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To access this fantastic, energy-burning activity, we headed to the Meridian exit and Boondocks, I mean Wahooz! (Forgive those of us who have lived here since the place came into existence. We aren’t likely to remember the new name anytime soon!) Heading in, we made our way through all the arcade games to the ticket counter where my husband purchased entrance to the Kiddie Cove as well as a few arcade tickets. The Kiddie Cove consists of a giant, netted climbing apparatus, complete with slides at the top, a rope swing, and plenty of place to just climb and bounce and make friends with the other kids’ whose parents had to get them out of the house. Although there is a height limit to play on this amazing creation, parents, including myself, have been known to climb up in it to rescue children who need it for whatever reason. The time I went up was to show my son how to get through the maze to the slide as he couldn’t quite figure it out. I must say, it was pretty fun, and the slide was fast and a blast.

This particular night as I sat on one of the benches keeping an eye on things, I wound up in a conversation with another Mom, who, as it turns out, kind of knew me. As we chatted we found out we have many mutual acquaintances as well as similar interests and even careers so we gabbed for a good long time. Eventually my kids went and did some games, earning some prize tickets, and our new friends invited us to go out for ice-cream. As we both live in Caldwell, we decided to hit Arctic Circle there, where the shakes are really good and there is a giant whale for the kids to climb and slide on. Hey, if we’re going to let them stay up late and burn off the cabin fever, we might as well really do it up right!

It was probably close to 11:00 by the time we got home and got the tired munchkins to bed—not something I recommend very often, but for a special treat it was fun. No matter what it’s called, this place will always be a favorite with my kids, I’m guessing, and making new friends was definitely an added bonus on this outing.

In addition to the Kiddie Cove, which is really for small children, there is Laser Tag and the Max Flight Similator, and an outdoor mini-golf course, go-karts, batting cages, and bumper boats. There is a variety of food available for purchase, and they offer birthday party packages. (Read more about these other activity options here.)  I understand that Roaring Springs, the water park next door, has purchased the place (hence the name change). For more info, go to the website or phone 898-0900.  This fun zone is located right off the freeway at the Meridian exit and is easy to spot.

Arriving before anyone else in our group, we first made a pit stop and then hung around the entrance area awaiting everyone else. It was there that we discovered the very smart robotic arm. On a computer, we typed in my daughter’s name. Then we watched in amazement as the arm swung around inside its case picking up lettered building blocks from seemingly random placements and placing them in the front to spell out “Anna.” Of course when it had finished we had to start over and spell my son’s name as well.

Once everyone arrived and we had paid our group admission, we spread out through the museum to check out all the “cool stuff.” Like any science activity museum, there is a large assortment of hands-on activities that illustrate various scientific fascinations, from the pulley-system and air brake chair in the lobby, to the GIANT bubble making apparatus, to the bed of nails that you lie on, and much more. One of the current changing exhibits at the time had to do with construction so several large boxes contained wooden pieces with which to construct buildings or whatever struck your fancy. Then, of course, there was the grocery store. Outfitted with plenty of child-sized carts, shelves of groceries (empty mayo jars, honey bottles, cleaning supplies, etc), and plastic produce, bread, and meat displays, it’s really a paradise for kids who love to shop. There are even checkout counters with crank-able conveyor belts and cash registers. At the entrance there is a display with shopping lists and plastic money, although much of that seems to have disappeared. My kids and some of their friends spent a good deal of time in this fun activity, as I knew would be the case.

Finally exhausting the grocery fun, we meandered through some of the other exhibits and visited with our homeschooling friends until we had to head home for a doctors’ appointment. Some of the rest of our group had decided to bring lunches and head to nearby Municipal Park for a cool but sunny fall day picnic, which sounded like a lot of fun but this time we had previous engagements.

As always, it was a fun and educational way to spend a couple of hours. I was really impressed with their group rate program as well. As a school group we got in for a huge discount and had the option of attending one of their special classes. The people there were really nice to work with in arranging this outing as well. Another thing we recently discovered is that there is a group of over 200 science museums around the world that offer reciprocal entrances to people who hold annual memberships to any one of the museums. The Discovery Center of Idaho is one of these and the entire list can be found at www.astc.org. In addition, DCI is available for birthday party rental, with optional demonstrations such as “Liquid Nitrogen Ice-Cream,” “Slime,” and “Dino Dig.”

For more info on the Discovery Center, check out their website, www.scidaho.org or phone 343-9895. It is located at 131 Myrtle near Julia Davis Park in Boise.

“Well,” said my husband. “Do you want to do anything special today on your birthday?” My first response was “Oh, I don’t know. We don’t need to do anything. I have plenty to do here.” Then my more adventuresome side kicked in and I said, “You know, it would be a good excuse to visit something in the area that we haven’t taken time for.” With that I pulled out the file of “day trips” that I have been saving since we moved to Caldwell. My choice for the day was the Basque Museum in Boise. The Basque sheepherders had always held a certain interest for me and having a Basque boss a number of years only added to my curiosity about this special group. But life had kept me from pursuing that interest. Fortunately we are between inversion gray days and the drive to Boise in the sunshine was a welcome winter outing.

 The Basque Museum is close to a cluster of museums right off Capitol Blvd. in downtown Boise – 611 Grove Ave. – to be exact. It is easily reached taking the connector off I-84 toward town which becomes Myrtle St. Take a left on 5th Ave.  In about 4 blocks you will be at Grove and the area that includes Basque restaurants, a Basque market with deli, the Basque Culture Center, the Museum and the oldest brick house in Boise which in the early 1900’s became a boarding house for Basque sheepherders during the off-season.
Even the sidewalk in the area catches your attention. Carved into the concrete are the scores and lyrics of Basque songs and other important symbols. Unfortunately during the winter months, the boarding house is only open for tours on Saturday so we were limited to viewing it from the sidewalk and taking note of one of the four “arbolas” or trees that have had significance in Idaho Basque history. One of the songs on the sidewalk was about the tree, Gernika arbola – a song equivalent to our song “America the Beautiful.”

Entering the well-kept Museum, we were greeted by a friendly face and voice. Being the middle of a Wednesday, we were the only patrons and the museum administrator had extra time to chat and answer our questions as we browsed the gift shop. The contents were much better than the usual foreign-made souvenir racks in many places. I fell in love with the wall plaques and sculptures. Books, CDs, tee-shirts and many other things of interest were there as well. But we didn’t go to shop. The gift shop is just a few steps from the interpretive museum.

In the museum, easy to read wall plaques give concise history to match the displays. Much to my surprise, sheepherding was one of those occupations that immigrants often fall into because they desperately need a job to sustain themselves and send money home. I couldn’t help but chuckle at one of the quotes on the plaque, “I herded sheep for 6 years and never liked it. But what else could I have done . . .There was absolutely nothing to do but chase those stupid, idiotic, filthy sheep day and night 7 days a week for 365 days a year.” For those of us from the era of 40’ luxury motor homes, the sheepherders wagon looked cramped. Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, one of the standard issues on the supply list for a wagon was 4 gallons of wine. But the wagon did look like it could be kept reasonably comfortable on a frosty spring morning by using the wood stove.

The current exhibit illustrates the importance of ship building and whaling as occupations for the Basque people. The ships on which Columbus sailed were built by Basque shipbuilders and the crew included Basque sailors. Basque whalers date back to the 15th and 16th centuries and many of the techniques they developed continued to be used suring later whaling ventures which are more well known historically. Whale oil was incredibly valuable for providing light for European homes. A barrel of whale oil could command the current US equivalent of $3000 or considerably more. With several hundred barrels on board, a load could bring in today’s equivalent of $13 million plus. Informative displays, including a video, talk about archeology especially in a Labrador bay, the building of the barrels – wooden staves with wooden bands, the rendering of the oil and other products from the whales, the construction of the ships, and the challenge to the men and their families with the long separations. Much of the whaling was done in the north Atlantic off the coast of Labrador under dangerous conditions. Many men never made it back to their home in Spain. In fact some of the best records that help us to understand the history of Basque migration to Canada come from the wills that were left by the men.

The museum is open Tuesday – Saturday. Admission is reasonable – today it was $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors, $2.00 for children 6-12 and under 6, free. An online check, www.basquemuseum.com or a phone call, 208-336-2671, close to the time you want to go would probably be a good safety net for accurate hours and admission fees and what exhibit is currently on display. Presently, on First Thursdays the museum and home are open in the evening and free. I wouldn’t recommend this outing for children younger than middle or high school as there isn’t too much to keep the interest of younger ones. But I definitely will keep it in mind for a return visit as well as a place to share with out of town visitors. A return trip to the area to eat at one of several ethnic and interesting-sounding restaurants is in my future, and I will be watching even more closely for information about Basque dancing events so that hopefully we can attend. Another immediate outing needs to be the local library for more about this fascinating culture.

The incessant fog, a.k.a. inversion that has been plaguing the Treasure Valley and hiding the sun for the past two weeks finally seems to have blown off to some other unsuspecting location, but never fear. At some point it will be back, and when it is, you may be able to soak in a little Vitamin D for an afternoon without jetting off to Arizona. My family is not into downhill skiing, but almost every year we find ourselves making the trek up the mountain to Bogus Basin in search of the sun. Such was the case a week ago, when my husband declared he couldn’t stand it a minute longer and loaded us all up to climb through, and hopefully out of, the fog.

As we motored up that curvy road out of Boise, I remembered once again that I don’t particularly care for that drive, what with its many twists and turns and real possibility of slippery spots. However, I tried to relax and enjoy the scenery. Although gray and bleak as far as general atmosphere, all of the trees and plethora of sagebrush captured my attention. Every branch and twig had crystallized with freezing fog and shimmered, as much as anything could shimmer without visible sunlight, in icy beauty. Soon though I noticed that rather than getting thinner, the fog seemed to thicken and swirl around us like a charcoal gray shroud. I mentioned this to my husband, who assured me we just had to get through it and would soon break free. Sure enough, by the time we reached the top, all of the foggy dreariness lay below us like a blanket, while above, the sun shone radiantly in an azure blue sky.

Looking out over the valley from Bogus on a day like this one is a surreal experience. That blanket of clouds and fog looks like an ocean, with the various mountain peaks and rocks that poke up out of it appearing as islands. It was already well into mid-afternoon by the time we arrived so the sun had definitely begun its westward descent, gleaming through the pine trees and sparkling off the snow.

Lots of people had taken to the mountain that afternoon and the parking lot was full. We finally found a place down near the Nordic lodge and let the kids out to explore and watch the cross-country skiers and snow-shoers. They soon made a game of jumping around in the snow and even sliding down a little—very little—hill into a large “hole.” My husband went inside to see if he could get any info for future reference about rental prices for cross-country skiing and the trails, but wasn’t very successful as he didn’t feel like bucking the crowds. We figured we could look it up online when we got home as it seems like something we might be interested in trying sometime. Meanwhile our very sanguine daughter met another possibly even more sanguine little girl just as we spotted some other friends who had come up to do some cross country with their three girls. One of their daughters has the same name as the newly met friend so my kids thought it was pretty funny to introduce them to each other.

We visited a little while but soon had to be on our way as our daughter had a piano recital to play in. We rounded up the kids, finally got situated in the car, broke out the snacks, and headed back to the land of Drab. As we exited the parking lot we stopped to watch the tubers on the tubing hill. Our son was fascinated both with the chairlift for skiers and the tow line for those inner tubing. Our daughter is convinced she needs to learn to ski. At 6 ½ it’s beyond all comprehension that something can be harder than it looks, not to mention much more expensive!

Descending back to the valley, we literally came upon a line—one side, no fog. The other side, nothing but inversion. Oh well, at least we had proven the sun did still exist, as I pointed out to my doubtful mother later that evening by showing her the pictures on my digital camera. Maybe it would be enough to carry us through seemingly unending dreary days to follow.

If you want to hit the mountain but would like to actually do something while you are there, check out the website: www.bogusbasin.org. And one disclaimer—you don’t ALWAYS find the sun up there. Some friends went up to ski this past Friday while we still endured the inversion, and the storm was starting to move in so they skied mostly in fog, disappointed not to see the sun. Maybe sometimes you really do just have to catch a plane to warmer climes when things get too desperate.

I realize that to the majority of the Treasure Valley population Caldwell is not a hot spot for entertainment, and many of us out here in the western end of the valley regularly drive into Boise for shopping, concerts, events, dining, etc., although that has changed some recently with many stores and restaurants moving out this direction. All of that being said, however, we Caldwellians can definitely be proud of our Christmas spirit. From the annual night light parade to the hundreds of sparkling Christmas lights bedecking the trees along the newly redeveloped Indian Creek greenbelt, Christmas is in the air!

The 2008 Parade night came around last Saturday night so we wrestled the kids into lots of layers of clothing, topped with warm coats, scarves, gloves, and hats, buckled them in the car, made a quick stop to pick up Grandma, and went in search of a parking place somewhere near the parade route. We found a spot easily enough and spread out our blanket on the curb to wait. I gave the kids bags for candy, commenting that they probably shouldn’t expect to get a lot since it seems that candy throwing has been on the decrease in recent years and this year with the economic situation, participants would probably be even less likely to break the bank on sugary treats. A few minutes later, people started to fill in the spot directly in front of us and we decided we had better move off the curb and up to the “front row,” partly to make sure we could see but mostly so we didn’t have to listen to my daughter fret very vocally about the situation.

Finally the first emergency vehicles ambled slowly down the street, lights flashing, leading a l-o-n-g line of floats and decorated vehicles past the excited crowd. Parade participants had represented the theme, “Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes” in a variety of festive ways, including several floats carrying mattresses and kids in pj’s, a couple of Santas and a Mrs. Claus, lots of lights and large lighted Christmas packages, and even an enormous Christmas stocking full of gifts that was intriguing for its running down the street apparently unmanned. It stood alone on its own wheels and no person or vehicle was visible to guide it along the route.

Of course there were the usual assortment of radio station vans, some lit up with Christmas lights. Also floats with people singing. And no parade is complete without a marching band. This one had two, their performers each wrapped in Christmas lights and many touting instruments decked out in glow sticks.

All in all, it was a fantastic show, especially for the price! The parade lasted a good 45 minutes. And was I ever wrong about the candy! The kids came home with a more-than-sufficient stash, much more than I had expected.

The Night Light Parade was actually the culmination of several holiday events in town. The festivities began before Thanksgiving with the city Christmas tree lighting and some family holiday fun at the train depot downtown. Then the day of the parade, the fun began mid-afternoon at the fire station where Santa appeared for pictures with the kids. The parade itself started at O’Connor Field House at the Canyon County Fairgrounds and one of the announcers from Christian radio station 89.5 KTSY was there MC’ing the parade and whatever other things they had going on there. We didn’t get to any of those things so I can’t speak personally about how they went, but they all sounded like fun.
Obviously all of these events are over for this year. However, the Indian Creek walkway is still lit up to beat the band and will be all season. If you live anywhere somewhat close to Caldwell, it’s definitely worth checking out. On a nice evening (i.e. anytime it’s not raining or windy), bundle up the family (or your date!) and go for an after-dark stroll. All of the trees are aglow, as well as a few lawn-style adornments featuring penguins engaged in various winter activities. The bridges are also radiant, and you can’t miss the city tree covered in A LOT of lights and standing tall and proud. The depot also features a lighted train, complete with Winnie the Pooh and friends.

To get there take the 10th Avenue exit (#28) and head into Caldwell. Turn west at Arthur or Blaine and go down to about 5th or somewhere along in there, look for a parking spot, and enjoy a stroll. It’s fun for families, or could be part of a romantic evening without kids. When you’re ready to head home or out for a warm treat somewhere, you can take a quick pass on up 10th about a mile and drive along the golf course where about 20 large trees line both sides of the street and are beautifully lighted for Christmas time.

All in all there are plenty of economical options for holiday fun, even in small towns. And here’s the best part. Now you can tell the world what’s so great about your little corner of the valley, whether it be for Christmas time fun, other featured events, or anytime attractions. Your fellow Treasure Valley residents want to know what you recommend as something that’s great to do in our area.  Just click on “contribute” at boise.onethousandthingstodo.com

In the meantime, here are a couple more ideas—things we have done in the past but haven’t necessarily gotten to this year. Winter Gardens Aglow at the Botanical Gardens is fantastic. The holiday lights tour is also lots of fun. So get out and enjoy some Christmas spirit. If you take your camera along, write about it and send it to onethousandthingstodo.com and we’ll post it. Together we can get to ONE THOUSAND in our list of one thousand things to do, and build on an already great sense of community in our area. Happy Holidays!!

For some reason, my husband and I have this goal to someday make it to Atlanta, Idaho, just so we can say we have I guess. We didn’t get a very early start, but we decided to head that direction anyway and see how far we got. Heading out past Lucky Peak damn, we took a left at the sign pointing to Atlanta and headed off on a winding gravel road that took us along Arrow Rock Reservoir.

Near the beginning of this road there is a large beach area where you can camp, fish, or put a boat in. It was kind of funny to drive down right to the water’s edge, and the kids enjoyed getting out and throwing rocks for a few minutes. An outhouse was also available at this point, and they are few and far between on a road like this. After this brief stop we continued the very adventurous drive. Pretty, yes. Safe, well I didn’t really feel so. It’s a narrow road and there was quite a lot of traffic up there, mostly hunters probably. Most of the way, there is a significant drop off between the road the water. There are many curves where you can’t see what might be coming from the other direction until you are about to meet face to face, at which point there is no place to get over far enough for both vehicles to pass. So this is the part of the trip I did not enjoy so much. Eventually, however, we came to a place where we could either keep heading for Atlanta, or turn off toward Prairie. We opted for the latter, since at this point we were already quickly approaching sunset and I was definitely not in favor of taking this trip in reverse after dark.

Even in the “scary” parts, the drive was beautiful and we did finally get into brush and trees glowing in autumn hues of golds and reds. After the turnoff to Prairie, we also found a good place to pull off and picnic on the side of a hill that we shared with some open range cattle—they weren’t interested in our hotdogs and pumpkin cake, however and ambled off and away from the human invaders of their turf.

A beautiful sunset capped off our meal and sent us packing back into the car to continue the drive. Not too much farther down the road we passed through the great metropolis of Prairie and began descending the other side of the mountain. Thankfully there were no grand precipices on this road, though being out in the mountains there was also no light whatsoever. Surprisingly, at one point we did pass a semi truck and trailer heading up the mountain in the dark. To keep us all entertained I began a sensational story about a whistle pig family (don’t ask!) that lasted the entire hour it took us to descend back to the valley. Just before re-entering civilization my husband stopped the car for all of us to pile out and look at the amazingly starry heavens, blazing in the light of millions of glittering stars not visible when in town. That definitely put a magnificent and awe-inspiring touch to the end of our adventure! Afterwards, I finally finished my amazing tale just about the time we passed the airport, having to decline to tell another one if for no other reason than that by that point my voice was beginning to desert me.

At the conclusion of the story, my husband I conferred quickly and quietly and decided to cap off the evening the same way we did last year, with a stop at Krispy Kreme for some doughnuts. Yum! A sweet ending to our mountain adventure, and another rousing success for this favorite family tradition.

To take your own mountain drive, head off out of Lucky Peak, Mountain Home, or just about any place where there’s a road that aims for the mountains. An Idaho Gazetteer (a special atlas-style map that shows all parts of the state in good detail) is a handy reference to give you a good place to start, and to keep you from getting completely lost somewhere in Idaho’s mountain wilderness. There is a lot of beautiful scenery within one tank of gas from your backyard, and getting out of town even for an afternoon is both invigorating and restful.

It never seems to fail that we can go several weeks with no special weekend plans and then all of a sudden, have a weekend where there are four things we’d like to do at the same time. Such was the case recently when we had church events for part of a day, had planned to attend a community harvest party, and then received a last-minute invitation from friends. Since the friends’ invitation was to a party that was a farewell to another friend leaving for a three year stint to a foreign country, we decided to go with that option.

The party was to be held at the home of some friends of the friends who had invited us, and they live near Bruneau Dunes. In case you might not know where that is, it’s the other side of Mountain Home, which itself is about 50 miles east of Boise, so we aren’t talking about going around the block. Our friends had given us directions and my husband had Mapquested it so we knew where we were going. However, when we headed out and called to say that we were actually on our way, the husband of the friend who had given the original directions wanted to be sure we knew what to do, so proceeded to give me a lengthy description of exactly what turns to make, what landmarks to look for (including commentary on the landmarks), etc. That was fine—it was actually very helpful plus he’s a great guy and very funny and I had nothing to do anyway but sit in the passenger seat as we rolled along I-84 between Caldwell and Mountain Home. I really got a kick out of the conclusion of his directions though. They went something like this: you’ll pass a sugar beet field on your right. Go to the end of the field and turn right onto the dirt road. Drive along the end of the field until you come to the corn field. Turn left . . . .” Sounds like a great beginning for a list entitled “You might be an Idahoan if . . .” doesn’t it? You might be an Idahoan if directions to a friends’ house take you through the middle of a corn field—watch out for Ol’ Bessy the faithful milk cow along the way! My husband and I weren’t sure we would be able to positively identify a sugar beet field, and he thought maybe he’d just go on down to the actual road leading into the farm but I pointed out that he would be missing a great opportunity for a story to tell his grandchildren someday, so off we went through the beets and the corn, arriving without incident.

We found ourselves in the middle of a classic fall bonfire party. There was, of course, a giant bonfire, along with bales of hay, pumpkins, and clear Christmas lights strung decoratively around here and there. An abundant table offered baked potatoes with lots of toppings, salads, and yummy desserts. For the next couple of hours we enjoyed eating, hanging out, playing in a tournament of some “toss the beanbag” style game whose name escapes me, and generally having fun. All the while, my mind churned with possibilities of how this could be a fun thing to add to the one thousand things to do list. Since I obviously can’t invite the entire web audience to these people’s home, here’s what I came up with.

Anybody could host an outdoor evening of fall fun and frivolity. Although we don’t all live on farms or someplace big enough for a roaring bonfire, other options certainly exist. Patio chimeneas and “fire pits” are quite popular and not terribly expensive. They may be smaller than a bonfire, but would still work great for creating atmosphere, warmth, and even a place to roast marshmallows or hot dogs. (Of course be sure to check the current local burn laws in effect.) If nothing else, a gas or charcoal grill could be an option. Any kind of outdoor lanterns, torches, or candles, or your basic Christmas lights can add to the festive feeling and provide light for the event. A big pot of chili, baked potatoes, burgers, or whatever your favorite hearty, warm comfort food suitable for outdoor cooking can make a pretty easy menu—or go potluck style and have everybody bring something. If you won’t bother the neighbors, add some music or a couple of games. Hot drinks would bring in another nice touch.

With not too much effort and a little creativity, almost any backyard could be turned into a cheerful harvest party spot, and there’s nothing like the smells of wood smoke, autumn, and savory food aromas wafting around you as you enjoy time with family and friends, assuming you are bundled up appropriately of course. You probably won’t get to include directions like, “go through the beet field ‘til you get to the cornfield” in your invitations, but then again, maybe you could make it a scavenger hunt with your backyard party the final destination. 

So although it may be getting a little late in the season this year for such an event, the next time you feel like enjoying fall and friends at the same time, take it outside. After all, there’s nothing closer than your own back yard!

As is often the case with great ideas, this one occurred to me about 4 hours before I needed to execute it. As luck would have it, I had a little time to pile my kids in the car and head out for some last-minute supplies. Not wanting to go far, I hit the downtown Caldwell branch of Honk’s $1.00 Store. There I found paint, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and various other art supplies that seemed appropriate for pumpkin painting. Since I hadn’t told my kids what I was doing, an air of mystery surrounded this adventure and I had fun keeping them guessing about what on earth I was up to.

Now obviously, to successfully paint pumpkins you need . . . a pumpkin. Trying to avoid a slightly longer trip and definitely longer lines that a trip to WalMart would entail, I decided to check Caldwell’s own country market—Cliff’s Country Market to be exact. There we found enormous pumpkins as well as a variety of small squash and gourds. It was there that I also told the munchkins the plan, which resulted in much excitement. The market was definitely more fascinating than a big retail chain store, and we spent a little time checking it out and chatting with the friendly clerk. It certainly added to the sum of the morning’s adventures. Ultimately we picked out an assortment of pumpkins and pumpkin cousins, paid for them, loaded them in the trunk, and trundled on home to prepare for our big afternoon.

I set up our patio table, covering it with plenty of paper, swept off the patio, set out the art supplies, washed the dirt off the pumpkins and squash, and generally got the project ready to go. We had lunch, and when the friends arrived, I told the kids to play for awhile and then we would start our masterpieces.

After awhile, when my son had asked for about the 29th time if it was time to paint the pumpkins, we found old adult-sized t-shirts that the kids donned for paint shirts and the project began. The first round included two pumpkins, a small spaghetti squash, and a gourd, which turned into a princess, a crazy pumpkin (so named by the artist, who glued on an extra googly eye for a nose), a beauty with curly orange hair, and what would have been a rainbow gourd if all the many layers of color hadn’t blended into nice shades of brown. I had brought some sewing pins out to see if we could pin the pipe cleaners on to attach as hair and although that didn’t work, my son added a few sticking out of the sides of his pumpkin. I’m not sure of his intent, but the pumpkin looked like it was getting acupuncture. In the second round, the girls painted a joint pumpkin. Sitting one on each side, they each painted their own face. Interesting! My daughter decided her side was a Grandma pumpkin, to which my mom, who had happened to stop by about then, teasingly admonished her to be kind in her depiction of a Grandma.

All in all the venture was definitely a success. Throw in a little caramel corn as a snack for the busy artists and call it a perfect way to enjoy a beautiful fall day while keeping the kids occupied. Or adapt it for a rainy day and set up in your kitchen or garage. You could even make it a more adult event–maybe hold a contest among friends, or a fun ladies’ craft time. Halloween may be over, but painted pumpkins make great Thanksgiving centerpieces. They can also be hollowed out, filled with dirt, used as planters for little flower plants, and placed on the table or around your home for some fun fall decor.

Check out your neighborhood for your own version of Cliff’s Country Market and your favorite $1 store. (Anyone want to add a comment and recommend a friendly market in your area of the valley?) My creative endeavors did wind up costing a little more than I intended when all was said and done, but it was worth it. The only problem is the precedent it set. Now when the friends come over, everyone expects to do something special when in reality, some days I just want them to keep each other occupied using their own resources and imaginations.

Along about Thursday, I looked at the forecast and called my parents to see if their trailer was equipped with a parachute, considering that 30-40 mph winds were being predicted. My mom didn’t really like the sound of that, so carried the phone outside to inform my dad, who was getting the trailer ready. The response I heard in the background was basically, “Yeah, so what?” Obviously, he was planning to go come what may, while I, the overly-cautious one, was imagining myself blown into the Snake River on the drive up, or lying like a marshmallow ready for roasting when a tree limb came impaling through the trailer roof. My husband, who can never stay warm in cold weather and was still trying to thaw out from working outside on one of our unusually cold evenings just shook his head and said dubiously that he hoped we had fun.

Since I had responsibilities Saturday morning, my parents took my daughter on Friday and my son and I drove up about noon on Saturday. (This was the Saturday a week ago when the headline on the Idaho Statesman blasted the news that Boise had had its earliest measurable snowfall and showed a picture of a bicyclist riding downtown in a snowstorm). The wind was blowing pretty good by the time we left, but I tried to convince myself it was worse than it sounded, loaded up the amazing amount of stuff we needed for one night of cold weather camping, and headed out.

Obviously since I’m still here to write about our adventures, we didn’t land up in the bottom of the Snake or meet any other calamities. In fact, we had a very nice time. Saturday was too windy to spend much time outside, although it didn’t phase the kids much and they were able to work off some energy by running around the campsite.
We also managed a walk down to the river for a favorite activity: rock throwing. Grandma entertained us all with stories of miniature children one-inch tall who lived in the burr forest and had all sorts of adventures. The burr forest was hundreds of little plants growing prickly, oblong burrs that stick to your clothes. These were mostly green still so not very sticker-y. Normally they would have been at the water’s edge or even under the water, but the river was exceptionally low. The stories had begun that morning before I arrived as a distraction tactic for my daughter, who was sure that she and Grandma were going to fall off a cliff (imagination of dire events must be hereditary!) In reality, there was no danger—hardly even a cliff.

We also checked out the two cabins that are available for rent. Although we couldn’t get inside, one of the drapes was open enough we could see a set of bunks as well as another full or queen-sized bed, and a table with chairs. The front porch sported a nice bench and looked right out over the river. An RV site is connected next to each of the cabins as well.

Back at the trailer, we entertained ourselves with puzzles, coloring books, and silly times with Grandpa. That evening we made s’mores in the oven, since it was still a bit breezy for a fire. The guys camped next door brought over a steak they had bbq’d. While we were walking they had come looking for toothpicks which my dad supplied. The steak was a “thank-you” gift, and really tasty.

These guys were very nice and were on their annual trip over from the Oregon Coast to go Chukar hunting. We gathered that Chukars were birds, and a quick look at Wikipedia when I got home revealed that it is a game bird similar to a pheasant. Another man we met on Sunday had been blown in from Eugene (in his words, the wind was brutal on the trip over). He put his boat in the water to fish and anticipated catching some good-sized Catfish. He told us there are all kinds of fish in the river at various times of the year, including Crappie, Trout, Salmon, etc. Not only did we find it interesting to learn about wildlife in the area, it was comforting to know we weren’t the only ones crazy enough to camp in a mid-October windstorm.

Sunday morning broke chilly, but with much less breeze. My dad built a big fire that we enjoyed, even roasting a few marshmallows for an after-breakfast treat. We decided since they were acceptable for garnishing hot chocolate, what’s the problem with roasting them for breakfast? The kids wanted to walk to the river again, so my mom and I took off with them to some paths that go down to the boat ramp and docks, and to a lookout equipped with mounted binoculars. At the docks we sat on the end and listened to more adventures of the miniature little girls, and my son almost dove literally head first into the water trying to poke a stick down as far as he could. Luckily, I had a feeling this might happen and had a firm hold on the back of his zipped-up coat. Still it was a little disconcerting to suddenly realize he was hanging upside off the end of the dock.

Finally heading back to camp, I decided it was time for us to pack up and head home. My parents decided that since they are retired, they could choose to stay another night if they wanted to, and that they did want to as the weather was finally getting decent. The kids and I got our stuff and headed out, stopping at the entrance to take pictures of the covered wagons and to roll down the grassy hill, which was tons of fun for the kids to do and me to watch!

I was completely impressed with this Oregon State Park that is right in our backyard, and wondered why we have never explored it before. In the middle of the summer heat, I think it would be a bit uncomfortable simply because it isn’t at any elevation. There are quite a few trees around the park, and you could always cool off in the river, but I would probably recommend it as an early summer or late summer/early fall camping destination. There are lots of campsites, including everything from tent sites to RV hookups with electricity. The restrooms I visited were very nice and had showers.

From Caldwell it took us just exactly an hour to get there and it’s all freeway so an easy drive. The park is also open to day-users for picnics. Of course being a state park there are fees but that is to be expected. I believe it also closes in the winter, although I’m not sure of the dates. For more information, check out this website.