Thursday, October 31, 2013

Pumpkin Minions

So cute....I could die. Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Down By The River...

Autumn trees near the Boise River tend to be more "yellow" than than fiery maples and oaks in residential areas. Still beautiful.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

A-frame Autumn

Cloudy morning in Boise. Autumn colors still hanging on.

Monday, October 28, 2013

From the Top of the Second Bench

Once you leave Downtown Boise - the elevation climbs, even if you're not headed for the foothills. Each "step up" is about 60 feet. The first bench is generally called the Boise Bench, but there are two more steps "up." This view is from the second bench, heading east on Overland Road.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Pinball Baby

Cuteness overload at the Star Trek pinball tournament last night at Grinkers Grand Palace.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Iconic Downtown Bar

Gil's K-9. Fact: I've never been inside. I should change that.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Military Discount

Sign outside a tattoo business.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Hidden Pathway of Colors

It's really a dried-up canal. Some folks do walk along them when the water is gone.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Monday, October 21, 2013

This is the City of Trees in Autumn

It is the most perfect autumn this year. I don't want it to end.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Friday, October 18, 2013

Historic Harrison Boulevard

Autumn color in Boise is extra-spectacular this year. Enjoy the weekend.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Autumn is Perfect in Boise

This tree glowed in the pinkish sunrise in Boise this morning. 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Potatoes as Art

Street art potato-style, in Downtown Boise.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Yellow Brick Road

Not exactly as I had imagined it.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Watershed Watch

 My family participated in the Watershed Watch Saturday. We, and other volunteers, met with biologist Miranda Adams from Idaho DEQ to do some "snapshot" testing of Boise River water quality. Our stations was on the south side of the Whitewater Park. My husband thought the critter above was a lobster. Close. It's a crawdad or crawfish. There were quite a few and they were big!
 A chilly morning, but not frosty and look at how gorgeous the river was. Miranda explained to us that although it looks pretty and many people play in it, it is technically an "impaired" river because of pollution - mainly too much phosphorous and water temperatures that are too high..
 Miranda is displaying a chart to help us decide on the pH level of the water. It was normal.
 We did a "critter" count, because life in the river is an indicator of water quality. We also searched for uninvited invasive species.
Yep. Trash. Plenty at this site. We picked it all up. Lots of cigarette butts, above is a towel, pieces of styrofoam and paper were the types of litter. 
 We used this kit to check the level of dissolved oxygen.

 This is my kiddo comparing the water sample to the kit samples to determine a measurement.
We found water mites, leeches and caddis fly larvae. The overall rating for the river according to our preliminary research was "fair."

Downtown Boise Alley

Black and white-style today.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Oktoberfest Music

"Oompah" band for Oktoberfest at TableRock Brew Pub. Fun!

Friday, October 11, 2013

Nature Imitating Art

Maybe it's the other way around? Bronze leaves and real ones in Downtown Boise. Have fun this weekend.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Autumn Mums

I wish these beauties were in my yard.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Trying to Hitch a Ride

He looks impatient, but he's been waiting for a few years now. Marvin the Martian can be seen on Chinden Boulevard.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Last Night in Boise

Sunset show for Boise last night.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Hummingbirds Still in Boise?

I caught this one over the weekend in my yard. I'm sure this sweetie is just making a fueling stop on its migration. But if you have hummingbird feeders - leave them up for a couple more weeks for the stragglers.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Tomodachi Fest 2013

Tomodachi is an annual anime/manga-focused convention in Boise. "Catty Noir" from Monster High, pictured above.
 I attended Sunday, so after three days of the convention, people were getting silly.
 The woman wearing these shoes told me she purchased them in Japan.
 Too pooped to party anymore.
These guys got slimed.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Boise's Birthday Party

The 150 party in The Grove today. Perfect autumn weather. On stage: a.k.a Belle.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Chinden Icon Closing

Yep. It's been there "forever," but will soon be gone. Owned by friends of ours. Sad to see it go.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Farewell to the Barn

I learned yesterday that this barn is going to be torn down, to make way for an expanding subdivision. Too bad they couldn't turn it into a community center or coffeehouse or something. Photo taken in 2010.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Boot Deal

This special is offered at the Boise Army/Navy store.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

A Home for Art-Loving Bats

This sculpture kind of looks like a bat, and it's designed to be a home to bats. See it at Hyatt Hidden Wetlands Reserve. Will you see bats? Maybe at dusk. There are several bat houses in the park.