Warhawk Air Museum

July 3, 2008--

Day 3, Act 1

Before heading out to the Wood River Valley to spend the holiday weekend with the rest of the group, we made a quick stop at the Warhawk Air Museum. The museum featured an amazing array of aircraft, vehicles, machinery, military instrumentation, uniforms, medals, pictures and various other memorabilia (too many to name or describe) primarily from the World War II era. However, there were other items and memorabilia throughout the museum, too, because "the mission of the museum is to teach and preserve World War II history from the home front to the war front and aviation history from the advent of flight through the space age. The Warhawk Air Museum encourages an educational experience about the technology, culture, and social changes that have occurred in North America since World War II."

While there we were pleasantly surprised to learn that two of the planes in the museum (pictured below) were celebrities in the 2001 movie Pearl Harbor (the movie starring Ben Affleck, among others). One of them (the planes) was also very recently used in the soon-to-be-released movie "Valkyrie" starring Tom Cruise. It is a movie, based on actual events, about a plot to assassinate Hitler during the height of WWII. While the planes couldn't sign autographs it was fun to get our picture taken with such a well-traveled celebrity!

An interesting side note--our brother-in-law Adam, who is in the Coast Guard, was thrilled to see an entire display case dedicated to Coast Guard memorabilia. He was also honored to meet the Veteran who contributed most of the items on display as he happened to be working in the museum that day.~

Roaring Springs Water Park

July 2, 2008--

Day 2, Act 2

Wow! What a fabulous time we had at Roaring Springs! There was something for everyone...even the little kids! Because we were in the water so much we didn't even notice the 102 degree heat! It was still that hot when the park closed at 8 pm! Here are a few snapshots!~

World Center for Birds of Prey

July 2, 2008--

Day 2, Act 1

While visiting the World Center for Birds of Prey and we had the opportunity to see a lot of amazing birds of prey (we weren't allowed to take pictures of all of them so you'll have to use your imagination). We also learned a lot about other animals and how the state of their environment affects them. The Peregrine Falcon and it's story (of almost nearing extinction) is the reason for the creation of the World Center for Birds of Prey. You'll see a couple of pictures of the Peregrine Falcon they brought out for us. One interesting thing we learned about Peregrine Falcons is that they can travel at speeds up to 200 mph when they are diving to make a kill. That's pretty fast! Here is a link to the website for the Center if you want to learn more! www.peregrinefund.org

Quarry View Park

July 1, 2008--

Day 1, Act 2, Scene 3

We walked to the Quarry View Park (from the State property where the Old Penitentiary was located) to let the kids play and burn off excess energy. They had a great time and enjoyed one another's company (as you can see). We felt very lucky to have "Uncle" Jeremy join us for most of the day, despite the fact that he had a lot going on at work. As you can see in a couple of the photos, in an effort to be with us, he often had to work from his laptop even when we were literally at the playground.~

Arms Exhibit

July 1, 2008--

Day 1, Act 2, Scene 2

While touring the grounds at the Old Idaho State Pentitentiary we were treated to the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit which, although unrelated to the Pen, was located in one of the buildings on the property. The exhibit features one of the nation's largest collections of historic arms and military memorabilia. It includes artifacts dating as far back as 3500 B.C. that were accumulated over some 60 years by the late J. Curtis Earl, a part-time Boise resident who passed away a few months after finalizing the donation. Steve Guerber, the Executive Director of the Idaho State Historical Society, said "the collection represents an opportunity to visually follow the history and evolution of arms over a period of some 5,500 years." The exhibit (which was really more like a small museum) even includes a replica of a military bunker (our nephews and niece are sitting in part of it in one of the pictures). Check out the pictures below!

Old Idaho State Penitentiary

July 1, 2008--

Day 1, Act 2, Scene 1

Later that day...we went to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary to take a self-guided tour. In addition to Adam, Destiny, Terence & Donovan, our nephews, Tristan and Ethan, joined us for the tour as well as our niece, Madison. The pictures were taken in (or outside of) the old buildings, including the maximum security building; the eating hall; death row; the commissary; the barber shop building; and solitary confinement. The Old Idaho State Pen was built by the inmates themselves and housed several well-known criminals over the years before it closed (in the early '70s). It was chilling to be in a place with such a history. Here's a look into our tour...

Picnic Lunch

July 1, 2008--

Day 1, Act 1, Scene 2

After the trolley tour we stopped at the beautiful Ann Morrison Park for a picnic lunch. The boys had a great time playing there.~

Boise Trolley Tour

July 1, 2008--

Day 1, Act 1, Scene 1

Day one of our combination stay-cation/vacation began with a ride on the Boise Trolley Tour with my sister Destiny, brother-in-law Adam and my nephews Terence and Donovan. (They arrived in Boise on Monday, June 30, from Coos Bay, Oregon, after having spent time there with Destiny's family of origin...which was preceded by their stay in the Seattle area spending time with Adam's family...which ultimately was preceded by their three-year stay in Guam as Adam was stationed with the Coast Guard there. After their stay "state-side" for a month or so this summer, they are headed to their new post, Puerto Rico, for three more years or so.)

We saw a lot of the historic homes and other buildings/structures in the Warm Springs area as well as downtown Boise. We learned a great deal about the fantastic city of Boise.~

BBQ at Nate & Tami's

June 22, 2008--

We enjoyed a barbeque at Nate & Tami's (on Sunday June 22). The storm that blew through the night before brought some very pleasant (milder) temperatures and we all had a great time visiting outside after dinner since the weather wasn't unbearably hot.

Nate & Tami's boys, Sam and Shawn, are both athletic and quite talented. Sam excels in soccer and Shawn in baseball. Sam accidentally sent a couple of soccer balls flying by our heads as the rest of us were unsuspectingly visiting on the back patio. His long-distance kicking ability is amazing. Keep up the good work, Sam!

Sam's younger brother Shawn, the 'lil slugger, sent almost all of his baseballs over the neighbor's fence during batting "practice." (They have him use plastic baseballs so he doesn't inadvertently injure/damage anyone or anything.) He has a fantastic batting ability. Way to go, Shawn!

Bethany, Nate & Tami's daughter, was a joy to be around and has quite the vocabulary and ability to enunciate her words at her age. It's very amusing to carry on a conversation with her. She's quite charming, and cute, I might add! When her hair is in pig tails, she looks almost exactly like the character in "Monsters, Inc." named Boo.~

Gary's Graduation Celebration!

June 21, 2008--

We had the distinct pleasure of being invited to Gary's graduation celebration on Saturday. (On Friday, he graduated with his Masters Degree in Public Administration.) As always, Gary and Melissa prepared an amazing feast of what Gary described as "man food" and it was enjoyed by all!



Later that evening, some participated in a few competitive rounds of "Guitar Hero" (who says it's just for kids?). It was very entertaining to watch!~

Hawks Baseball Game

June 20, 2008--

We had a great time watching the Boise Hawks play baseball last night. We haven't been to a game since the summer of 1999. We were joined by some friends and family (my cousin Kandice) and despite our hopes, the Hawks lost to the visiting team. The weather was perfect though and made for a enjoyable evening.~

Look who's back in town (from the US Open)!

June 14-15, 2008--

Jeremy had the privilege of traveling to San Diego to watch the US Open. He watched the third round on Saturday and what was supposed to be the final round on Sunday. Too bad he didn't get to stay for the stunning playoff between Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods on Monday. What a spectacular event to witness in person.~

(Feel free to share comments with Jeremy by clicking below.)

Celebration in honor of Andy & Sarah!

June 7, 2008--

Trip to CJ Strike Dam...with the dogs!

May 25, 2008--

We went to visit Kim and Lori on Sunday afternoon at the CJ Strike Dam. They were camping there with some friends for the long weekend. We had a great time visiting, playing games and eating (of course!).

We brought the dogs with us which is kind of a rarity because of the added responsibility (and sometimes hassle) but they did pretty well considering how many other dogs were around. I thought I'd post pictures of them since they rarely get featured on our blog even though they are a big part of our life. Holly is our female and Stanley is our male (pictured with Jeremy).~

Camp Ida-Haven

May 16-18, 2008--

What a treat it was to get away from the "real world" and spend some time at Camp Ida-Haven this weekend with family. Good people plus beautiful scenery equals a great time.~

Horse Races

May 10, 2008--

We had a great time this weekend at the horse races. While there, with the help of some friends, we celebrated Stacey's upcoming birthday. The weather was fair but a bit breezy. Here are a few snapshots.

The birthday tiara was courtesy of Daniel & Anna (yes, it was equipped with high-class flashing lights).~

Dog Days of Summer...well, almost!

May 5, 2008--


We've been having some amazing weather and the temperatures are climbing! It's almost summer! Our dogs don't mind the heat as long as there's water nearby. When we can't take them swimming in a canal, river, pond or lake, our dog Stanley will take whatever he can get. Holly (our other dog) isn't always so keen on getting wet unless there's a retrieval purpose (i.e. to retrieve a ball or waterfowl if she's hunting with Jeremy). But one of Stanley's favorite things to do is to take a break from playing fetch to cool off in the sprinkler! His enthusiasm is contagious...watch this video and see for yourself!~

Kentucky Derby Party!

May 3, 2008--

Lonny and Amy hosted a fabulous Kentucky Derby Party!~