The Lowell Inn

by Susan Jonnes

Dinner 1
When I think of Nels I’m always reminded of the times we dined out at the Lowell Inn, the very old, high-end restaurant in Stillwater. It was one of his favorite places to eat, and almost always the place we’d go when we were celebrating some special occasion. The food is good and the prices are high. I think part of the attraction for Nels was that it is a very quiet location. He could hear the conversations.

Two visits stand out in my mind. One was the time we were there with a large group (sorry but I can’t remember who was there). When the bill came to the table everyone did the usual thing, either reaching or asking for the tab to see what they owed for their portion of the meal. This time, however, Nels grabbed it first and proclaimed, “Oh no, Chris and I will split this.” This was news to Chris. He didn’t argue, of course, but we shared a couple of quick glances at each other at the time, and have laughed about it many times since.

Dinner 2
My favorite though is the time the big group of family was celebrating something down there for dinner. Again I can’t remember all the names, but it was numerous children and grandchildren. After the meal the bill came and Nels grabbed it again. This time, though, he made it clear he’d pay for the whole thing himself (Maybe Bev had said something last time?). Unfortunately, Nels couldn’t read the bill because the printer must have been low on ink. So he stood up, walked across the very formal restaurant to a different table, and tried to read the bill under the small lamp there. He still couldn’t make out the total, so as we all watched in amazement he walked right through the swinging doors to the kitchen and said loudly enough for the whole restaurant to hear, “I can’t read this. You need a new printer!”