Brothers!

I liked all these pictures of brothers.

Brothers on the Boise.







Sunbathing Brothers.

Bicycling Brothers.

Brothers going to Bardenay.

Camelsback Brothers.

A Visit from Seattle!

Chris, Sally, Louie, and Oliver arrived on Sunday for a visit to Boise! We kept them out way to late and ensured they were really wet most of the time -- my idea of a good vacation! :) They were off on Tuesday morning for a couple of weeks travelling to and staying at Yellowstone.

Here's Sally (left) and me in our super-speedy individual rafts with the highest quality paddles you can get for $14.

Uncle J captained the big boat with Louie (left) and Ollie in it.

Monday was waterpark day, but as I loves me some waterpark, I was in the water most of the time, so I have no pictures. But trust me, it was good times, and likely the boys' highlight of their visit to Boise. After that, we walked downtown (boys on bikes!) for a lovely walking tour and dinner at Bardenay. A woman--who maybe had a slight vision problem -- pretty much rode her bike into Oliver's bike. When I'm riding my bike, I make every effort to not drive into other people. Or bikes. That's just me tho.

Sally and the currently-being-refurbished capitol building.

Last on the docket: Camelsback Park. Those are the younger brothers in the bottom left corner, about to tackle the hill.

Sally and Chris also powered up to the top, to behold the expansive views of Boise!

Test Run on the Boise River

As we are not ones to take small children (and their parents, for that matter) down a river we are unfamiliar with, we finally carved out a few hours on Saturday to "Test Float" the Boise River! SUCH fun! The city really knows what they are doing. Really nicely done.

We took the large raft and my "gondolier" navigated while I enjoyed the scenery and the sunshine...



...in my big hat, of course.

OK, you really can't see my toes, but they are painted gold with a red flower, a blue flower, and a white flower on the prime piggies. USA! USA! Trust me, it's quite fabulous.

Plus, really funny story...as we would be out later than the shuttles, we left the Cooper at the take-out spot, and drove the truck to the put-in spot. Where I carefully put my Cooper keys in the truck...because duh! otherwise they'd get wet on the float.

This is the pile of gear my husband was left to sit with at the take-out, while I (soaking wet) took a red taxi to the house for the other set of keys. He thought this little mix-up was HILARIOUS and rather cute. HAH!

Tied up!

Please, please, won't someone blog up all the phrases used by the color announcers during women's beach volleyball that could be euphemisms or double entendres...

I'll leave it at that.

WAY TO GO, OREGON!!

How freakin' awesome are Oregon athletes? Beaverton's Mariel Zagunis winning the first gold of the Olympics was so awesome, and made only cooler by Becca Ward of Portland getting the bronze. All three USA athletes on the podium will definitely make my personal highlights reel.


I'm not pleased that the nation flags are hung opposing the athletes in the awards ceremonies. I prefer the flags behind or above the athletes.


Go Team USA!! (Followed closely behind by those representing my motherland -- Go Team Netherlands!!)

The End of a Good Run

Well, in all of our nearly 17 years together, I have managed to shun, shirk, and be conveniently unavailable for all yardwork. Don't get me wrong, I ain't afraid of hard work, sign me up for some good manual labor any day. But yardwork usually involves dirt. And dirt usually involves bugs. And I don't do bugs. Bugs are gross. Topped only by worms, the very grossest.

But, as my husband has been working night and day attempting to get the bathroom reasonably guest-ready (no sink, no lights, but at least a door and a shower!), the yardwork fell to me.

Not only did I weed the entire front and backyards, but I also ran the weedeater! AND I repotted this palm for our backyard lounging oasis. Get a load of me! I'm sure I'm going to gain a reputation in the neighborhood as a big green thumb. :)

Plus, our first real tumbleweed blew into the yard! I'm a little obsessed with tumbleweeds and their clean, even lines. In preparation for our move, last Christmas I decorated a tumbleweed like you would a tree. Don't you judge me.

A Picnic on the Payette!

A picnic on the Payette was in order Saturday afternoon! A quick stop at the deli for samiches, strawberries, and refreshments, a quick drive, and suddenly we were kickin' it in the sand. It was such a lovely adventure!

We didn't build the peace sign, but enjoyed its presence. Plus it made a good cooler.

[Addendum: Excellent eye, A.W. It's true, this isn't a peace symbol at all. Hmm. Did the creators mean to leave out the bottom post? Well, it made me feel peaceful. :)]

It was non-stop rafters and kayakers Saturday afternoon! Looks like a good time, but I'd always rather be in the water than on it... :)

My New (Blue) China Cabinet

While my husband spent the weekend furiously working in Bathroom 1, I completed some finish work on my new china cabinet! After finding it cheap on Craigslist (from an Idaho State Trooper!) I removed the beveled stained glass windows, primed it, and painted it blue! I'm normally not a "paint wood" sort of girl -- I like wood! But this was some low-grade paneling -- I thought it would be better with a nice coat of high-gloss latex. :) It's a little electric in the garage, but the color tones down in the dining room. I still have to replace the glass and rehang the doors, but I'm very happy with it!

Bathroom 1 Floor is Installed!

My husband successfully installed the new subfloor and vinyl in the main floor bathroom, which was no easy feat! It looks fabulous!






The new floor!














Which was apparently made by Fisher-Price? (This is printed on the back.)

The old (quite old) floor.