Neighborhood Dinner

A glimpse into our busy night. It was our neighborhood winter "progressive dinner." Appetizers, salads, main dish and desserts were all at different houses. Everyone pitched in even if part of the meal was not at their house. There were 16 adults and three children on the tour. We stayed up FAR TOO LATE, but had a lot of fun because our neighbors are so interesting and fun.

Looking Up

Homes along the ridge lines of the Boise Foothills. I ventured out to take a photo that documented the rising snowline with our recent winter warm wave, and this is what came out of my camera, instead. These folks have a nice view of the city, and the mountains, I bet.

Bye Bye Snow

One day, we're out shoveling snow, and the next day, over a foot of it melts with a high of 50 degrees. The weather gurus explain it like this: the jet stream jumped, and now Boise is on the south side of it, which means unusually warm weather. It's a puddle-y world out there when snow melts this fast.

Um...More Snow???

And...more snow. We didn't leave the house yesterday, except to shovel. I'm pretty sure the rest of Boise looks just like this!

No One Breaking the Rules

I was pretty sure I'd catch some ducks or geese breaking the rules by venturing out on the ice at this public park pond, but no rule-breakers were in sight. In fact, no people, or waterfowl anywhere in the park. It had warmed to 18 degrees when this photo was taken.

Frozen Ducks

They've got a little thawed spot in this pond for paddling around. This is a year-round fountain feature at the entrance to a subdivision. I've featured it before in warmer weather, overflowing with bubbles after pranksters put a Mr. Bubble-type product in it.

Wishing You All Plump Stockings

Our stockings were hung by the chimney with care....wishing you all plump stockings today!

Snow Cycling

This is a tough way to get around town this time of year. I don't know much about mountain bikes, I suppose there are snow tires for bicycles to make this kind of ride easier.

Cows in the Snow

I'm sure these cows are waiting for the feed truck, since grazing opportunities look slim right now. I'm adding these critters for my "bovines of Boise" list - with links you can visit if you scroll down on the right hand side.

Icicle Lights

It rained and then snowed last night to decorate our outdoor Christmas lights with tiny icicles. The rain means the snow today is very wet and mushy, which will be a challenge to shovel.

Snow Chair

Blowing snow has drifted under the normally-protected area at my front door. Maybe 7 more inches of snow tonight. We're doing a jigsaw puzzle and drinkings lots of coffee and hot chocolate. By the way....some good news posted from a commenter regarding Delsa's on Ustick Road. For details, click here.

Snow Globe Snow

This is the snow that fell Friday, very light and granular. It looked like rock salt, and was easier to sweep than shovel. I'm sure there's a technical name for this kind of snow - we're calling it "snow globe snow."

Frozen Fountain

The fountain I have said I wanted in my backyard....is silent. Lots of fountains keep running in the winter around here. Maybe this one was shut off because of our recent deep freeze of below-zero temperatures. Here's what it looked like a couple of months ago.

The Cat Doctor

This charming farm cottage is home to the "Cat Doctor." It's where I take my kitties. It's the cutest place, and the doctors are all gentle, crazy cat people, but my cats aren't charmed at all. They also have a cat hotel, which we've used for our kitties many times when we've been out of town.

Pink Snow

My husband took this snap of the mountains while driving home from work. These mountains are Northeast of town. The snow is reflecting the colors of the sunset to the West. In higher mountain ranges, I believe when this happens at sunrise or sunset, they call it alpenglow.

Ribbon of Clouds

Look closely and you can see the ribbon of clouds in front of the mountains. We've had probably 2-3 inches of snow in the valley, with another 2-3 expected this week. The mountains have enough to open the ski resort right above town. High temperatures around 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Like a Lot of the Country - We Got Some Snow

A couple of inches of snow over the past two days. Just enough for making snow angels.

Backstage at the Nutcracker

Little baby mice running backstage at the Nutcracker. It was an all-new production this year, and I think there were more children involved than ever before. I talked to parents backstage, and interestingly, although I thought the production was marvelous, the handful I talked to said they would not let their child participate again. Their complaint was that the new ballet director was not sensitive to children's schedules, and held them at rehearsals until 11:30 at night on school nights. The parents didn't feel that was necessary because most of the children are featured during the first act, and they should have been dismissed when they were done with their part of the show.

Snowy River

Light snow falling Saturday. This picture of the Boise River was taken from the third floor of the Morrison Center on the Boise State University campus. We were there for the Nutcracker.

Utility Box "Art"

An image on a utility box in downtown Boise.

Christmas Tree Sale Promo

Christmas trees are for sale in this lot. Most lots use giant inflatable snowmen or candy canes to get attention. This is the first time I've seen a pallet lifter machine-thing used, and it certainly worked because it got my attention. Um....they also sell tractors at this Christmas tree lot (see the background).

Official Tree for the City of Trees

This is the Boise City Christmas Tree in The Grove. It seems to have a string of lights that aren't working. And interesting that there's no one around. It was dark when I took this picture, but it still early in the evening, around 6 pm.

December Mountain View

My favorite spot to pull over and take a look at the mountains above Boise. Notice that the sage brush has turned brown, but there is still some green grass here and there because our temperatures haven't been super cold yet. A little bit of snow in the mountains. There should be more this time of year.

Blurry...so Maybe You Won't See

My husband took this picture of something we see every so often in Boise when in traffic. Do you see it/them? Maybe the picture is too blurry...then you're not really missing anything. A clue? They're usually not red. It's awkward when you have a child in the car who asks what it is. I told my daughter it was a punching bag. Maybe this is all just a "Boise thing."

Inside the Egyptian Theatre

We were at the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise twice yesterday. First, for rehearsal, then for the Opera Idaho Sings Christmas production. It's a theater that shows movies and stages music and small-scale plays and musical productions. Over the years, it's fallen into disrepair and been rescued a few times. The Egyptian opened its doors for the first time in 1927, complete with a pipe organ that is still there, and was used last night for the "sing along" ending of the show. More pictures of the interior at the "extras" page here.

Electric Christmas

This house is not too far from our place. Several houses on this street go all-out for Christmas lights. A couple more pictures on the extras site here. Although I'm a fan of simple white twinkle lights, my 7-year old daughter thinks this display is the BEST!

Twinkle Lights

We have seen some very elaborate Christmas light displays. We're going to do a night of photos soon. I'm always impressed, but my favorite holiday lighting is just regular, old twinkle lights.

Fog Hugging the Boise River

That bank of fog is hugging and hiding the Boise River. The water in the foreground fills an old gravel pit. Gravel has long been dug up near rivers in Idaho. This view is from the "first bench." The plateaus stepping up from the river are called "benches" in our town.

A Break in the Rain and Fog

A sunshine break after fog and rain. The United States flag today because my daughter is learning that "Betsy Ross" song that just about everyone learns in grade school.

Steamy Construction

Steam rising from concrete at a construction site yesterday morning. I believe this is going to be an assisted living facility. We've seen three of these go up in our area of town in the past year. It must be a big business...or it's going to be a big business as Baby Boomers age.

Foggy Morning in the City of Trees

Foggy mornings have greeted us a couple of times over the past week. The Boise Airport used to be known for more flight interruptions due to fog than any other airport, yes, even San Francisco. Boise now have equipment that has lowered the number of interruptions, and we haven't been socked in with serious long-term fog for at least three years. Maybe we'll get it this year! City Daily Photo "theme day" today is circles/spheres, I point to the hazy sun and its halo in this picture. More theme day photos here.

Tree Decorating

We spent the weekend doing Christmas things. Stringing up lights outside and putting up decorations inside, including the tree. The cats were evicted (see yesterday's post) so the ornaments and lights could go up. We use a fake tree. Some people think that is an awful thing to do, and I used to be one of those people. Then, at some point, the price of a fresh noble fir Christmas tree rose to around $60 - and that's when I changed my mind. I understand they're up to close to the $100 range now.

Happiest Day of the Year...for My Cats

We put up our Christmas Tree yesterday. My kitties are thankful every year that we put up a tree in the house for them to climb. I wire every ornament to the tree so they can't knock anything off. We're off to see the Holiday Parade today!

Boise's Giving Tree

A close up of the thousands of gift tags on the Boise City Christmas Tree in The Grove. Take a tag and fulfill the wish. There are requests for toys, art supplies, shoes and household basics.

Festival of Trees Open to the Public

I mentioned the "gala" in my post yesterday, which was a private party thing. The Festival of Trees opened its doors to the public yesterday. What a fun event! I took a lot of pictures, and rather than clog up the BDP site, I put them on an "extras" page here. There is a tree for Hilda at My Manila, Wayne at Vancouver Daily Photo, and Kris at This Will Hurt Me. It may be Thanksgiving today, but Christmas thoughts are swirling in my head after seeing so much creativity in decorating trees.

Festival of Trees Gala

Last night was the "gala" opening of the Festival of Trees. No, I was not invited, I was just lurking at the entrance. I think you have to own a fur coat to get on the invitation list. Festival of Trees is an annual fundraiser, which features professional - and amateur - decorated trees. Most are theme trees. I've even decorated a couple of trees for organizations over the years. The trees were auctioned last night for thousands and thousands of dollars. The public gets to see the trees, and the names of who ponied up the cash, tomorrow. My daughter will be singing with an Opera Idaho chorus as part of the entertainment at the festival.

More Art - with More Information

I was snooping on a follower of this blog yesterday, and the "starving artist" had entries about creating an interesting piece of outdoor art. And then, how strange, I was driving my daughter to her dental checkup, and there IT WAS. Now, I'm sharing with you. Read all about the artist here.

A Big Rusty Tulip

I figured before I posted any more public art, I'd better do some research and try to find out what's what by who. I got a public art brochure....and this one is not listed. Most of the pieces I've photographed aren't listed in the brochure. And I found one other piece in a different location than the brochure listed. It could have been moved. Artists: ask the city to update their public art marketing materials. I sent an email request for more updated info and haven't heard back. By the way, I think this piece looks like a tulip, and it can be found on 8th Street across from the Marketplace.

Pseudo Tornadoes

A glimpse of Boise's industrial zone. This pollution is more visible than normal because of a cold day, which meant steam, too. Thanks to my husband for catching this shot.

Irrigation Season is Over - Craw Fish Time

One of the canals that criss-crosses the valley. This puddle is probably rain leftovers because the canal water faucet was shut off in late September. This was the time of year in my hometown (north of Boise) where we would scour these puddles for craw fish and collect them in buckets. Yep, they were for eatin'.

I Really Don't Know What This Is

It's painted red, so it's related to fire fighting? It could be red just to make sure people see it, since it's in the middle of a sidewalk. Maybe you know?

Thursday is Laundry Day

This is a laundry line that I regularly see in my travels around Boise. I've never seen regular laundry on the line. This collection of rugs, a window and a bird feeder are the permanent fixtures. Click the picture to enlarge, and you'll see what that green ball is.

Overlooked Infrastructure

I know I've run across a couple of blogs where photographers "collect" these. This is a utility access cover in the 8th Street Marketplace, downtown Boise. "U.S. West Communications" was one of the "baby bell" phone companies. It was taken over by Qwest Communications close to ten years ago. These "man hole covers" are scoped out by my daughter, who is looking for a fancy one, like the one in the movie "Enchanted." Her verdict on this one: not fancy enough for princesses.

Abandoned Fire Truck

Maybe someone has plans to restore this old truck. I know there are collectors. Right now, it's just sitting in the mud and weeds near a field. Click the picture to enlarge - you might be able to identify the make and the model, and certainly, you will be able to note the state of decay.

Canada Geese All Facing the Same Direction

Geese all facing the same direction - except one that was looking at the photographer. These geese are in Ann Morrison Park. Jim at Terrell Daily Photo once commented on this blog that he had heard cows always face the same direction. I don't know if the same rumor is usually true for geese. Oh, and these are Canada geese. We blame Wayne at Vancouver Daily Photo when the birds get annoying .

Last Night's Sunset

Last night's sunset as we finished up our Saturday errands.

Bicycles Vs. Cars

There's been quite a bit of discussion recently about bicycles in traffic. I think more people are biking to work to save money on gas, and some drivers feel strongly that they shouldn't have to share the road. I think part of the problem in all of this is the bicycle riders get to follow different traffic rules than cars. It's legal for them to start out at an intersection before the stoplight turns green. Some use the crosswalk lights to get through intersections. They get exempted from one-way zones. I don't know if those things are good or bad, but I believe it leads to the misunderstandings and resentments between some bicyclists and drivers.

Car Passing on the Left...Passing...Still Passing

Another photo my husband took while out on Boise roads. An extra-long stretch limo. I know people in other cities see these all the time, we just don't. We see more tractors than limos.

Boise Drivers

My husband took this picture of interesting driving skills. It's probably not a good idea to stop at stoplights headed that direction, or try to change lanes at that moment?

"No Lawyers" Bar

A popular hang-out place on the Boise Bench - the Crescent Bar-Grill with their famous "No Lawyers" logo. This used to be a small dive bar on Orchard. The newer location is nearby on Franklin. It's large with a nice patio out back. Below is the sign at the old location. The business that moved into the old crescent location kept the sign - even though I'm not sure it makes sense for what the business is.