Capitol View from the Stueckle Sky Center

We attended the Boise Master Chorale performance at the Stueckle Sky Center last night, which is perched on top of the west side of the Boise State University stadium. Windows all around for views of most of the city, and the Bronco blue field.

The Candy Basket is Loaded

All ready for the trick-or-treaters tomorrow night! I BELIEVE in chocolate.

Party Time

Sharing all the bright colors of my daughter's birthday celebration this week. Many of these bags were filled with pet food. She asked for pet food donations for a foster care program, instead of gifts for herself. I'm so proud of her!

Colors All in a Row

More autumn vibrant colors in the City of Trees.

Mountain Snow

A zoom into the mountains to see the first-of-the-season snow.

Aerial Autumn View

Flying back into Boise yesterday afternoon....good to be home!

Busy, Busy, Busy

The squirrels have been busy scurrying through trees and yards, and burying goodies for a later lunch.

Hunter's Moon

The full moon this week - rising over trees ablaze with color.

Blue Heron Building Mascot

This sculpture is right outside the Blue Heron building along the Boise River, downtown. He looks happy .

October Sunrise Glow

A bit of cloud cover and smoke from prescribed burns in the mountains helped make this orange-y glow happen yesterday morning. Enjoy your weekend!

Mini Scarecrow

It's interesting that scarecrows are popular fall decor around here...but summer is when we need them to protect our gardens.

Maple Autumn Blaze

Some of the brightest fall colors in Boise come from maples - one hybrid is named "autumn blaze." First they turn red, then orange, then yellow.

River Birch Color

The river birches are quickly yellowing and dropping their leaves. Although they don't cycle through reds and oranges, they still put on a show.

Autumn in the City of Trees

We've had a couple of hard frosts, so now the trees are beginning to put on a show.

New Duck at the Pond

Here's another sign of autumn in our neighborhood: wigeons are hanging out in the park pond. They make cute squeaky noises.

Night on the Hill

The Centennial High School marching band's "night on the hill" performance earlier this week. Tonight, they suit up in uniforms and compete at Boise State University for the District III competition. Good luck!

Blog Action Day 2010: Water

This is the week most irrigation canals dry up as the spigot is turned off for the year. Boise is a semi-arid climate, and without irrigation, we wouldn't have much agriculture. Certainly, it would be expensive to water our yards with drinking-quality water. The water in the canal system comes from Boise River storage upstream. Originally, it was designed to water crops in our valley, but crops have been largely replaced by subdivisions over the past 15 years. Those subdivisions benefit from the agricultural water rights, and most of us pay a flat fee to use what feels like as much as we want through pressurized systems. The City of Boise encourages us to tap into the canal systems, so we don't "waste" treated drinking water.

But another reason to use the water has to do with water politics. If we, as in all the people tapping into the irrigation system, don't "use" all the allocation under the water right, then the warning is that "someone else downstream" may be able to take the water right away. So the City of Boise encourages us to use it up. This reasoning can seem odd to people in other parts of the country who don't have access to agricultural water rights/irrigation. They often don't believe me that government would encourage potentially wasteful use of a resource that's often scarce. Read more blog posts on the "water" topic from around the world by clicking here.

Soccer for Lunch

Lunch time soccer at Hewlett-Packard. The company has beautiful grounds, including walking/jogging pathways, ponds, disc golf, picnic shelters and children's play equipment.

Ghost Costumes for Veggies

Tomatoes covered with sheets and blankets to protect against frost. We've had two hard frosts, and covering the veggies can extend the growing season a few weeks.

First Frost

The roof of my friend Karen's house this morning. We even had a touch of frost on the grass. I imagine a lot of garden plants ended their season today.

Neighborhood Pumpkin Patch

We visited our neighborhood pumpkin patch over the weekend. Our local fire station grows all these pumpkins in the back lot to raise money for the Fallen Firefighter Memorial.

Not Your Mother's "Spice Sale"

On Wednesday, it's expected the governor will sign a "ban" on selling "spice" in Idaho. So I guess that's why it's on sale. Spice is promoted as incense that some people smoke to get high, because it contains marijuana-like substances.

Caturday-Saturday: A Really Big Kitty

I really like this Halloween decoration!

Autumn on The Grove

I'm surprised the fountain is still on at The Grove, but you'll notice it's not teeming with kids this time of year.

Take Your Daughter/Son to the Boise Hole Day

As proclaimed by those supporting the idea that the "Boise Hole" be turned into an urban park, today is "Take Your Daughter/Son to the Boise Hole Day." Here's my daughter at one of the gaps in the artwork designed to hide the hole. I think she's calling my husband to tell him that her crazy mom took her to look at a hole in the ground, and it's boring. Learn more about the park campaign, and the history of the hole, by clicking here.

End of the Irrigation Season

This sign is popping up at subdivision entrances around the valley. It means irrigation water many of us use for our yards and gardens is being shut off for the season. Average first frost date in Boise is October 5th or 6th. Don't know if we're going to get there yet.

Onion Harvesting Equipment

State-of-the-art onion harvesting equipment at work. This machine tops the onions and loads them into a truck. Click to enlarge to see the onions on the little elevators.

And Under the Kilt....

These kilted athletes were practicing at a local park over the weekend. The man on the far right was putting his kilt on over athletic shorts. So that answers that question?

Parking Lot Sunset

An after-dinner treat :)

What are You Going to "Be" for Halloween?

I like this Alice in Wonderland costume. I don't need a prop dog, though. This woman was dressed up for a street performance at the recent Boise Curb Cup.

Flag and Cross Display

I was angling to get a picture of the faded drugstore information on the side of this building downtown, and when I opened the file later, I noticed the bicentennial 13-star flag and cross on the top corner of the building. Update: Several people have told me this is a "Bennington Flag," not bicentennial.