July 14th

Happy Bastille Day.....or my day to celebrate another year of life in this world.

The day before my birthday we started the celebrating by going to the yearly Eagle Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival.

In case you're unfamiliar with Rocky Mountain Oysters.....they are not oysters. They are fried steer testicles. Yes, I love trying new foods, so I tried them. They are covered with so much fried batter and flavor that they aren't gross....but I don't know if I need to eat anymore soon.

Then we went downtown and saw a bike race:

Good grief, I can't imagine going that fast and not falling over....and you can't fall over or so would everyone else. But very cool to watch!

Then (yah!) we got to go to an amateur stand-up comedian contest. Oh, it was wonderful. Do you ever just have experiences where you recognize that an activity or thought or idea is connected to some inner part of who you really are? I was very reminded that comedy was one of mine. I've only done stand-up a small bit, but watching the timing and the thought leaps, made my heart leap. More visits to Liquid Laughs to come.

On my actual birthday, I celebrated by drinking a bowl of soul at Java and then a family dinner....it was also Pat's parents' anniversary too! Yay for never forgetting my in-laws' anniversary.

July 10th

I cooked dinner! and Pat had seconds!

Chicken thighs with peach, chipotle, honey sauce. Black bean, corn and red pepper salad.

Thanks to these recepies:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-thighs-chipotle-peach-50400000104947/print/


http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/06/black-bean-corn-red-pepper-salad-lime-cilantro-vinaigrette-recipe.html

July 7: post 4th bbq

Long story short, we got a new grill...well, new to us. Found a good deal on craigslist, brought it home and cleaned it up and viola: grilled veggies and chicken! So delicious!

July 4th in Stanley

July 3rd we picked up our friend Anne-Marie and took off for Stanley. 

Got to catch up with Jason and then found a camping spot. 

July 4th we woke up in the glorious outdoors, got coffee in town and then headed back to the river for fishing and girl-talk time.

Then we stopped by Redfish and took a quick, refreshing dip

 We headed back into town in time to catch the 4th of July parade and festivities. We got to catch up with lots of people we hadn't seen in years.

Sunset

Fireworks, Karoke & Fun

The next day we got up and headed for Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch where Pat, Anne-Marie and I worked in 2008.

Best view in the world.

Then we stopped by Stanley Lake...and watched the storm roll in

and made a few quick sandwiches in the rain on the way home

Hope to get there a few more times this summer

June 26: Boise

At the end of our neighborhood is a large park with a hill called Camel's Back. I believe it will be a new part of my workout regime....and has great views.

We live somewhere down in those trees

The sun is much closer in Boise than it was in Asheville 

A stairway to heaven? no, just a good workout

Then Pat and I met up with Anne-Marie for Alive After 5, a weekly downtown music and beer gathering. After which, we ended up trying out another basque restaurant. I have come to find that I have quite an affection for croquettes. However, I also tried a Kalimotxo (pictured above), which is red wine mixed with coke. I love trying new things, so that was awesome, but some things are probably best left at trying once.

June 12-15: Moving In Part 2

We got started unloading the first U-box. Since a one-bedroom apartment is smaller than a three-bedroom house with a basement, we are storing some of our belongings . 

On the third and final U-box, Uhaul had bolted the door shut....but forgot to tell us that. Oh fun times of moving. I would complain, but since the move was in June and now that I've been here a couple weeks and seen temperatures reach up to 106 degrees, I'll keep my mouth shut...at least we got in while it was still cool.

McCall

Pat's parents went to McCall for a week stay and we spent a night visiting them. We ate at a restaurant right on the lake and Pat got to catch up with his friend who is running the bar over the restaurant.

Beautiful views and great town

A few Boise sites

Walking around downtown Boise. That's us on the front steps of the capitol waving hello to the city.

Looking up the edge of a triangle building

Enjoying the views in Eagle

Sunsets are pretty awesome