Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Boise 2010!

Vacation summer of 2010! We got to spend time this summer with Pat's family and I got to meet several of his friends that I had only heard about.


We were so proud of how tightly we packed (no checked bags), but then we got a deal on a Yukon for the week...our luggage could have multiplied like bunnies and still would have had room to throw a party in the back of that beast. The best part of the car was the camera in the rearview mirror- hours of entertainment right there.













Pat's Dad, Doc, made his yearly lobster dinner. As you can tell in the picture, Pat had to really force himself into the lobster- ha!

Pat made the Burns almost-traditional Nesselrode Pie for dessert, quite yummy.

....and yes, lobster in Boise is very good.

Pat and I had lunch with his Mom and Aunt Marilee. I got to also have my own lunch with Joanne and see Marilee's home. It was terrific to get to spend time with and get to know each of them better.


















Pat got to catch up with Miss Joe, a favorite employer of his. Then we went poolside with her and several of his friends. Boise is hot, but not so bad beside the pool with cheese and crackers.





The family birthday dinner was a cookout with Baskin-Robbins ice cream pie for dessert. Why did Baskin-Robbins have to leave Asheville? I want one of those for my birthday!



















We played a bit of croquet on birthday night and then actually finished a game the last evening we were there with Doc and Joanne.









After the birthday dinner, we met up with Jimmy, Pat's friend who shares the same birthday, for the annual toast.

I also got to meet Pat's good friends Jon & Ryan and Jon's girlfriend, Susan. It was great to finally put faces with names.


While I hope to get back to Stanley sometime, it was very nice to be in one place for the whole vacation. I think it felt like a longer vacation with less traveling involved. I really enjoyed Boise. I went for a couple of jogs and it was boiling hot on the pavement, but there are so many pretty little neighborhoods to see and there were several less developed paths near streams and rivers. Downtown Boise has a similar feel to downtown Asheville in terms of restaurants and cultural activities. But although Boise feels like a bigger city, there is something about the big sky or maybe a western outlook that seemed more laid back, less competitive. Of course, I was there on vacation, so maybe I was just less stressed, but whatever the cause, I enjoyed the feeling of "just living" and not trying to get ahead or do it all right.