Hometown Traditions

     No matter where you're from, there are traditions - or places - that you have every visitor do (or go). You can only truly say you've visited Ellensburg once you've eaten at Rossow's U-Tote-Em. It's your usual family restaurant business, with the inside seating decorated with 50's and 60's on the walls, and Betty Boop is painted on the outside welcoming you in.
     I say that this is a hometown tradition and I guess I really should say it's a family tradition....For a long time when we were little and spent a long-ish day in town, or if our adventure to town began at 10 and was going to last until about 2 or so (sometimes even 1), Dad made sure we stopped at Rossow's for lunch. Now, let me tell you that this usually only happened if we were with just Dad. Sometimes, if we were lucky in the summer and with Mom and Aunt Marcy and the boys, we'd get to stop for a cone or "baby shake."
     As we got older, lunch or dinner at Rossow's became less of a special deal, and more expected. Again, usually with Dad, and not with Mom, unless Dad called and requested for dinner :) There came a time while I was in high school that for about three or so years our family and our neighbor's family would all stop for dinner each night after pig pen set up. By that time of summer, and day, we were all so exhausted that no one wanted to go home and cook, let alone wait for the 15 minute drive, then another 20 minutes or more for food to cook. It was much easier to spend $50 each night and feed us all fairly quickly, that's for certain. Then I think Mom and Dad finally added up the money that went out the wallet those three nights alone and decided we weren't going to do that anymore.
     Well, we don't go to Rossow's as a family as much as we used to, but that tradition of going still stands true. Dad goes often enough when he's in town, and introduced one of the kids who works for us to Rossow's last year. It's still a rarity now as a family, but I go when I can for at least a milkshake. The other day I went for lunch, an outing which spurred this post in fact, and it was nice to be able to sit in a familiar booth with the sun shining in and read my book for a few minutes.

*disclaimer, I didn't take this picture.