, on Thursday evening at Sunset Lanes Doug posted his fifth perfect 300 game and his very first 800 series of three games (836 to be exact.)
Doug has a secret weapon in his rolling arsenal: a beautiful Seattle Seahawks logo ball.
“The Seahawk ball is used strictly on stubborn 7 pins,” Doug explained about the ball known as 'Richard Sherman.' “I bring it off the bench and send in the defense to get that stubborn pin.”
On Thursday 'Sherman' didn't see a lot of action in the 836 series as Doug was playing mostly offense.
Admittedly Doug receives some heckling from fellow bowlers re: his Seahawks ball, but success is the best revenge. His regular bowling partners on the aptly named High Flush team are Gary Schenkenberger, Chuck Hughes, Joe Flinn and Dave Alton.
Doug and his secret weapon are traveling to Las Vegas next week for the U.S. Bowling Congress national tournament.
Quipped Doug, “I’m going to run for the USBC president and my only campaign promise will be to remove the 7 and 10 pins from the rack.”
- • •
Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer’s travels took him to Asheville, N.C., in recent days. He sent me a photo he snapped there — my maiden name on a street and public parking garage sign, Rankin Avenue. I responded with a photo I’d taken last week of a street sign in Venice, Calif. — Coeur d’Alene Street.
- • •
Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger breaks down the water flow for his Facebook friends.
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Geological Survey, the Coeur d'Alene River at Harrison is flowing at 17,100 CFS (cubic feet per second) and the St. Joe River at St. Maries is flowing at 22,700 CFS. The Spokane River at the Post Falls Dam is flowing at 42,000 CFS.
Let's put that in perspective: Think about a 1-gallon milk jug. This means the Coeur d'Alene River is flowing at 127,916.89 milk jugs every second and the St. Joe river is flowing at 169,807.8 milk jugs every second while the dam is releasing 314,181.84 milk jugs every second.
Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of water!
- • •
Things to Do:
On Friday Habitat for Humanity’s Hearts for Homes dinner/auction at the Coeur d’Alene Inn from 6-9:30 p.m.
Barn Dance from 6-9 p.m. at Meadowbrook Hall on Saturday to benefit the CAP Community Food Bank. Info: [email protected].
The VFW Post 3603 is holding a community taco feed on Saturday from 5-7:30 p.m., 1225 E. Third Ave., in Post Falls.
A week from today on Wednesday, March 29, the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center is presenting A Taste of Broadway dinner performance to benefit the historic center with Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre in song. Visit www.thejacklincenter.org for tickets.
- • •
Happy birthday today to Beverly Larsen, Rich Anstine, Greg Cook, Tyler Huft, Jack Budvarson, Julie Perry, Katie Vaughan, Bernie Currie, Pam Adams, Boston Pierce, Cole Jaworski (13!) and Rob Carpenter.
Tomorrow Tad Leach, Herb Huseland, Lori Weaver, Julie Perry, Linda Lewis, Landon Stepro and Jacey Brockhoff (16!) enjoy a piece of birthday cake.
March 24 birthday girls are Esther Paul (50!) and Nichole Frank.
Taking another trip around the sun on Saturday are Jamé Davis, Ray Oliver, Colleen Brown, Jerry Ausburn, Brenda Buckingham, Alyssa Romero, Mike Carle and Alexander Carle.
On Sunday Dave Fair, Julie Harris, Julie Readel, Nancy Noordam, J.B. Romero, Lorna Griffin, Mike Bennett, Cyndy Griffin, John Hart, Mistie Cooper and WJ Lazerus put on their party hats.
On Monday Chet Lindquist (65!), Lila Kimm, Theresa Hart, Jamie Green, Katherin Pope, Dan Dunham, Sharon Erickson, Chris Magera, Susan Reynolds, Lynne Wiedemann, Alie Hotchkiss, Ralph Nelson, Irene Bowman and Julie Harris will celebrate.
Tuesday birthdays belong to Cindy Sweeney, Brandon Clearwaters, James Heilman, Barb Forgacs, Robert Durflinger, Richard Wegner, Chris Camarata and Page Hibbs.
- • •
Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.