Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Looking Into Boise from the East Foothills
Sunday, April 27, 2008
The Boise Snow Line is Rising

Labels:
Boise,
melting,
mountains,
snow-covered
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Chickens of Boise

Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Cows of Boise

Art in the Parking Lot

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
An Isolated Ice Storm?

Labels:
Boise,
Boise River,
freeze,
fruit trees,
ice,
ice storm
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Boise River Creeping Up its Banks

Monday, April 21, 2008
Gas Up at the Stinker

Labels:
Boise,
burma shave,
skunk,
stinker station
Sunday, April 20, 2008
This Used To Be Idaho's Tallest Building

Labels:
Boise,
downtown,
historic building,
Idanha,
tallest building
Saturday, April 19, 2008
“The Torch” – Legendary Inventor of Finger Steaks

Friday, April 18, 2008
Boise River Surge

I'll be posting Boise River photos throughout the weekend because the river is supposed to rise quite a bit. Those in charge of the spigots at the dams upstream are opening them wide. River flows where I took this photo will soon be around 1,500 cfs (cubic feet per second) - so a warning has been issued to stay out of the water. Although, it might entice the hardcore kayakers. But standing in the middle of the river to fish is not advised. A downside for the wildlife is that some ducks and Canada geese that nested along the banks may find their nests and eggs washed away. Those with homes along the river shouldn't see any major problems, the "real" flood stage for the river is somewhere around 7,000 cfs, although with all the development along the river in the Eagle area in recent years, I'm sure some of the giant homes would be flooded long before the river reached that stage. Compare water levels in this picture with April 3 here, it's always easier for me to look along the bank to see the difference. The bit of gravel and shrubs in the middle is not the other bank, it's just a little gravel bar-island - there are lots of those in the river.
Labels:
Boise,
Boise River,
flooding,
rising water
Thursday, April 17, 2008
“Delsa’s Ice Cream Parlour” – CLOSED

Labels:
Boise,
construction,
ice cream,
parlor,
Ustick
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Obvious How Table Rock Got Its Name

Labels:
Boise,
mountains,
quarry,
sandstone,
snow-covered,
Table Rock
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Five Mile Sunset

Monday, April 14, 2008
This Snowy View May Not Last Much Longer

The snow-capped mountains may not be in our view shed much longer. Boise's high temperature was 81 degrees yesterday, and the snow line in the view has risen. The warmer temperatures have greened things up in the valley, most trees are still without leaves, though. This picture was taken from along McMillan Road. This section doesn't have curbs or sidewalks on the north side of the street, and there is a canal running along the road.
Labels:
Boise,
mountains,
snow-covered,
spring
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Welcome to Boise from I-84

I don't drive on the I-84 highway very often, it's big through Boise until right after Overland, then it "skinnies" to two lanes in both directions - although they're going to expand it soon. This is approaching from the west. Traffic moves fast (for me) on the interstate. The speed limit is 65, so drivers cruise closer to 75 if traffic isn't heavy. If that overpass wasn't "in the way," you'd see the mountains again, kinda. We had warmer temperatures, so the haze I have mentioned in other posts appeared. The mountain views became more blurry throughout the day.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Another "Mountain View"

Labels:
Boise,
frost,
gardening,
mountains,
snow-covered
Friday, April 11, 2008
The Water is Here!

It's not very pretty, but this is the water that will nourish our yards and gardens starting this week. And water farms further downstream. I happened to drive by just as the water was turned on for the canal system in my area of Boise. You can see bits of dead plants and trash in this photo, people were standing near the grills and gates downstream to fish out the debris. This particular canal is not lined with concrete, it's just a dirt trench. Canals criss-cross town and most of the state - Idaho is the most irrigated state in the nation. I remember being totally surprised when driving across the country that all those farm fields in the Midwest didn't have any canals, ditches or giant sprinkler systems, I always thought that was the only way to farm. People die in these canals every year. They think it looks like a nice place to swim, but the appeal is deceiving. The water is always very cold, it moves very fast and the banks are steep - making it hard to get out. About twenty years ago, kids would tie boards to canal bridges and "boogie board surf" against the current. I think a law was passed to try to stop that.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hyatt Wetlands Waiting for Spring

This is the view folks using the fairly-new Maple Grove connection off the Boise Bench see. Hyatt Wetlands used to be only a private view for the folks who live in the subdivision lining the area - which wasn't such a grand view in the past, when the area was a gravel mine pit. The wetlands naturally restored themselves a bit when the mining was done, then serious rehab work took place. I always remember a panicked story about the area about five years ago. Someone who lives in one of those houses overlooking the wetlands called 9-1-1 to report that a man had been seen walking into the wetlands with a baby in his arms and a shovel, and he walked out without the baby. Searching went on for days with volunteers and trained dogs but nothing was ever found. The man was also never located - it's forever a mystery.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
April Snow Showers Bring....

Going to the...Opera?
A mega theater along I-84, 21 screens inside. We went out to the theater complex to visit Goody's, an ice cream and candy shop, and look at the cute fountain in the plaza. Goody's is out of business at that location. The fountain was dry. Businesses across from the theater seem to have a tough time making it, except for Pronto Pup. My last visit to Edwards 21 was a few weeks back, and I wasn't there to see a movie. I was there to see the simulcast of the Met Opera's performance of Hansel and Gretel. That shanty-looking shelter in front of the theater is for sound system setups, I think. I've seen promotions that they have outdoor events in the plaza. We woke up to snow in Boise this morning - so there will be a second daily photo posting later this morning!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Burnin' Down the House

Monday, April 7, 2008
Historic Boise Children's Home
The Boise Children's Home on Warm Springs Avenue. It used to be an orphanage, and served that role until 1966. There are people I know who grew up there, and they weren't true "orphans." They were shipped there by their parents for various reasons - they were too much trouble, the family didn't have money, that sort of thing. When the foster care system was developed, the Children's Home role was phased out. The building is now home to counseling services for children and training for those who help children. The building's cornerstone was laid 100 years ago - May 1908. The sandstone used for the building came from the Table Rock quarry, just as did the sandstone used for the State Capitol.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
The East Boise Foothills
Labels:
Boise,
hiking,
Native American,
Table Rock,
trails
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The West Edge of the Boise Foothills

Another cloudy, dark day in Boise. This is a shot of the west edge of the Boise Foothills. We'll be going up to the central and east side today. The homes on the ridge are big - at least 3,000 square feet and up. The scrub and grass hillsides match up with what the desert south of town looks like. Unless a tree is deliberately planted, it doesn't grow naturally in these areas. Cloud cover obscures the mountains beyond, normally, you can see the "tree line" - where mostly evergreens grow.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Sign of Spring in Boise, and a "Get to Work" Sign

Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Boise River at Breakfast
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A "little" Bit of Color Along the Boise River

I was walking on the Greenbelt along the Boise River yesterday...just looking for some color. Everything looks monotone right now as we wait for the real spring (the rumor is it might warm to 70 degrees this weekend - that'd do it). I found a little bit of scruffy green grass and a lonely mallard along the river bank.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Boise Puzzle Favorite

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