Friend Kelly sent me this thank you postcard for a birthday donation I made in her name.
The photo is of Sonja Pernela, who is an artist, or at least was in 2000 when the photo was taken. The photo is by William K. McCanless who, Kelly tells me, is her partner Rob’s BFF.
I wasn’t a regular reader of EW, but I’m sad to see the print issue of this magazine go. They had solid commentary, and I enjoyed their four-fold focus: movies, television, music, and books. (Books!)
Entertainment Weekly still exists as a website, but that’s an entirely different medium.
Thanks for the in-print articles, recommendations, and analysis.
The shopping center façade has changed since I last lived in Boise, but the interior of Lee’s Candies is as I remembered it.
And the chocolate is still delicious. It’s worth a trip to Vista Village!
I took a walk on the Greenbelt and stopped by to grab a picture of the Library!
I’ve taken a solemn vow to never go into a Hobby Lobby as I’m not a fan of businesses that refuse to provide contraception access to their employees, but a present was needed and I was the driver, so I did end up inside the Hobby Lobby. And I did take a picture of this most amusing poster.
Idaho Blueprint and Supply has been chugging along for more than a century. My dad even worked for them as a teenager. But unfortunately, they will be shutting down in December.
I stayed at the Residence Inn, which was perfectly adequate. I did really like how the shower footprint jutted into the main room area and resulted in a curved wall. It was very aesthetically pleasing. I’m starting to think all the cobb house fans are right about us not living our lives in a bunch of right angles.
Does your hometown have a church that uses geodesic domes? If so, you are quite lucky.
I found the size of the signs for Boise parks to be rather aggressive.
The last few print issues of EW kept me company on my Boise trip. The last issue was mailed in the spring, but I’ve been hording them for a trip since Sara sent them to me.
I drove around and got the Boise map back in my head. It had been supplanted by the Portland map to the point where I recognized the names of the major streets, but wasn’t entirely sure where those streets were in relation to each other. And god forbid those streets shared a name with a Portland street. I had no idea. While driving, I visited a bunch of favorite places. Dipped soft serve at the Fanci Freeze, finger steak dinner from Big Bun (why are finger steaks not a thing everywhere? They are so very good!), chocolates from Lee’s Candies. I got most of my to-dos done.
I couldn’t fit in a movie at the Flicks, but not for lack of trying.
Dad, Barb, and I went down to the North End for some lunch, to kick around some leaves, and to stop by the growing-up houses.
Here’s my dad at 1204 N. 15th Street. That was his growing-up house, aside from the time he was very young and his family lived in an apartment complex where the Albertson’s on State Street is now.
Here’s Barb’s house at 1912 N. 18th Street. It is faaaaancy (the “zestimate” is nearly $2 million dollars.) Barb said when she lived here it didn’t have the dormers or the front porch.
But it did have that bedroom window by the garage that she snuck out of more than once.
I took a swing through my growing up neighborhood. Here’s 1901 Empire Way, also known as the high school house. It recently sold for $465,000 (I cannot image!)
And I was delighted to find that 6226 Oreana Drive converted the front yard into a massive raised bed garden.
I’ve long loved this bank of buildings on Burnside.
On the corner is a two-story with (currently) an ice cream shop at street level and apartments above. Next comes a one-story space for two businesses. Then the expansive Burnside Collision auto shop followed by the Kuhnhausen’s Furniture building. This location is right across the street from the Laurelhurst Theater, and I’ve kept my eye on these buildings for years.
I enjoy the subtle Mediterranean flair of the Philo House Thrift Shop building (it’s been closed for years, and the other side is also boarded up) The art deco of the auto repair, and the family business for the furniture shop.
While the corner business and the auto repair shop are going strong, the furniture store closed recently, and I wonder how much longer this bit of street will continue to looking this way.
Antares was very interested in being on the catio, and after squinting a bit, I saw what was capturing his interest.
There was a black cat sitting on the fence.
And a calico cat sitting on the porch roof.
Sentinel also wanted to have a look, but from inside.
As with most cat encounters this one ended with the cats wandering off. But it was fun to have four cats in sight.
Sara’s message was written in a gradation of autumn colors. Nicely done!
Sara reports that they went to their favorite out-of-town winery that has a fabulous pizza oven. It sounds delicious!
Aside from the fun pun on the front, there’s a winking owl sticker on the back that says Owlsome Job! Double pun for the win!
I was glad I caught Christina Anderson’s play about a hometown swimming pool and how it defined one family’s activism.
Lauren Steele was excellent as Janice, the daughter of two parents who grew up swimming in a segregated pool. I enjoyed the efforts of Young Ambitious Black Woman (Chavez Ravine), who was trying to get Janice back to town for the opening of a new pool named after her father.
The present day plot included Janice’s mother (Lauren Steele) and Aunt Gayle (Chavez Ravine again) and was interspersed with scenes from the past with Janice’s father Edwin (Don Kenneth Mason for my performance), mother, aunt and young Janice.
I enjoyed the complex feelings Janice had about swimming and seeing how pool access shaped different generations of her family. And I adored the set that transformed again and again making different kinds of rooms and pools, ultimately ending with this gorgeous looking set.
Should you find yourself with the option to see this play, I highly recommend it. If you are a swimmer, there’s even more motivation to go.
