More Fall...Fabulously Photogenic!

Have I told you how much I love fall?

Here's why...

And, this is just a sampling of the colors I see when walking around my neighborhood!  These colors excite the eye, stimulate the brain and spark creativity.

Fabulous Fall!

HAPPY COUPLE DAYS AFTER HALLOWEEN!

This year, because the weather cooperated, I was able to go a little bigger this year on the holiday decorating.  It was dicey for a while, but it finally did stop raining two days before All Hallows Eve.  With the amount of small kids that come trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, I thought it prudent to not do the creepy or spooky things I have in the past, instead focusing on a kid-friendly "Pumpkin Party" theme.  Here's what it looked like:

It looks like I spent a fortune, but in reality, I did not.  If you're a penny-pincher like me, here are some ideas for Halloween decorating on the cheap...

Hang inexpensive plastic pumpkins from a tree...for an added effect, add battery-operated lights (you can pick these up from the dollar store)

Mr. DeVille, I'm ready for my close up.

$5 scarecrows purchased at 50% off from WalMart a few years back, $1 plastic pumpkins (you can get these cheaper if you wait for after holiday sales), $5 banner from Oriental Trading Co, $25 disco lights (not shown) purchased at a steep discount after Halloween for $5 a piece from WalMart and Target...

Light-up eyes that seemingly follow you made from dollar store bowls and battery operated lights, a piece of black foam core and irises downloaded for free from the internet and printed at home.

Other cheap finds include:

• Rope lights from WalMart
• Uplight stakes with flood lights from WalMart (the stakes are usually less expensive than the lights but do cost a bit more than I would normally spend...however, they can be used for a VERY long time and for multiple holidays)
• Plastic lighted Jack O'Lanterns...they cost about the same as a real pumpkin but last so much longer!
• Playing Halloween-themed music outside...it's amazing how much a soundtrack can add to the ambiance.

The key is to keep it simple but do it "large"...well placed lights and multiples of something make a bigger impact than lots of little decor...remember, it's dark and most people won't even see the small stuff, so don't sweat the small stuff.  :-)

All bark and no bite...

I don't know why, but I just felt like saying that.

Hee hee.

(No, I'm not drinking...no, I'm not doing drugs...I think...I think...I'm just...BORED!)

My first fair ribbons...

Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

I'm a winner!

Well, for the photos I entered into this year's Western Idaho State Fair, I came in a very respectable third place with the photo I was sure would impress the judges on some level (it's one of my favorites):

But, I won a BLUE RIBBON with this last minute "home arts" entry:

Isn't he cute?  He's a mock up of Sierra's BFF ("best-friend-forever") back in Carlsbad:  Rocky the Rhodesian Ridgeback.

I think my Grandma Steffi would be proud (back in the day, she earned ribbons, mostly blue, on everything she ever entered into the Del Mar Fair).

TRAINS! Boise Depot, Part I

I love trains.  I love train stations.  So, of course, where else would we take a field trip but to the Boise Depot.  The boys and I went to see this gem up close and personal, and even though it was a Tuesday and we did not realize that the museum was only open Sundays and Mondays, there was still plenty to see.

First put into service in 1925 (click HERE to see the front page of the newspaper from that day), the station in Boise now sits quietly, non-operational, as a former hub of traveling passenger activity.  With the advent of the highway age, and the end of the contract with the U.S. Postal Service to carry mail on the Portland Rose line, passenger trains were no longer a necessary means of travel to and through this high desert oasis.  Union Pacific stopped operating out of the depot in May of 1977.  Almost to the day twenty years later, the last Amtrak passenger train pulled away from the station, leaving the beautiful Spanish-style depot in the loving arms of the City of Boise, which, to this day, has maintained the depot as an event center and museum. 

While I cannot attest to the attractions inside the Depot (we have yet to get there when it is open), I can tell you that there are some very cool things on the outside of the building.  Most striking to me is how much the Boise Depot looks like a California Mission building...

...complete with a bell tower, too!

And, what would be a station without tracks and a train?

In front of the building separating the station from the bench ridge is a spectacular park with a view to downtown and the nearby foothills.  While we saw the acclaimed gazebo, being used by a couple meeting on their lunch break to grab a bite to eat, we did not explore enough and missed the Koi pond and other unique park features.  Needless to say, we are planning a return trip, during business hours, so we can check out the many things this historical landmark has to offer.  Maybe I'll even get a few more pictures to share. 

Check back soon for Part II! (<---- sorry that looks like a Roman numeral 3, but it does say Part 2, I mean it, I really, really do!)

Sunny daisies

The flora around BoDo (Boise Downtown for those of you not in the know) is abundant.  Even in the heat, there are beautiful blooms in planters around the area.  Check out these sunny flowers I saw just outside the library...

Summer around here definitely has color, too!