Ross and Beverley

Idaho State Capital - Boise

Boise was not Idaho's first capital city. In March 1863, when President Lincoln signed the law that created Idaho Territory, he left the task of choosing a temporary capital to William Wallace, a personal friend he appointed to serve as first Terrtorial Govenor. Wallace chose Lewiston, a boooming supply point for the mines of north Idaho. The new legislature would select the capital's permanent location. By 1864, gold discoveries in the Boise Basin had shifted the populations south, and following a heated debate, the second Territorial Legislature chose Boise as the permanent capital. Fast forward to 1905, the Capitol building's lack of amenities and limited space prompted the state Legislature to fund construction of a new Capitol.
Since that time the Capitol building has undergone massive restoration and it is now a magnificant building. It has the a copy of the Philadelpha Libery Bell out front which folks are able to ring. Its very loud.

It is located across the road from the Law Library.

The marble columns are in the Corinthian,Ionic and Doric styles.

It has marble throughout.

When looking up to the Rotunda the dome is brillant. It has 13 large stars which respresent the 13 original original colonies, and 30 smaller stars for a total that represents Idaho's admission as the forty - third stae in the Union.

The House.

The Senate.

A full life - sized statue of George Washington, carved in 1864 using an image the size of a postage stamp.

Marble staircases.

Budget Book.

Executive Budget,

The governor's Office.

They paint their electrical boxes throughout the city and this we thought quite apt as we were on our way to lunch.

We had a great time in Boise , lots to see and enjoy. The folks here are very friendly and we have made some more goos friends.

Cheers,

Ross and Beverley

Basque Food

Boise has a large Basque community and they are a sister city with the Basque in Europe.
This is the Basque Center which we did not visit however it is located close to the restaurant were we enjoyed lunch.

The Basque Market is famous for its tapas and piella which they serve 2 days a week at a reduced price. It is so popular we needed to wait and hour to get a table.

The following photos are of the inside of the restaurant which has everthing for sale.

How it works you choose what you want to eat, get your drinks and sit and enjoy.

We opted for tapas.

They charge by the length of the toothpick.

It was a great experience with delicious food and wine.

Cheers,

Ross and Beverley

Out and about in Boise

Boise has lots to do and see from entertainment to great restaurants. Some friends we have made in the RV park invited us to come along to the Knitting Factory which is a music venue to watch a show.

The opening act was called the Tumbleweeds. There were 2 chaps who warmed up the crowd.

The main act was called Asleep at the Wheel and they play Texas Swing . There are some 7 members in the band and they were fantastic. Not only do they sing well they are great musicians.

The drummer has a symbol in the shape of Texas.

Many folks got into the mood and danced the night away.

Another day we had lunch at the Silver Fern Kiwi Shake and Bake Restaurant which is in downtown Boise and close to the Anne Frank Memorial. Whilst visiting the Memorial Ross saw the NZ Flag so we had to dine there.

The wine comes in a cooled tumbler.

Metal straws come with the water. They are certainly much better than the cardboard straws we have used in some of the other States we have travelled through.

They proudly display their National Bird.

Their speciality is the meat pie. Ross had a steak and onion pie. Beverley enjoyed a steak and mushroom pie. The pies were great and we will be making a return visit to this place.

Coffee comes with the leaf pattern.

For eduactional purpose they have displayed some NZ money.

As you can see we do enjoy ourselves.

Cheers,

Ross and Beverley

Idhio Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial - Boise

The Idhio Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial has been designed for use as a living classroom. Its comprised of several major elements. It has an Attic Ampitheater,Memorial Wall, Water Feature, Rose Beal Legacy Garden and Marylin Shuler Classroom for Human Rights. Human rights quotes are incorporated within these features and scattered throughout the Memorial.

Human Rights quotes on walls.

These tablets explain the chapters of education.

This Memoral honours the triump of the human spirit. In a world divided by differences of political doctrine and religious belief, they are humbled and emboldened by a child who wrote in her diary from the silence and dred of her family home hiding place in Amsterdam during WW11. In 1945, Anne Frank was imprisoned at Bergin - Belson concentration camp where she died of starvation, exposure, brutality and disease. She was 15 years of age. Her Diary is among the most widely read books in the world and it has been translated into more than 60 languages. It is seen as one of the most important documents of the 20 th century.

This sculpture is of Anne looking out from her bedroom window.

This is the sculpture of the Spiral of Injustice.

In 1995, a traveling exhibit on Anne Frank drew thousands of visitors from accross Idaho to Boise. This overwhelming interest sparked the idea for a more permanent tribute. One such individual who was involed in this process was Rose Beal who was born in Germany, on December 3,1921. She lived for 6 years under Hiltler's increasing repressive rule until she, her mother , and two young brothers immigrated to the USA. Rose moved to Bois in 2004 and at the age of 82 became a docent at the Memorial. Over a 10 year period she was an ardent and tireless promoter and defender of human rights.

There are many stories of those who have been instumental in getting this memorial up and running. They have many volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain this. The day we visited there were volunteers weeding the gardens, maning the office and assisting visitors with information.
It was wonderful to visit the Memorial as some years ago when we were in Amsterdam we went to Anne Frank's home however, when we got there it was closed.
Anne Frank's spirit is pervasive throughout the memorial and for a young girl she has has made a worldwide impact.

Cheers,
Ross and Beverley

Boise - Idaho

Boise is the capital of Idaho and the best way to see the city is with a bus tour which we do wherever possible. There was conjecture over the name Boise and eventually the name stuck after a Frenchman used this name when describing the river. It is also the home of geothermal heating with many areas of the city using this method of heating. This was intersting to know as the home we lived in at Beaverdam, NB, Canada was geothermally heated. There are several areas in Boise who ge their heating this way. It is also the home of blue Astro Turf which covers their stadium. Idaho is also the largest potato growing area in the USA. They supply all the French Fries for Mc Donnal's restaurant's around the world.

We passed the Ahavath Beth Israel Synagogue. Its an 1896 building and is the among the oldest synagogue buildings buildings in continuous use in the USA west of the Mississippi.

We passed the Idaho State Capitol Building which is the home of Government of the State of Idaho since 1863 although at this time it was Lewiston briefly served as the capital. With the formation of the Territorial Legislature it was moved to the capital to Boise on December, 24, 1864. We plan to visit this before we leave Boise.

We passed the Library which has an exclamation make on it. There are various ways to get around the city and these fellows are using these means.

This is another way of getteing around, electic scooters. They can be picked up and left off in various places throughout the city.

This map is of the Boise River and of a night it is lit up.

This home had been a Children's Home in its early life and is still used t provide services to the city.

We then visited the rich end of town where homes range in price starting from 1 million dollars.

Not be outdown this home is the same area is built like a castle and even has a moat.

We passed through the Basque area which we will write about later and their power box depicts some of their history. Boise and the Basque in Europe are sister cities.