Tag Archives: 509 Day

Turning Point Thursday Rundown

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Okay, the soreness from Bloomsday is starting to fade away. Thankfully, that discomfort never infiltrated these fingertips because they are hitting the keys at a rapid rate. While I am still in top notch typing form, let’s get to the rundown.

509 Day – Happy 509 Day, friends! As a born and raised Spokanite who now resides here once again after a 15-year hiatus, I have a genuine pride for those three numbers. Did that pride burn intensely in my soul when I left the state as an 18-year-old? To be honest, probably not. But after all those years of being away and noticing from afar that I didn’t live in such an awful place, the digits started to mean a little more to me. I wrote this post on 509 Day two years ago.

I took this photo from my seat window as we flew over Spokane in Nov. 2022. I love the 509!

Crowning – It is the Month of Mary and one way to honor our Blessed Mother is by crownings. Sloan and Beau had their Mary crowning at school earlier this week. Every student was invited to bring flowers to lay at the feet of the school’s Marian statue. Sidney made sure our children were prepared by purchasing flowers at our local grocery store florist and then arranging them into two bouquets. You can view Sloan placing the flowers with her classmate, Mariano, at the 2:10 mark of this video. St. Mary, pray for us!

Beau and Sloan hold their flowers that they used for the crowning of Mary at the St. Mary School (Spokane Valley) 2023-24 crowning.

Kids vs. Parents – Earlier this week, an unfortunate miscommunication between coaches left Beau’s t-ball team without an opponent. Since the miscommunication didn’t become apparent until a few minutes before game time, Team Navy had already traveled to the ball field. Thankfully, we made the best of it. Moms and dads joined forces to play the kids. Although I wish Beau’s team had players their own age to compete against, I had a great time squaring off against my son and his teammates on a gorgeous early May evening. Oh yeah, the kids won.

We weren’t going to let a beautiful, sunny evening go to waste so us parents played them. My son is up to bat and that is me at short stop.

Turning Point – I recently finished up a pretty deep historical documentary series titled Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War. The Netflix series is comprised of nine installments and begins with the rise of Stalin and ends with Putin’s rule and the current conflict in Ukraine. In between those two events you have 100 years of history! The show chronicles Russia vs. USA relations with a particular emphasis on the Cold War. It is quite the investment time-wise but if you are a history buff like me, you will appreciate (and be alarmed by) it. The footage is superb and the commentary on-point. If you want much better context on what is happening in Ukraine today, I highly recommend.

“Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War” was well done.

Blonde Brownie Ode – I kid you not, today is National Butterscotch Brownie Day. Not trying to brag but yours truly can make a pretty mean batch of blonde brownies. Don’t believe me? I made this video of me baking them a couple years ago. If learning off TikTok isn’t your thing, you can reference my top secret recipe (😂) by tapping here. Come on people, who doesn’t love a warm, gooey blonde brownie?! Chef’s kiss.

A pan of blonde brownies I made a couple years ago.

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I can’t wait for the weekend! It is going to be gorgeous and busy as usual. Let’s pray for the innocent people in Ukraine who continue to suffer devastation. Don’t Blink.

509 Day

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If you recall, last month on April 6, I wrote about 406 Day. April 6 (4-06) reflects Montana’s sole area code and thus the date is embraced by the state. In my blog post I mentioned that while the day is important to me since I lived in Missoula for eight years, you won’t see me calling in sick to celebrate it—the true Montanan spirit just doesn’t dwell in me.

Today is another day associated with an area code but this one resonates a little more with me. In eastern Washington, the date of May 9 (5-09) is also known as 509 Day. Unlike how 406 Day represents an entire state, 509 Day simply carries the banner of a specific region. But that region happens to be where I was born and where I have spent more than 60% of my life.

The mayor of Spokane, Nadine Woodward, holds a 509 Day card.

Although the 509 area code encompasses more than half the state of Washington geographically, it is claimed with the most passion by Spokane. As a born and raised Spokanite who now resides here once again after a 15-year hiatus, I have a genuine pride for those three numbers. Did that pride burn intensely in my soul when I left the state as an 18-year-old? To be honest, probably not. But after all those years of being away and noticing from afar that I didn’t live in such an awful place, the digits started to mean a little more to me. Especially when I would make the immediate association of “home” when I would receive an incoming call and “509” would be flashing on my screen.

Hell yes, I would wear a shirt with 509 embroidered across the chest if I had one. In my mind, 509 means four unique seasons. It means some of the best college basketball in the country. It means Bloomsday, which I just participated in last week. It means Hoopfest, which I will lace up my sneakers for next month. It means media outlets like the Spokesman-Review and KXLY. It means Riverfront Park, Dick’s Hamburgers, and Jack & Dan’s. It means coffee stands on every corner and pot shops in every strip mall (not that I am proud of that one). It means Macklemore’s “Downtown” music video which to this day I believe screams Spokane better than just about anything else. It means lilacs, a garbage goat, and the Davenport Hotel.

Nothing says “509” more like the Garbage Goat in Riverfront Park

It means home.

“The 509” has a certain attitude. It is realistic, knowing that Spokane is a mid-sized city that can’t necessarily compete with its big brother, Seattle. But at the same time, it is content with what it can offer. The 509 isn’t too out of touch to poke fun about itself and acknowledge its shortcomings but at the same time it clutches a deep sense of community pride. To put it simply, the 509 is down to earth.

And, just like the area code that I proudly claim, I am a down to earth dude. Without hesitation I salute my fellow 509ers and enthusiastically celebrate 509 Day. Now pass the cheap beer. Don’t Blink.