... On The Way To Idaho

I posted the other day on social media, looking for someplace groovy to eat in the Bend, Oregon area.  I was on my way to Idaho, to see my son, Jesse, and his wife, Amanda.  I hadn't been to Bend in over twenty years, and figured getting some input would be a good idea.

As is generally the case, the weirdos I know and love on Facebook came through in spades.  I always trust my FB friends more than the random Yelp review.

Ultimately, I selected this lovely pub and grill, McMenamin's, inside the Old St. Francis School.  Credit for the selection goes to Ronda Snyder.

Let me also note, I think there are more trips to Bend in order to try the many other suggestions provided by friends.  Bend seems like a neat little town.




The food was great, and included some legitimately interesting vegetarian selections, like the grilled cheese sandwich I had, which included slices of apple and carmelized onion.  The pilsner beer I tried was refreshing, and the venue was beautiful.





The site also contains hotel rooms, resting pool, and outdoor seating in a beautiful garden area.








In my FB post, I had specifically requested suggestions that were "weird or fun."  My friend, Mike Daley, responded that if I was going to be on site, it was likely to be weird or fun.  I don't know that I would agree with that.  In fact, I tend to think that Mike is a conjurer of these things.  He speaks them into my existence, and they come to pass.

Upon arriving at McMenamin's, I was greeted with this interesting box...

 Located on the porch entry of the pub, the box compelled my curious nature to open it up.

Inside were random items: a sandpail and shovel, a blanket, a newspaper section, and other odd curios.




These, I classify as "fun".  Now for the weird...

So, after I was cheerily greeted and seated by my waiter, I went to go use the ladies' room to freshen up.  As I was in a stall taking care of business, I could hear the lady in the stall next to me pull her pants up and right herself for departure from the bathroom.  At some point, I noticed that she was not flushing.  Odd.

As I stood up to reclothe myself, she began to chant.  And pray.  And bless.  Her waste.

I was well into washing my hands and thinking in my head about seven different kinds of "WTF?" when the woman finally exited her stall and came to the sink next to me.

Silently, I searched for a filter inside my brain, but as usual, I could not find one.

"Hi there," I said to her.  She nodded back a hello.

This was not the response I was hoping to receive, envisioning something that was a little more open and receptive to my further questionings.  But again, when has that ever stopped me?

So I asked, "Can you tell me why you pray over your pee?"

She smiled, and answered, "Well, I figure this: I pray when I put the food in, so why not pray when it comes on out the other side?"

Well alrighty, then.  I finished drying my hands, bid The Blesser adieu, and returned to my table, already thinking that I'm blaming this episode in life on Mike Daley and the divining of his observations in life.  :-)