So Sad When These Days Come

Well, this was it. The last day of a long string of days where life was not about fifty mile commutes or how much more work could be piled onto me. This span of days was about being with friends, about doing something new, about being shown favorite haunts, and really just about living. Much of how my time here in Boise was spent was new to my incredible hosts too. And when it was not new, it was something they knew and enjoyed and wanted to share with me.

This image was taken from Aspen's back window yestereve during our little party for her. How lucky she is to be able to wake up to mountains every day.



Today was a shipping day. In addition to the orders that my hosts had to send out, I also had to send a package; to myself. I didn't break the bank on this trip, which was good, but there was no extra room in my suitcase to start.

After the post office, we went to lunch at this funky little cafe in town, and then headed off to the Idaho History Museum. This place, while nothing like the big museums of the Smithsonian that I'm used to (as you might imagine), had it's own kind of local charm. It was, after all, all about local history. The natives who once flourished, the first settlers and gold miners, the people who worked so hard to develop the city and the beautiful park where the museum stood. I love local history.

Here is a picture of a painting of Idaho's Great Seal, the only one of all US Great Seals to have been designed by a woman, Emma Edwards in 1891:

Pretty neat, huh?

However, the most interesting part of the entire museum, to me, was this:

The doll on the left is from 1927, and was one of 58 dolls sent to the US as part of the "Doll Messengers of Goodwill Project." The project was, you guessed it, to promote goodwill between the US and Japan, and friendship between each country's children. This doll, called Miss Nara and gifted by Japan to the people of Idaho, had been restored in 1994, but is still cracked and in need of repair due to the difference in humidity between Idaho and Japan. The doll on the right is New Miss Nara, given to the people of Idaho after the restoration efforts on the first Miss Nara. Both dolls are in traditional Japanese kimono and surrounded by some really cool accessories. It makes me want to find out what happened to the other 57 dolls that were sent here as part of the program. Sounds like some research is in order!

And here, the last picture of the day and of the trip. Glen and Willow and I around the statue of Shoshoni Sacajawea and her infant son Pomp.

This was not the kind of vacation that I feel came and went. Maybe that was because our days were never boring, even the days where we did not go out were not dull in any way. I also don't feel that I "need a vacation to rest from my vacation," as they say, but I will need a bit of time to get back on track in my time zone.

But I am quite sorry to see it end. I really like this area. The mostly clean, not humid air. The lack of tons of cars and traffic and the calmer atmosphere. The nearness of the city and fun things to do in and around it. And I really like being able to see my friends and talk to them and not have to wait on the computer every day hoping one of them would post something and tell me how they're doing. If I miss nothing else that I leave behind me in Boise, I will miss being able to see my friends. That, after all, was the whole point in coming anyway. It's not as depressing as it may sound! I know I'll be back again. And maybe with some frequent flyer miles to help me along. And maybe with a job prospect and a house prospect or something that would make visiting happen with the folks back in frantic DC. You never know.