SPOKANE: AN EVER CHANGING TAPESTRY, YEARS AND YEARS OLD

It's normal to think that the Spokane area really started to change shortly after you arrived, whether that was in 1974, 1988 or whenever.

After all, that's the period you know about. But here's a shocking little secret. It was changing even before you got here.

You might be the one to win a gorgeous hardcover book about loons: Yes, it's a Slice contest. To enter, send us a photograph of a bird nest. Any kind of bird nest. The only rules are that your picture must be a 1996 photo (we're counting on the honor system) and, of course, you're not allowed to disturb the nest or its occupants. We'll need it by June 11.

The judges will find some oddball way to pick a winner. Good luck.

Overheard at last weekend's Coldwater Creek warehouse sale (one slightly frenzied shopper talking to her friend): "I'm acting like the people I hate in stores."

Fan of the year: A loud guy having a burger Saturday at Hudson's in Coeur d'Alene announced that the Baltimore Orioles were his team. But it quickly became clear he had no idea that, on the night before, the Birds had topped the Mariners with a two-out ninth inning grand slam.

Sometimes it's easy to spot the people who don't read the paper.

How convenient: A rural reader named Lucinda ordered postage stamps by mail. Before long, she got a note in her mail box indicating that she had a letter waiting to be picked up at the post office. You guessed it. It was the stamps.

Butt huts: Remarking on last week's item about attractive espresso-stand employees, a woman we know suggested that one reason some of them might be thought to have sex appeal is drive-through service windows at backside height.

Warm-up questions: What Inland Northwest resident has lost the most contact lenses? If Spokane's TV news anchor teams competed on "Jeopardy," what categories would give them the most trouble? Do you have trouble finding the canned soup you're looking for in grocery stores? What do you learn about America from watching MTV's "Singled Out"? Do your dreams tend to be especially strange when camping?

Today's Slice question: If there were a new variety of apple named after your family, what would be distinctive about it?

Copyright 1996 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.