Greenbelt

For those not in the know, the Boise Greenbelt is a 25 mile tree-lined (although not so much after you get out of the city) path that follows the Boise River.

My mother was the kind of mother who planned outings for us during the summer and so I have happy childhood memories of walking down the Greenbelt to find a nice place to play in the Boise River.  And the memories just keep on coming.

Here’s the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial that was built after I left town.

Before that section of land was claimed for Human Rights it used to be a dead end street with a lot of parking spaces.  I spent way too much time watching a certain boyfriend skate.  Which was boring even then, and I liked him.

I can remember after they got the new bridge built and this became a pedestrian bridge how we marveled that it had ever been big enough for two lanes of traffic.
 
The Greenbelt is heavily utilized, as evidenced by these mirrors, handy for merging.
 
First sight of the river.  It has a smell to it I had forgotten about.  After I grew up into a teenager, we started floating the river, first with parents, then on our own.  And one very hot night, sometime in high school, four of us came down in the pitch dark and went swimming.  It was an exhilarating relief.
 
Despite the heat, it’s pleasant to walk beneath the trees.
 
I had completely forgotten about these signs and was happy to see they are still here.
 
The Discovery Center placed them to scale along the Greenbelt. As you walk you get a sense of how far apart the planets are.
 
Walking back to the hotel, I learned that my current hometown band will be visiting my former hometown quite soon.
 
And I could not resist taking a picture of this green car which was revving his engine in a very familiar (and still annoying) way.
 

Before and After Before Midnight

The Flicks!  Still the same!  Still has video (and now DVD) rental!  Still has a cafe!  Still has two theaters where I saw so many very good movies! (Secret of Roan Inish, Jeffery, Kids, Dazed and Confused, Emma, the list goes on.)
 
Sara and I in front of the movie poster.  We saw the first movie in the series together (with Cindy at Cindy’s house) and it was her idea to wait and see the newest one when we were in Boise together.
 
After, Shawn met up with us and we went to the Modern Hotel Bar for some cocktails.
 

Findings on the road. Road collage

I love this space-age sink at one of the rest stops on I-84.
 
Stopping in Bend, I see that a historic building was once owned by the Woodmen of the World.
 
I first learned about them last year when Matt and I were on vacation and found one of their distinctive tree-stump gravestones in a cemetery.
 
Random photos from the road.  No looking because I was driving. I just pointed and clicked.  I can’t get enough of the high desert.  It’s so beautiful.
 

Packing

I’ll make it fit!  The kitties are observing my packing from a calm position, having no idea I will soon trap them in their carriers and drag them over to my Aunt’s house.
 
On the way home from dropping off the cats, I stopped by my mom’s and got an important item for the drive to Boise:  Kenny Roger’s 20 Greatest Hits.  That was the tape (it was a tape then) that my mother played every single time we made the drive. And 20 songs last a very long time on the road.

Note from the future.  I played it and I can report that the word “greatest” is perhaps a bit overstated.  Maybe they should have stopped at 10 greatest hits.  The “Scarlett Fever” song was particularly hideous.  But I did get to sing along to “Lucile,” “The Gambler,” “Ruben James,” and “The Coward of the County.” So who cares if I skipped the last three songs on the disk?

Crepe finished! It’s a dress!


Things I like:  the sweetheart neckline, the back, the fun sleeves, the length, the material, the fact it’s a wrap dress that wraps in the back.

Things I don’t like:  it’s a good standing dress, but it gapes when I sit, which I’m not thrilled about.  Also, I have miles to go on the fitting thing.  The bodice is too loose.

Overall:  Very happy with it.  It’s so summer!

I knew this day was coming and I’m still sad.


Thanks to the Willamette Week tipping me off to the fact the Oregonian would cease seven-day publishing, I’ve had since January to adjust to the fact I will not be whipping through my newspaper every morning.  I’ll still be reading, most likely on my phone, but it just won’t be the same.