Historic Building-Synagogue of Ahavath Beth Israel
I was always fascinated by a little church, tucked tightly between other buildings on the corner of 11th and State St. The unusual architecture, along with it’s stained glass windows, always made me wonder who built it and what style it was.
Years later, I learned from a friend whom had gone to the church, that the property was up for sale and that the fate of the building was unknown.
I couldn’t fathom the possibility that such an unusual building, obliviously historic in nature, could be demolished for a new development.
Not to worry though, the little Jewish Synagogue that had been a fixture in Boise for nearly 108 years, was going to be moved to a new site, purchased by, Ahavath Beth Israel so they could expand their growing congregation. Read the rest of Historic Building-Synagogue of Ahavath Beth Israel »
Background: The Boise Train Depot was built in 1925 and operated until 1971. When the trains quit running, it was abandoned. Over the years, weather took a toll. In 1990 MK-Morrison Knudsen purchased it and renovated it to near original condition. The city of Boise took it over in 1996 and rents it out for special events.
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.
Summer is in full swing. The sun is blazing, the sky is cloudless, the heat is on. Time to head out the door for our vacation! We’re not going far this year. Nope, not us. Instead of leaving town to explore new sights and wonders, we’re going to stay local — it’s our staycation! What’s a staycation, you ask? Instead of leaving home, we stay home and explore our community in either day trips out or quick jaunts in the morning or afternoon. Some folks take a week off and staycate, others do it over several weekends. Here are some ideas for your next staycation: 
Leading the parade of antique cars was this guy at the left. Not the sort of thing you find in a Rose Day or Macy Day Parade-but the kind of small town feel that is part of the hometown atmosphere of this state.
A few weeks ago we were hanging out with some friends at their house on a Saturday and decided that a walk on the Lake Lowell dam would be nice. We gathered our things, packed up the kids (between us there are 5!), made a quick stop at our house for some different shoes and water, then headed out.
A couple of weeks ago I was starting to worry that the weather was going stay unseasonably cool all summer,and that swimming lessons would be bone-chilling, rather than a refreshing respite from SW Idaho’s summer heat. With the temperature suddenly soaring into the nineties, however, those daily trips have been welcomed.
My kids are parks experts. One of their favorite things to do in the summer, spring, fall, or anytime it isn’t raining, snowing, or 110 degrees is to take a family trip to a park—one with swings and slides of course. When we don’t want to drive far, the park of choice is Caldwell Memorial Park. There are several features about this park that make it unique, and a fun place to hang out for free..jpg)
There were also two WWII Navy planes nearby and the conversation quickly turned to those. If I were an aircraft mechanic, I would probably have enjoyed his descriptions more, but all together, it was a learning experience.
For the first time in seven years-the wife and I found ourselves alone over this holiday, without kids and grandkids in tow. We could have stayed home and watched events on TV. It certainly would have been less expensive-considering the price of fuel these days.
