Boise Daily Photo Extras

Rounding out the Collection

2011-12-23T17:17:00.000-08:00

I'll be searching for new members of the crew at the after-Christmas sales. Nutcracker gifts are always welcome, too :)

All Sizes are Welcome

2011-12-23T17:15:00.000-08:00

The purple one on the lower left was the first one I ever purchased. I remember I adopted him from a Pier 1 store - 1986.

All Cracked Up

2011-12-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

Yes. I LOVE nutcrackers. I like kings and soldiers best.

Spirit of Boise Balloon Festival

2011-09-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Photo album from the festival Saturday.

Hummingbird Banding 2011

2011-08-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Nationally-certified bird bander Fred Bassett came to Pearl, Idaho, for the 7th year to inventory and band local hummers. Above is one of the traps. There's a door on the right held open with fishing line. Someone about 10 feet away will use that line to drop the door when a bird flies in. Then, the bird can be caught inside the trap and put in a mesh bag, where it waits until Fred give it a look.
Pearl, Idaho, is north of Boise in a shrub-steppe habitat. It's high desert, although not as dry of a desert as usual because our wet weather this year. Thus, more flowers.

After the birds are measured, weighed and banded, everyone gets a chance to hold a bird for release. Most of the hummers don't realize at first that they're free to go. The bird in this child's hand is a male black-chinned hummingbird. Look closely and you can see his new jewelry.

The banding table was shaded by a giant pine.

A female black-chinned hummingbird.

Fred placing a male black-chinned hummer in someone's hand.

The birds are placed in a piece of nylon stocking for their weigh-in. It keeps them still and calm. This calliope weighed 2.8 grams. The calliope is the smallest bird in the U.S. and Canada. The black-chinned hummers weighed between 3.5 and 4.1 grams. Fred says if you ever think you see a baby hummingbird at a feeder, it's a calliope, not a baby.

After birds are checked out, Fred buys them lunch. They always take him up on the offer.

Everyone gathers around to get a closer look.

A close-up of a calliope. This one has a couple of gorget feathers coming in

Wildflowers.

Another close-up of the calliope. Look how short its bill is, compared to the black-chinneds.

Peaceful bench on the property where the banding was held.

The waiting rack. Each mesh bag contains a hummingbird collected from a trap.

Irridescent purple gorget on a male black-chinned hummingbird.

Barbed wire wreath.

My daughter, Aviana, petting a hummingbird.

My kiddo waiting for a bird to fly into the trap about 10 feet away. She was in charge of lifting that red fishing reel to close the door when a bird flew in. The banding is held every year, and we've attended four years now. We plan on making it next year, too.

Foggy River Walk

2011-01-22T15:59:00.000-08:00

This song sparrow was scratching in the leaves and debris. A Northern flicker picking bugs out of a fallen tree.

Common mergansers in the river.

Festival of Trees 2010

2010-11-26T15:02:00.000-08:00

Mr. Potato Head was featured in a couple of trees this year - trees also stuffed with toys.
Obviously, this is not a tree, but festive entries of all kinds are accepted and auctioned off to raise money for St. Alphonsus hospital charitable causes. This is a cello painted pink and decked out as a fairy. Her bra is stuffed with pink marshmallows!

A darling miniature vignette inside a lantern.

Orange and blue in a salute to our Boise State University Broncos in this table-top display.

Wreaths are also decorated and donated to be sold.

Most of the trees are also decorated with surprises under them.

This was entered in the wreaths category. Looks like it took a lot of work to create.

Cute details from the top of a tree.

More BSU Bronco blue.

Sock monkeys were found on several trees.

A cowboy table top tree.

A Christmas dollhouse.

Rock-roll and pirates. ARGH.

A close-up inside the dollhouse.

Candy theme.

Yes, please!

More sock monkeys.

A real bicycle in this tree.

A tree stuffed with chocolate goodies.

Boise Curb Cup 2010

2010-08-30T08:17:00.000-07:00

Boise Summer Games

2010-07-07T07:46:00.001-07:00

Photos from the Boise Summer Games DCI show and competition July 6, 2010.
Above and below are the Blue Knights from Denver.

Vanguard Cadets in practice before the show.

They really did "fall out" of line for some wow factor. These are the Casper Troopers.

The Tree

2009-12-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my virtual holiday open house! Here's my theory about decorating the tree: there's always room for one more ornament!

Butterflies, snowmen, chickens.
Lots of angels big and small.

Wind chimes and roosters.

My Blogger ID.

You say you want a hippopotamus for Christmas? I've got one here on the tree!

Always a star at the top, and at least one bird somewhere on the tree. Merry Christmas to you!

Three Wise Men Santas

2009-12-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

These Santas keep watch over our holiday each year.

Christmas Tour Part 1 - Nutcrackers

2009-12-21T18:55:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my home for Christmas! I'll post a virtual tour this week to share our holidays with everyone. First, meet my extended nutcracker family.
There's always room for more, too, and I add at least 1 new one each year.

This year's newbie is the one on the left on the mantle - the peppermint soldier.

Hummingbird Banding in Pearl

2009-08-10T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is the hummingbird trap. Volunteers stand about 10 feet back. The trap door is held up with fishing line, and then let the door down when a bird enters. Then they reach in and gently grab the bird and put it in a net bag so the bird can wait its turn for meeting bander Fred Hound.

The bag needs to be drawn tight at the top, or these birds will wiggle out. We saw one make an escape that way.
After Fred bands, weighs and measures the birds, he treats them to dinner. He said first-year birds rarely take a drink when offered, but older birds always slurp up free food - and it was true! This is a mature black-chinned hummingbird.

At the home where the banding took place, there were not only a lot of feeders, but a lot of plants popular with hummingbirds. This is an agastache with a black-chinned hummingbird at it. The banding takes place every year and we'll be there again!

Egyptian Theatre Extras

2008-12-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

These ladies are at the top of the stage proscenium.
This is the original pipe organ installed in 1927. It does get tuned and refurbished every few years.

This is the west wall.

Full stage-view. The theater also has a large balcony. My daughter got to sit up there while waiting for her turn on stage. Kids LOVE sitting in the balcony.

This is the sign on the doors backstage. Someone went to a lot of work to make a fancy sign and forgot to spell check!

Electric Christmas

2008-12-06T09:19:00.001-08:00

More all-out holiday lights. These are on the same street.
Logistically, I don't know how you manage the electricity without overloading circuits.

Festival of Trees

2008-11-26T18:57:00.000-08:00

Click on the pictures to englarge...if you want

This first tree is for Hilda at My Manila. It's a Philippines tree. Information boards on traditions were included.

Next up, for Wayne at Vancouver Daily Photo. A tractor tree!

And for Kris at This Will Hurt Me, a tree that reminded of the header on his blog.

While I don't think there were as many big trees as I've seen in previous years, there were more table-top trees and wreaths than expected, which I didn't photograph much. On to the trees!

We liked this angel tree.

This tree is a salute to Boise's Basque community.
Bears roasting marshmallows at the base of a tree.
A "Bob the Builder" construction tree.

A cooking tree.

A cowboy tree.

A giant dog knocked over a tree! Bad dog!

A fairy tree.

A gardening tree.

A game tree with Mr. Potato Head - how very "Idaho."

A Pirates of the Caribbean tree.

A tree that's been "torched."

A tree "under the sea."

Volkswagen mini-tree.

Clever ornament on a "cheers to wine" tree - a glass ornament filled with old wine corks. This is just a sampling of what there is to see. If you're in Boise, the festival runs through this weekend.

The Festival of Trees is a perfect outing for ladies of a certain age who belong to the Red Hat Club.