BSU Bronco Country

A yummy sign of Boise State University Bronco football pride - a giant Rice Krispy treat! A tailgate fan dreamed up this creation a couple of years ago, pre-Fiesta Bowl fame. She said each letter was a giant tray of the marshmallow goody, and then she cut out the letters and spiffed up the details. Impressive! I used to get to tour the tailgating fun each season for work reasons and saw lots of Bronco support via the food, including a football-shaped lobster roll complete with Bronco colors. I didn't have a camera with me that day, though. I did have my own plate - and I still think about how delicious that lobster roll was!

The High Wheel Boise Bicycle Man

We see this high wheel bike rider every so often on the Boise Bench and West Boise. My husband got this quick pic with his cell phone. I don't think I've ever had a camera handy when I've seen him - or maybe there is more more than just one high wheel bike enthusiast in Boise? There are clubs for high wheel riders. I've also seen a high wheel bike propped up against a pillar at Barnes and Noble. They don't fit in bike racks. And I've always wondered how the whole getting on and getting going process works.

More Rain in the Boise Desert

More rain....lots of wind....and more snow in the mountains above town. We just got word that the canals will be filled Monday, although we're not needing to tap into the irrigation system quite yet. Most of our homes in surburbia use pressurized irrigation sprinkler systems. Our subdivisions have water rights to the irrigation water because they used to be farmland. The water seems free to use. There is a small charge for all the water we can use during the irrigation season, but we don't notice because it's in our homeowners dues, which aren't very much in the first place. The only days we don't have water are Saturday mornings because a farm upstream from our subdvision takes all the flow for flood irrigation that day. Sound so rural - but it's all within the Boise City limits.

Balloon View of Ann Morrison Park

I have another photo from my archives to share today, as the rain and cold continue to keep me home. This is a picture of Ann Morrison Park taken from an hot air balloon. My husband took this picture when he got a ride during the balloon festival. We used to have big celebrations of the Boise River, which runs through town, and hot air balloons - festivals that didn't make any money so they're gone. The park is named after the wife of Harry Morrison, founder of Morrison Knudsen. It's 145 acres, has a very large, unique fountain in the middle and a play area for kids along the Boise River - which is on the right side. The water on the left is mostly for ducks, and the ducks love attention and free food. There are tennis courts, disc golf, volleyball courts - and the Greenbelt pathway runs through it all along the river. This is our favorite park. My daughter calls it "The Downtown Park" - even though Boise has several just-as-large downtown parks.

Boise "Train" Depot

This Boise Depot - which used to be called the train depot, back when passenger trains really did stop in Boise. It's a building that is a Spanish mission-type style, not very accessible to the public - although it is a public building owned by the city. I've been inside twice, once for a Christmas party, and once for an event to kick off a fundraising fun run/walk. And really, I think the outside and surrounding grounds are more interesting and beautiful. I'll have pictures to show off in the coming days. The photo above is from several summers ago, no, we don't have roses blooming in Boise yet. Just a few daffodils and early tulips.

Dreaming of a Boise Summer

Spring sprung and now we have a chance of snow showers in the forecast for the rest of the week. Good news for spring breakers who ski, though. The picture above is from The Grove, downtown Boise, in the summertime. Kids play in the fountain whether in swim gear or not. The fountain seemed unique when it was built, I think that was 1987. Now, I see similiar "splash pads" in subdivisions, parks and shopping centers when I visit Arizona.

Library Punctuation

Here is the main branch of our public library, downtown Boise. Several years back, the exclamation point was added - paid for by a local company. An exclamation point on a library? How outrageous! That was the gist of the controversy that followed...a controversy that just faded away as everyone got used to seeing punctuation on a building.

Playground in Secret

Look at this playground. This is another tucked away gem in Boise, a park only found after winding through a subdivision. There are some local day camps for kids hosted here during the summer. In the early spring, not much is going on as you can see. Not a child in sight!

Happy Easter and Famous Potatoes

Happy Easter! Here is our beautiful standard license plate design, unveiled for the state centennial celebration. At that time - it had a centennial note at the bottom, and the potato lobby was not pleased. When state leaders decided to keep the design and make it the standard plate, they put the "famous potatoes" back on the bottom of the plate. For those of us who are over the hokey association, a license plate holder neatly covers up the phrase.

A Just Ducky Saturday

These little duckies were feasting in the grass at one of the many tucked away parks in the middle of subdivisions. There aren't the mallards we usually see all summer all over town. I'm not a duck expert, though, so I just call them "cute" - and they make little squeaky sounds instead of "regular duck" sounds.

The View While Running Errands

I snapped this picture out of my car window while running to the nearby shopping area for a few errands. It makes Boise look much more rural than it actually is! But that view of the Boise Front and mountains is what most of us see every day. When the snow melts, they get a greenish tinge, but then go straight to brown until they are snow-covered again.

First Post - First Day of Spring

Happy First Day of Spring! And Welcome to Boise, Idaho.

Paris Daily Photo inspired me to share the Boise world with the world.

I jumped on the thought before I exactly had any good Boise photos to share. So I'll start with this photo of my favorite mug filled with my favorite home-brewed latte. The mug features a picture of Boise as I first remember it - without all the big buildings we have today. Well, big for Idaho....

I will take requests for photos of Boise sites. Maybe you haven't been here for a while and want to see how things have changed. Maybe you want to check it out because you're thinking of visiting. Let me know.