Boise, ID

There is always one thing that makes the coming of fall a little more bearable as the waning days of summer make me feel like a little kid dreading the return of school days: college football. I love everything about football season. I love breaking out the school colors, barbequing gluttonous food, getting together with friends, watching the upsets, and drinking a couple beers. No matter where you are in the country, game day is always filled with enthusiasm and energy, and Boise State game day does not disappoint.

I have probably been to most every air show in the area for thirty plus some years. But one of the most spectacular and FREE events of the year is always held at Mountain Home Air Force Base. The last one was in 2005, so watch the papers during the summer. It’s something you won’t want to miss!!

This year, Gunfighter Skies-2008 commenced on Saturday Sept. 13th and ended on Sunday, the 14th. (Something to note on future events…(Usually the Thunderbirds only perform the full show, during the last day)!

Saturday morning was not a good time to arise out of bed at 4:00AM, but it was my usual wake up time for my work as a bus driver. Saturday found me preparing to run a shuttle bus for the Art in the Park festivities down at Julia Davis Park. The park, hosts artists from all over the Northwest, who sell their wares at the three day event. Food and entertainment are also had and proceeds beneift the Boise Art Museum. The event is held the week after Labor Day, Sat.-Sun.

If you see a white rabbit hopping through Boise this weekend, you might want to follow him down the hole (or up the hill, as the case may be) so you won’t be late, late, for a very important date. It’s almost time for the Mad Hatter Tea Party at the Idaho Botanical Garden, and [...]

On the first and third Tuesday morning and Wednesday afternoon of each month, the Deerflat National Wildlife Refuge hosts a story, craft, and snack time called “Reading at the Refuge” free of charge for kids at the visitors’ center. On July’s first Tuesday I decided it was time to revisit the Refuge. It’s been awhile [...]

Call it Murphy’s Law or just bad luck, but it seems to have become an annual tradition in our family that we plan to attend the Canyon County Fair, decide which day to go, get the kids all excited, and then have things go wrong all day before we can actually get out the door. [...]

We headed straight for the best part of the natural hot spring, which lies just beyond the curve of the cliff. Getting to it can be a challenge and more so if you don’t have the right shoes. One must brave the chilly river waters or else take a long way over the cliff and attempt to mountain goat their way down some unstable rocks. The river can be deep in spots, but a thoughtful citizen has made a path of large stones through the more difficult parts. The pool its self is about ten feet by six feet worth of calf-deep water that’s just the right temperature. A small waterfall that originates at the top of the cliff feeds the pool.

While flipping through my copy of the Boise Weekly one afternoon in late June, I came across an ad for the 8th Annual Star Party at Bogus Basin. The event was free and as my cohorts and I were feeling skint, (as many teenagers find themselves in the summer months) we decided to check it out, pitching in for gas money and heading up to the Boise National Forest for an evening of star gazing. I myself not a huge winter sport enthusiast was excited to go take a look at the Bogus ski resort I had heard so much about over the years.

Late in the school year, this past season, I was fortunate to transport several classes of Boise High School students to Peak Fitness, located a the south end of 25th St. The address is 308 S. 25th, next to I-84.

Around 10:00AM, one class of Boise High students, numbering about 30 or so, clambered aboard my bus. Along with the students, one Physical Ed teacher. My paperwork said it was a charter to Peak Fitness. From the name, I thought it was something like Gold’s Gym.

I made a joke with the teacher to the effect, that some of the football sized students didn’t look like they needed to lift anymore weights. He had a good laugh at my expense, then told me that Peak Fitness, was an indoor rock climbing wall.

The wife and I weren’t exactly sure what to do about Fourth of July Fireworks. Should we go to Melba, where we had watched the parade earlier in the day, or head on over to Ann Morrison Park that was closer to the house in Boise, or just stay home. As with the parade, we opted for Melba again. We just like that good ol’ small town feel of the area and the people in it.

Since we don’t have the kids or grandkids around anymore, their wasn’t much sense in spending the day at Melba doing kid things after the parade-so we came back to Boise. Knowing the show would start at 10:30PM, we decided to leave home around 7:30PM so we could set up our lawn chairs near our usual spot on the Melba School field.