If you have been following the articles in this magazine, you already know that we support everything Idaho. Now, I have decided to create a new feature just for Idaho artisans and craftspersons.
Are you someone, or do you know of someone, who creates something beautiful and unique with their hands? Do they make pottery, jewelry, blow glass, or have a unique item that they create? We want to hear about it and see the pieces!
Submission guidlines are as follows: Please submit 3 or 4 photos of your best pieces, your name, email address, and a phone number to jaztnr@gmail.com and put CTAAC in the subject line so that I can weed out junk mail.
Featured artisans and craftspersons will be chosen based upon quality, aesthetics, and uniqueness. If your pieces get chosen we will get back to you and set up an interview and photo session.
Mike Garets Raptor Specialist with a Peregrine subspecies from South America. It’s a Peregrine Falcon named “Schmidt” Photo by Terry Welch
I have a tendency to run into articles purely by accident or by my own volition. I had wanted to do an article on The World Center Birds for Birds of Prey and The Peregrine Fund for purely selfish reasons. As most of you that have been following the magazine know, I am pretty diverse with my subject matter. When I was in elementary school we were told to write a paper on an animal of our choice. I chose to write a paper on the Osprey, which is a world wide raptor that is also found in Idaho. I wrote about how they are getting electrocuted by their wings touching on the hotwires of utility poles.
Later in life I went to work as a volunteer for Idaho Fish and Game and we were building boxes for the Osprey to nest in. These boxes were set up in marshes and on the edges of lakes. They are a pain in the butt to build, however, the end result is amazing! When you see a mating pair of Osprey and you know that you were responsible for setting up that nest it sends a chill down your spine and love in your heart, it’s an added bonus when they have babies in the nest!.
Terry and I met up with Raptor Specialist Mike Garets at The World Center for Birds of Prey and he was amazing with his knowledge! He has been the Raptor Specialist at World Center for Birds of Prey for 6 years. His degree is in biology, but as far as birds of prey go he is pretty much self-taught. He is also a falconer and owns a raptor that he uses for hunting. It’s a fascinating story.
The Peregrine Fund was started in 1970 by Doctor Tom Cade, who passed away about a month ago. He was a falconer, conservationist, and a scientist. He, and a number of other falconers and biologists, were alarmed at the decline of the Peregrine Falcon, the source being DDT. DDT is a pesticide that was touted as the wonder pesticide, but it had long-lasting effects, beyond what anyone could imagine. Rachel Carson took DDT to task and is very responsible for getting DDT banned in the United States. In her book, Silent Spring that was published in 1962, she spoke of the disastrous consequences of using DDT, and the decline of the Peregrine Falcon is just one example of what she was referring to.
The Peregrine Falcon was listed as endangered in 1999. Tom Cade started breeding Peregrines at Cornell University in New York using birds that were given to him by falconers. By 1974 they were able to release the birds into the wild in New Jersey. They successfully bred there and that started the recovery. They opened a western branch in 1974 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Their goal was to repopulate the Anatum Falcon, which is a sub-species of Peregrine. It had completely disappeared east of the Mississippi River. West of the Mississippi there were only 40 breeding pairs that they were aware of and only one breeding pair in California.
When they realized they were going to be successful, they opened a breeding facility in Fort Collins. That breeding facility was there until 1984. In the early 80s, The Peregrine Fund decided to consolidate the facilities that existed at Cornell and in Fort Collins. At that time, Morley Nelson, who was on the board of The Peregrine Fund stepped in. He was a long-time friend of The Peregrine Fund and Tom Cade going back many years. He convinced them that Boise was the best place for the peregrines and other birds to be preserved. Many entaties including Boise City and Idaho Power decided to jump in and help with it. They helped to procure the property where the World Center for Birds of Prey is situated in Boise. The rest of the property was donated by BLM (Bureau of Land Management). They relocated to Boise in 1984.
The Morely Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, located just outside of Melba, ID, has one of the highest concentrations of nesting raptors in North America, perhaps even the world. There is a lot to be proud of here in Idaho when it comes to raptors. There are 14 or 15 breeding pairs of Peregrine Falcons, as well as other raptors in this conservation area.
Guffey Bridge at Celebration Park ouside of Melba, Idaho
On any given year, depending on conditions, Peregrine Falcons may or may not breed in conservation areas. During the recovery of the Peregrine biologists tried cross-fostering where they have an adult Prarie Falcon raise the young Peregrine Falcon as if they were their own. However, they were never able to get the Peregrines to come back and nest in the Snake River National Conservation Area.
Right now they are breeding Caliofornia Condors at The Worl Center for Birds of Prey. They have around 60 Condors in their facility and they have 130 eggs that are viable. The Peregrine breeding stopped in 1999 but they started breeding Aplomado Falcons in the late 90’s. That continued until about 5 years ago. They still monitor populations in Texas, although they remain an endangered species.
Condors are still listed as critically endangered. There were approximately 22 Condors when conservationists took them out of the wild and put them into conservation captive breeding programs at the LA Zoo and San Diego Wildlife Park. In the 90’s some Condors were brought to Boise and they started breeding them in Idaho.
This may seem like the most unattractive bird to you, but in all reality they are amazing raptors. They clean up roadkill, dead animals, and they are incredibly smart. They have an amazing wing span of up to 10 feet! When you see a Condor in the air you know it. They are huge! Condors remain endangered because they are exposed to lead poisoning from spent ammunition. The lead exposure happens when the condors eat lead fragments found in carcasses and gut piles left in the field.
In Boise they have more Condors than any other facility in the U.S. They are also being bred at The Oregon Zoo. Some of the Condors that they breed in Boise get released into the Grand Canyon in Arizona, which is a big deal and is open to the public. The birds that hatch this year typically go into the wild at 18 months of age. They are very slow to mature, they stay with their parents for over a year. They fledge at 6 monthsof age, which means that they are developing wings that are large enough for flight.
Where they release the Condors is also home to wild Peregrine Falcons. West of the Mississippi there were only 39 known pairs in the United States when the Peregrine Fund started. The density now in the Grand Canyon is that they nest about every 3 miles. In Idaho they have documented between 55 and 60 nesting pairs of Peregrine Falcons. The nests are called eyries. There are undoubtedly more than 100 nesting sites or eyries in Idaho but Peregrines are very secretive. There are 200 nest sites documented in Montana along the Montana-Idaho border. Peregrines try to find a deep cavity where they are not exposed to weather conditions. To find them is very, very difficult. Researchers don’t have the manpower to go out and find every single eyrie so they don’t know how many nesting pairs we have in Idaho.
There are several eyries in the Treasure Valley. There is one in downtown Boise on the Century Link Building. There is eyrie that has been situated at The Sugar Beet Factory in Nampa for 25 years. There is a pair nesting on a tower that is located on private property in Meridian. So there are 3 pairs documented in the Treasure Valley, which if you think about it, that’s really not many.
There are probably some down in the Bruneau canyons. There’s four documented in Twin Falls and one in the Malad Gorge south of the I-84 bridge. They are around. The people from The Peregrine Fund see them all the time, but for a novice such as myself, you have to know what you are looking for. Most people that see one have no idea what they are looking at. The wings are very tapered with a wing span of 2.5 to 3.9 feet depending on the size of the bird. Females are typically 1/3 larger than the males. When they did a presentation at the shopping center on Garrity in Nampa, Mike said that on one of the towers there was a large female sitting on top. She probably nests at the Sugar Beet Factory.
The Aplomado (leaden in Spanish) Falcon, shown below, is no longer being bred at The World Center for Birds of Prey. They do, however, monitor their populations in the wild. There are about 38 pairs nesting along the Texas coast. When they are in the wild they are more white in their chest as opposed to the tawny color you see in the photo due to her being raised in captivity. It bleaches out after the first molt when they are in the wild. She’s a beautiful bird! While we were standing there watching her she danced up and down on her perch like a beautiful ballerina with wings.
Female Aplomado Falcon Photo by Terry Welch
The color pattern on “Schmidt”, a Peregrine Falcon, is very noticeable when you get up close with him. He has these very dark tapered wings and beautiful variegated colors on his back. On his wings he has a white stripe almost like a racing stripe on a car. His tail feathers are so pretty! This particular color phase is only found in Patagonia, Argentina. He is one of the birds that can tolerate cold weather like we had in Boise on the day we did the photoshoot. He is captive bred and very glove friendly, so friendly that even the volunteers at The World Center for Birds of Prey can handle him. Photo of Schmidt is shown below.
Mike Garets and Schmidt, a Cassini breed of Peregrine Falcon found in Patagonia Photo By Jaz Fagan
Terry took photographs of some of the other species of birds that they have at The World Center for Birds of Prey, such as the male Eurasian Eagle-Owl which looks mostly like an owl to me. When I first saw it I thought it was a Great-Horned Owl, but that just shows what I don’t know. Mike Garets informed me that they are cousins, closely related. We also got a great shot of the Harpy Eagle, which has a wing span of about 5 feet. They hunt sloths and monkeys and have very thick legs and talons. They have a greater grip force than any other raptor, about a thousand pounds per square inch. The photo below is a male that they bred, and at one time they bred them at The World Center for Birds of Prey, however, the program was moved to Panama in 1999 and captive breeding ended in 2007. The Harpy Eagle inhabits the tropical rainforests and is one of the most powerful raptors in the world. The Harpy Eagle photographed below was captive bred almost 17 years ago.
Peregrine Falcon
Eurasian Eagle-Owl
Harpy Eagle
Talons of the Harpy Eagle Photos By Terry Welch
We spent over an hour with Mike Garets and there was so much information. Too much to write about in one article, so please look for the next article which will discuss Falconry. In this article, I mainly tried to cover the conservation aspects and the different breeds of raptors that are housed at The World Center for Birds of Prey. Falconry and its history is a huge subject in and of itself so I made a command decision to write a separate article on that.
Thank you very much to Mike Garets, Tate Mason, and of course Schmidt for allowing us to take up your time and energy discussing all of the wonderful things about The World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise! You are all very amazing! Please go to their website for ticket prices and special events information at http://www.peregrinefund.org/visit
I went to the Taylor Guitars Road Show last night at Dorsey Music in Nampa and it was incredibly enlightening. I have to be honest here, as a rhythm guitar player, I never really think too much about many of the components that make up my guitars and their sound, I think many of us don’t. Last night, however, I learned quite a few things about guitars that I had never known or even contemplated before.
I had a chance to sit down with Eric Sakimoto currently the District Sales Manager at Taylor Guitars. He lives in Loveland, Colorado and travels all over doing these shows. He has been with Taylor Guitars for 12 years and at one time lived in El Cajon, California where Taylor Guitars is based out of. The funny thing was that he was originally from Caldwell, Idaho. What a small world!
Eric Sakimoto Photo By Jaz Fagan
The new models that they are promoting are the Grand Concert, which is their smallest full-size body shape. They are also introducing the Grand Pacific which has a new shape and a new sound. They are based on a dreadnought body with a slightly sloped shoulder on the upper bout and a little deeper in the upper bout as well. Both guitars have the V class bracing that they introduced last year on their Grand Auditorium body, which is their most popular body shape.
Photo By J.D.F
One of the unique structural advances in Taylor Guitars is the way the necks are attached. On other acoustic guitars the necks are glued onto the body and then the fretboard is glued on to the neck. Taylor Guitars developed the NT (New Technology) neck which is precision machined and bolted on. You can take the neck off by simply removing 3 bolts. There are 2 wooden shims that can be adjusted to push the neck backward and forward to easily adjust the action on your fretboard and strings. You can really dial in the exact height you want on your guitar strings.
Photo By Jaz Fagan
The coolest new innovation in Taylor Guitars is the V-Class Bracing. Ever since the creation of steel string guitars it has always been an X brace pattern. Since the X brace pattern covers the entire top of the guitars the guitar makers have used variations of the X brace pattern developed by Martin in the 1840s. Since the X brace pattern covers the entire top of the guitar, strengthening the top, but also dampening the sound, there’s always a compromise between volume and sustain. The goal for Taylor Guitars was to increase sustain and volume, to have the cake and eat it too so to speak.
V-Class Bracing
X Style Bracing
Andy Powers came to Taylor Guitars in 2012 and is a self-taught guitar builder. He built his first guitar when he was 7 years old if you can believe that, amazing! When he went to college he studied music so he’s also a professional musician. Andy’s not only amazing at building guitars, but he’s also an excellent guitar player, so he gets it from a player’s standpoint.
In 2014 he started redesigning Taylor Guitars, he took everything they knew about guitars and basically “threw the kitchen sink into these (new) models.” The V-Class Bracing opened up the wings of the lower bout to be far more flexible than with the old X bracing while still maintaining strength, which is how he was able to increase volume and sustain. Eric talked about the warble you may hear right after you tune your guitar, most noticeable when you go from a G chord to a D chord. The cause of that isn’t the guitar being out of tune, it’s the bracing in the guitar itself. The V-Class Bracing has the ability to sustain without hearing that warble.
The V-Class Bracing also improves the tuning of the guitar. Since the Taylor Guitars now have a different bracing the top moves differently. The X bracing can cause the guitar to sound out of phase, to get a warbling sound, or in some cases, certain chords don’t play in tune as well. With the V-Class Bracing, the soundboard actually rocks back and forth like a teeter-totter so when notes come off the top they come off at the same time. There’s more order to how the notes come off the top.
I’m going, to be frank here. I never paid much attention to certain parts of my guitar beyond the strings, nuts, frets, action, pickup, and the finish. I decided to put these diagrams in the article because they were times when Eric would be discussing certain parts of a guitar and I thought I knew what he was referring to, but in reality, I didn’t. I realized how little I truly knew about my instrument. I apologize to Eric if I seemed a little lost at times during our interview.
Eric grabbed one of the new models of Taylor Guitars and strummed a few notes for me. The sustain was amazing! Each note that he hit rang for days. It plays perfectly in tune, even 12 frets up, and the sound is nice and clean. He played the high B on the fretboard and it rang as loudly as the E note clear down on the lower part of the fretboard. It’s unreal to my ears how true the sound is and I never noticed before that my acoustic guitars warbled. Unfortunately, I don’t own a Taylor because they are like the Jaguar cars of guitars and I simply can’t afford one, much as I wish that I could.
Photo By Jaz Fagan
Here’s a video of Eric discussing all of the cool new facets of the brand new models from Taylor Guitars. Enjoy!
Photo By Jaz Fagan
Photos By Jaz Fagan
Luke Carter Playing A Taylor Guitar Photo By Jaz Fagan
The Taylor Guitars Road Show was so much fun and so enlightening, I also won a t-shirt! There’s no doubt whatsoever that they make some of the finest guitars that are not only beautiful to play but also an heirloom to be cherished and passed down. A huge thank you to Eric Sakimoto for taking the time to sit down and impart his extensive knowledge with me. It’s obvious that he is very passionate about the guitars and the work that he does. To find out more info on Taylor Guitars please go to their website athttps://www.taylorguitars.com/
When I was in the fifth grade I joined the orchestra and needed a violin. My mom took me to Dorsey Music and rented a 3/4 size violin for me. As I got older I outgrew my violin so we returned to Dorsey Music and she bought me a beautiful full-size Glazel. They are always great about helping students out with renting instruments purely in the best interest of keeping children eager to play music and making it affordable for parents to provide those instruments for their budding young musicians.
Dorsey Wheeler, the owner of Dorsey Music, was a former school band director. His stores in Nampa and Boise have been serving the Treasure Valley since 1969, with stores in Boise, Nampa, and now Ontario. Dorsey holds a degree in Music Education from Weber State University in Utah. By working with children he saw the need of students having access to musical instruments that were affordable, so he left behind his days as a music teacher and decided to open a store where he could sell instruments and rent to students. He has helped to put instruments into the hands of 1000’s of the future musicians of the Treasure Valley and still does.
Fender Acoustic Guitars Photo By Jaz Fagan
At one point or another, his children have worked at the store. His son Derek Wheeler told me that he had taken piano lessons when he was in school but quit after a month. Ironically enough he married a piano teacher who now teaches their children to play the piano. He has worked at Dorsey for over 20 years now and loves it. On some days he is setting up church PA systems, at others he is helping out at the store. There’s never a dull moment! The staff at Dorsey Music is always helpful and ready to answer any questions customers may have. They are comprised of musicians with extensive knowledge of the various instruments they play, and they are always willing to assist customers in finding the right instrument that fits into their budget.
Dave Mundell helping a young girl get her first Fender Acoustic Guitar Photo By Jaz Fagan
Dorsey Music carries every instrument you can think of and some you probably can’t. From acoustic guitars to electric guitars, all kinds of orchestral stringed instruments, saxophones and trombones, drums and percussion instruments, as well as a Cajon or two. They also carry a wide array of PA equipment in a broad range of prices, both used and new, as well as accessories. I even saw a bad-ass cross that attaches to the top of a mic stand that I was tempted to buy.
Photos By Jaz Fagan
I met up with Dorsey last night at the Taylor Guitars Road Show and we talked about music, of course, and his new store that is having a grand opening in Ontario, Oregon this month. They are selling raffle tickets for $5 and all of the proceeds go to benefit the local music program of your choice. They have amazing prizes such as an Amati Violin worth $900, a Gretsch Hollow Body Electric Guitar worth $700, a Mio Flute valued at $1000, and so much more.
Dorsey is now in his 70’s and is still going strong! He commutes back and forth from the three stores and the love of his customers, music instruments, and music shows just in the way he affectionately discusses his business. Thanks to him and his wonderful store I was able to get my first violin and that little spark grew into what now is a professional musician. I can only say, “Thank you, Dorsey!” To find out more info about Dorsey Music please go to their website at https://www.dorseymusic.com/
Luke Carter Playing in The Taylor Guitar Room Photo By Jaz Fagan
When I was a little girl, I spent summers with my grandmother, bless her loving heart. She taught me so many things, like how to embroider, cook, paint ceramics, and to always love myself. One of the fondest memories I have was when she and I went to my hometown of Salmon, Idaho. We would be driving through the mountains, and she would see a wildflower that she wanted to add to her garden. She could spot a wildflower from a moving car as we drove in the mountains. It always amazed me!
So, off I would go, climbing a steep hill, to dig up a flower for her ever-expanding garden. I didn’t enjoy the climb at the moment, but it made her very happy. By all rights, my grandmother had one of the most beautiful gardens around. It was full of wildflowers, and she could tell you what every single flower was that was there. My grandmother, you see, was never ordinary, but extraordinary in all that she did.
Bittersweet Nightshade Photo by J.D.F.
A little over 2 years ago, I embarked on a journey to write a book about Idaho wildflowers. I spent over a year collecting the data for 227 different species and placing locations on an Idaho Atlas so that I could get in the field, collect specimens, and take photographs for the book. I didn’t get into the field until late last year because we had bought a new house and moved. I was also working 10 hour days for the county.
This year I am finally getting down to the actual writing. I’m hoping to have 100 species located, photographed, and entered into the book by the end of the season and have the first book published by December. It’s been an enlightening process. Each entry includes fun facts such as historical significance, edibility, medicinal purposes, and, of course, scientific data.
Some of the wildflowers that I was able to find last year are shown in this article. I enjoy writing, but the greatest part is getting out into nature with my camera and going on a treasure hunt. I get so excited when I find a species that I can’t wait to get home and download the photos to see what I got. I’m like a little kid at Christmas when I see a beautiful purple or yellow flower that I have been looking for.
Bull Thistle Photo By J.D.F.
I wish my grandmother were here to go with me on every treasure hunt. She would have loved it! I am so grateful to her for instilling in me the love of nature and wildflowers. I guess you could say that it’s largely due to her that I am a hippy. She was a woman with the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. I miss her and love her very much. Thank you, grandma Marion!
A Meadow Outside of Stanley, Idaho Photo by J.D.F.
I wanted to start by thanking everyone! Since the magazine launched on 1-14-2019 we have had 1,897 hits on the magazine, 1,170 different visitors from countries all over the world including Ireland, Nigeria, New Zealand, Serbia, and The Philippines! Wow! We are a little over a month old and the numbers are amazing to me. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read the articles and give us feedback.
Each passing year, our traffic in Boise and surrounding areas has become really stressful. There are more drivers on roads and highways of Idaho than ever before. This is due to an influx of new companies, and the people that work for them that have moved into the Boise area. This has a catch-22 effect. We see the economic boost from employment growth, yet traffic is worse than ever. The stress level from trying to get from one place to the next has risen.
Boise GreenBike is a fabulous solution to some of the traffic congestion and stress levels that driving a car can present. It’s a healthier way of life, and it also helps the environment. When you ride a bicycle you aren’t burning fossil fuels. This saves you money and doesn’t add to the exhaust fumes in the environment which improves air quality.
I sat down with Dave Fotsch, Director of Boise GreenBike, and he shared some key points about the importance of the bicycle program to the Boise area. Historically, in the ‘90s, there was the Yellow Bike program, which was the community’s first attempt at bike share. Used bikes were painted all yellow and left unlocked and unattended around town. Without accountability, the bikes disappeared, some into the river, others to the homeless. Boise GreenBike launched in 2015 after a four-year effort to bring modern bike share to Boise. By modern, it means a system that offers security for the bikes and accountability to the riders.
Dave Fotsch, Director for Boise GreenBike Photo from Dave’s Facebook Page
To date, they have 127 bikes, which is going to jump to 250 bikes that should be arriving at the end of February, or beginning of March. This is being paid for by the FHWA. They have 83 or 84 hubs all over the city and BSU campus, and they will have more coming. They are considered an enterprise program of Valley Regional Transit (VRT). The assets you see on the ground, the bikes and the hubs, were paid for with federal grant money and a local match. Their entire operating budget has to come from ridership, membership, and sponsorship. The lion’s share comes from sponsors, about 75%, which is vitally important to the continuation, and the growth of their operation.
They currently have 2 title sponsors, St. Lukes and SelectHealth. They are alliance partners in business. SelectHealth is an insurance company and St. Lukes is a health care provider. They formed this alliance a few years ago. It was primarily to allow SelectHealth, a Utah based company, to get a foothold in the Idaho market. They also sponsor the bicycle-sharing program in Salt Lake City. Since they have sponsored Boise, SelectHealth has also sponsored systems in Park City and St. George in Utah. Dave said, “We are very thankful to them, and St.lukes for the support that they lend our system.”
In the month of May, they have a ride-free month in Boise. In 2018 it was called “May in Motion”. It is sponsored by St.Lukes and SelectHealth. Dave is very excited about this, “It was absolutely amazing! We had a 200% increase in ridership that month over previous years, and a 400% increase in membership. Even Better, we made more money in May than we had made in the previous May and the trend pulled through the entire summer clear to the end of September. We finished our fiscal year with a 50% increase in rides overall.”
They hold special events including “Cranksgiving” with Create Common Good, which is a local organization that provides job training and job placement services for vulnerable populations facing barriers to employment. This is a great event for St.Vincent de Paul. It’s a charity alleycat race where bike riders hunt down food items to donate to needy families for Thanksgiving. The primary beneficiary of Cranksgiving is St. Vincent de Paul and its Thanksgiving box program. In 2018 they donated 42 Thanksgiving food boxes, which means 42 families had a nice meal that otherwise might not have. Create Common Good provided food at the after party. https://www.facebook.com/CranksgivingBoise/.
Image from the Facebook page of Create Common Good
They have another great event which is part of the Twilight Criterium. This event will be held on Saturday, July 13th in downtown Boise. It’s a bike race that starts at 1:00 pm when the kid’s ride with Kristin Armstrong, winner of three Olympic Gold Medals. Certain streets in downtown Boise are blocked off for this race. The race lasts all day long and features pro-riders as well as local amateur riders.
Boise GreenBike hosts their GreenBike race during this event, which is a celebrity race where they try to get celebrities to ride. The GreenBike race starts right before opening ceremonies for the pro women’s race, usually around 6:00 p.m. This year they are going to try to change it up and make it a ride for charity. They are looking for a title sponsor to cover that event. If you would like to become a sponsor of Boise GreenBike please contact Dave Fotsch at https://www.facebook.com/BoiseGreenBike/.To see more information about this very cool event please got to https://www.facebook.com/BoiseTwilightCriterium/.
Photo from Twilight Criterium
They will also be offering free rides for Treefort Music Festival thanks to Key Bank who will sponsor free rides for everyone. They will draw what they call a superhub. At all of the Treefort Venues, you can lock the bikes in that hub. Valley Regional transit is sponsoring free rides on the Treeline circulator Service that will connect all of the venues downtown. It runs between 4th and 14th streets on Main and Idaho and makes a continuous loop from 6-12 am on Wednesday the 20th through Saturday the 23rd of March. If you have a Treefort wrist band you can ride any of the VRT busses for free. Those only run through Saturday.
I had to ask Dave about the theft scenario, bikes being thrown into the river, or vandalism to the bikes. He said that none of their bikes have ended up in the river so far. “They’ve been ridden into the river. Two years ago when the river flooded they put a notice out on their facebook page of which sections of the greenbelt were closed.” On one bike, it ruined the controller which cost $500 to fix. If you cause any damage to the bikes there are penalties and fees that will be applied to your credit card that is on file when you sign up as a member.
They have had several other bikes that had shown evidence of being ridden in the river. They had to rebuild the rear hub because they were all full of sand. Fortunately, no one has maliciously thrown a bike into the river. Boise GreenBike has amazing bike gurus, Aaron Harloe who is the Shop Manager and a life-long bicycle enthusiast. He has worked professionally as a bicycle mechanic. The other guru is Kelly Frazier who is their Field Technician. She’s a natural mechanic and computer whiz.
Aaron Harloe, Shop Manager Boise Green Bike Photo by Terry Welch
Kelly Frazier, Field Technician for Boise GreenBike Photo by Terry Welch
Each bike has a GPS, so they know where the bikes are at all times. The bikes used to cost around $1300 a piece, but they are getting new bikes that are coming in at $1800. They’re not cheap! The bikes are made by Social Bicycles and come with all the bells and whistles. You can track how many miles you have ridden, how many calories you have burned, carbon offsets, and the amount of money you have saved by riding a bike. To find out how it works, to become a member or sponsor, and how to reserve a bike go to https://boise.greenbike.com/.
Each bike has a basket and women can comfortably ride these bikes in a skirt. The seats are comfortable and getting around downtown and BSU is easier than ever. You don’t have to wear a helmet, however, it is highly recommended.
Please catch our follow up photo essay by Terry Welch which will feature various people riding Boise GreenBikes around town. This will come out soon!
Rotunda of the Idaho State Capitol Building Photo by Terry Welch
Terry and I attended the Buy Idaho event on January 30th, and I think we were both very impressed with the number of people attending and the number of vendors displaying their Idaho made goods and wares. If you were wearing a coat, you really wanted to take it off because it was warm in there with the press of so many people in one place.
Buy Idaho has hosted this wonderful event for over 20 years inside the Capitol building. It’s always held during the legislative session so that the local business owners have the opportunity to rub elbows and network with our elected officials. For more detailed information please contact Jennifer Mauk, Executive Director for Buy Idaho at https://www.facebook.com/BuyIdahoInc/ or http://www.buyidaho.org.
As the publisher and editor of this online magazine, meeting Jennifer was a wonderful step forward for us. Buy Idaho is a membership organization. They promote the sales and services of Idaho businesses throughout the state. If you are a licensed business here in Idaho, they want you to become a member. They help connect businesses with other businesses. They also help to promote Idaho businesses within their communities.
The annual membership fees are very reasonable. The fees are based upon the annual income of your business. The dues get your business a listing in the “Idaho Products & Services” directory. It’s printed in April, so the dues need to be paid in March. As a member of Buy Idaho, you also get many opportunities to network with other businesses at the events that Buy Idaho hosts throughout the year.
Happy Day Brands Boise
There were so many vendors to meet, and I was on a really tight schedule, so I could only get to a few. As I was walking around with Terry, I just picked vendors based on their personalities and products. I came across two lovely women at their booth. Tammy Adams is the Project Manager for Happy Day Brands, and Mariah Priddy is the Social Media Manager. They micro-roast their coffee locally in Boise and sell all natural chocolate bars, and superfood. They have been a non-profit for over 10 years under a different name and have been a benefit corporation for 3 years.
Here is their mission statement from their facebook page, “To empower women and whole communities to rise above poverty through training and sustainable economic opportunities.” They are innovative, creative, and make a great team. They have a Buy One Give One program in which Happy Day Brands will provide a serving of their all-natural Superfood Oatmeal to a regional food bank. Each serving is handcrafted with their unique Gluten Free, Non-GMO blend of 8 Superfood Grains.” All the oats come from local farms and Happy Day Brands tries to source as much of their products from local distributors and growers as possible.
They donated nearly 30,000 servings of Superfood Oatmeal to the school pantry program with Idaho Foodbank. Their goal is 100,000 servings by the end of the year through the Buy One Give One Program! To see their wonderful products and learn more about their socially conscious program please go to https://www.happydaybrs.comand or https://www.facebook.com/happydaybrands/.
Mariah Priddy and Tammy Adams from Happy Day Brands Photo by Terry Welch
Weiser Classic Candy Company
Continuing around the rotunda, we came upon Patrick Nauman, the owner of Weiser Classic Candy. If you love candy and chocolate, this is your go-to guy for sure! They are a small batch chocolatier that makes everything fresh in their store in Weiser. All products are hand-made and hand-dipped with love. These chocolates and candies then get sold all across the state as well as being sold online.
The company has been around for 33 years. Patrick has been the owner for the last 12 years. They have a full-service deli restaurant inside of the store. Prior to owning the company, Patrick was working for a cruise line but said he wanted more stability with less travel. He found his passion for chocolate!
Patrick has a very interesting story to tell about how he came to own this great company. This excerpt is from the Weiser Classic Candy’s web page. “For years the young lad would slip into the corner candy store, his senses surrounded by the sights, the smells and the sounds of the candy-making process. With eyes dancing and body tingling with the excitement of a child, he proclaimed silently, “Someday, I’m going to grow up and have my own candy store”! And now, a couple decades later, who would have guessed that not only does the small-town lad with a dream own a candy store, he owns that very candy store which sparked an innocent childhood dream!”
For more information about Weiser Classic Candy, or to purchase their delicious treats, please contact Patrick Nauman at https://www.weiserclassiccandy.com/.
Patrick Nauman, Owner of Weiser Classic Candy Photo by Terry Welch
Photo by Weiser Classic Candy
Galaxy Event Center at Wahooz & Roaring Springs Meridian
Carla Fay, the Corporate Group Sales Representative at Wahooz, had so many great things to say about this new event center. Mayor Tammy de Weerd of Meridian had asked someone in Meridian to build an event space. They are always thinking of new and fun ways to be part of the community, so they built an event space that is 12,000 square feet. It’s the largest event space in Meridian.
It holds 600 guests and has break-out rooms for more intimate events. It has a large main ballroom that is fully equipped with A.V. (audio-visual), and high-speed internet. They have trade shows, they had a gymnastics meet there recently, galas, proms, and weddings. On Monday, local band Pilot Error played there to a crowd of about 250 guests. They have had local companies come in and host casino nights. Their focus is on holiday parties, corporate meetings, and conferences.
It’s all very exciting for the communities and businesses here in Idaho! If you would like more information on how to schedule your event please contact Carla Fay at http://www.wahoozfunzone.com/.
Carla Fay, Corporate Group Sales Rep at Wahooz Photo by Terry Welch
Galaxy Event Center Photo by Wahooz Fun Zone
Idaho Wild Rose Farms Kuna
Karen Richardson and her husband Frank, who is the farmer and beekeeper, are the owners of Idaho Wild Rose Farms in Kuna. They have beehives and an orchard. They make products out of the beeswax that the bees so diligently produce in their beehives, and they also make honey from the harvest that the bees share with them. They have lotions, lip balms, a lot of bath products as well as sugar scrubs, all-natural antiseptic creams, deodorants, and muscle rubs. When I looked at their product list online I loved the fun names of a couple of their products, Boo Boo Cream, and Bubble Truffles. They also have beeswax melts that you put into the wax warmers with a little coconut oil, the beeswax helps clean the air.
There will be events coming up in the spring and summer. They also have a couple of locations in Kuna as well as a location in Meridian. For more information, or to pay a visit to their farm please contact Karen Richardson at http://www.idahowildrosefarms.com/.
Frank and Karen Richardson, Owners of Idaho Wild Rose Farms Photo from Karen’s facebook page
Muscle Rub Photo by Idaho Wild Rose Farms
Fireside Mallow Co. Caldwell
Who doesn’t love sitting around a campfire and roasting marshmallows? Personally, I like to hold them over the flame until they light on fire, blow them out, and eat the gooey sweetness right off of my willow stick. I’m sure the black flecks that got caught in my teeth make for a lovely picture!
We caught up with Russ Nelson, Owner of Fireside Mallow Co., who shares the helm with his wife Stacy. They make gourmet marshmallows inspired by s’mores, of course! Russ says of their marshmallows that, “They will make a s’more that will change your life. I’ve been told that by customers. I didn’t just make that up.”
All of their marshmallows are small batch, made from scratch, hand-cut, and hand packaged. Their flavors are unique and developed by his wife. They don’t market a marshmallow that they don’t all really, really like. They have a coffee shop that sells their marshmallows and they are the product testers.
They started the business around 2015. It was their daughter Grace’s last day of 8th grade. She had a bunch of friends over and they were making s’mores in the backyard. She came running in the house saying, “You know what we ought to do? We gotta start an s’mores store.” So, they decided to make their own. They started out catering, but it evolved into what is now Fireside Mallow Co. Their shop is in Indian Creek Plaza in Caldwell, but you can find their marshmallows just about everywhere.
Russ Nelson, Owner of Fireside Mallow Co. Photo by Terry Welch
Photo From Fireside Mallow Co.’s facebook page
Hello Beauty Full & Co. Meridian
Nataliya Barbin is the owner of Hello Beauty Full & Co. Her t-shirts are all about kindness, love, and inner beauty, She is such a sweet and endearing person that wants to share her positivity with the world to make it a better place. I lost my brother when I was 17 and I can relate to her story, so with that, I will let her tell you her story in her own words because it’s a very special and touching story.
This is from her webpage: “Hello beautiful” words spoken to so many by my brother. Oh, how we miss him! The love and kindness that he had for everyone. His personality and beautiful soul touched so many people around him. We know now, that he said “hello beautiful” to everyone in his path just to brighten their day or perhaps to see them smile. He was the one that was full of beauty; inner beauty and he shared it. ‘Hello, Beauty Full & Co ‘ was created in his memory. We want nothing more than to see this love for everyone live on.
Lets spread this positivity around the world. Be kind, smile more, take the time to say hello, love and share your beauty. Inner beauty.
When you purchase our products you are joining us on this journey and we are forever grateful.
Passion
The things that I’m most passionate about are smiles, laughter, and love. I can go on for days why these things bring me so much joy. I love to create things that touch us deeply and make us really dive in and check our hearts.
Mission
I love serving the world by providing encouragement, fashion with a purpose and most of all love. My mission is to not only sell products but to give products. My mission is not just fashion but purpose.
Dream
When you support this small business you support a dream. A dream for love over hate. A dream for kindness, inspiration and true beauty. A dream to see someone smile. A dream to keep a memory alive.
Nataliya Barbin Owner of Hello Beauty Full & Co. Photo by Terry Welch
Nothing Bundt Cakes Meridian
One of my last stops before leaving was at Nothing Bundt Cakes. Shannon Cline is the owner/operator and she is so outgoing and friendly. I think the photo that Terry took is my favorite. They are located in Meridian on Eagle and Fairview next to Bed, Bath and Beyond, and have been in business for 4 1/2 years now.
They are a retail store as well and they make fun things like the gift basket that is shown in the picture below. It’s filled with cute little gift items and the price is right at just under $20!
Here is the story behind Nothing Bundt Cakes from their webpage and Facebook page: To find the perfect recipe, you first need the perfect ingredients. And that’s what our founders Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz were for each other. In 1997, they joined forces, or better yet kitchens, to help make cakes to entertain their friends and family. The cakes they made were delicious, unlike anything anyone had tasted. As a result, their friends and family asked them to entertain more and more.
They quickly realized this side project of theirs could be something more. There was a gap in the world for delicious cakes, readily available, that didn’t compromise on their ingredients. Real eggs, butter, and cream cheese; nothing was too good to achieve perfection. And perfection is those decadent, slowly melting bites, we all know and love.
Flash forward and the Nothing Bundt Cakes brand has grown nationwide. Built on Dena and Debbie’s vision, each bakery still has the warmth and nostalgia of its home-kitchen roots, but we also take a modern approach for the world today. So whether you’re enjoying a bundt cake or a bundtini one thing is certain – perfection is all we offer.
From the first bite, sweet memories of your Mom’s cake, fresh from the oven, gently tug at your heart. At Nothing Bundt Cakes, two good friends have combined the warmth of nostalgia with a fresh, modern approach. Our luscious cakes are made with the finest, premium ingredients, including fresh eggs, real butter, and cream cheese. Each bite slowly melts in your mouth, calling you back to a day when life was a little sweeter and time passed more slowly.
Shannon Cline, Owner of Nothing Bundt Cakes Photo by Terry Welch
Photo by Nothing Bundt Cakes Facebook Page
There were so many great vendors! I didn’t have time to get around to meet and interview them all, unfortunately! I really wish I could have. Here are some more pics of Buy Idaho’s vendors.
I met and asked Terry to join the staff of Idaho Gazette on January 17th. He is a very talented photographer! Many of the philosophies he shares in his bio are similar to mine, although I doubt I could have said it so eloquently. I am very fortunate to have him on board.
Afghan Girl. That’s the photograph that did it for me.
Have you ever looked at a piece, of art or listened to a song, or seen a photograph that moved you to say “Oh my God!” Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl did that for me. And Annie Leibovitz…she has changed my life, as well.
The decisive moment as defined by Henri Cartier-Bresson is that perfect time to press the camera’s shutter to capture the perfect moment. A second too early, or a second too late and the moment has passed, uncaptured. In the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the lead character Walter (played by Ben Stiller), is busy tracking down a missing photograph which is to be displayed on the cover of Time Magazine’s last issue. The photographer Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) describes his last photograph as “the quintessence” of his work, meaning the perfect composition taken at The Decisive Moment. For me, photography is my own search for the decisive moment and an expression of what I believe to be a quintessence. What will your decisive moment be?
There are many wonderful speeches given by a great many remarkable people that I have loved, but a quote in a speech given by Father Michael Himes is my favorite. Father Himes says that “…you only have things by giving them away; by offering them to others. Attend to the ways in which you can give yourself away to others.” Sometimes life gets complicated, and we get carried away with its waxing and waning ways. But for me, being a visual person, it feels like my last statement about what was important should be expressed in images that I capture with my camera. If someone handed you a camera and charged you with the task of taking 100 photographs of things you loved or the things that were important to you, what would those 100 photos look like? What sorts of things do you post on your social media sites, like Facebook? And as Father Himes asked, how do you give yourself away?
We all have something to say, and we each have a unique way to say it. Some of us are mothers and teachers and laborers. Or maybe we’re carpenters, and musicians, and bartenders. Regardless of our job title, our common thread is that we are all searching for our own way to make a positive difference. We’re trying to share what we see as the decisive moment and quintessence of life so that we have something to hold on to and to reference when times get rough.
Vivian Maier, who remains the prolific and mysterious photographer that took over 150,000 photographs of people as she worked as a nanny, might be the greatest example of someone that wanted to show us what was most important, and how to give ourselves away to others. We know very little about Vivian, except that she is one of the greatest street photographers that will ever live. What we do know about her constantly puts smiles on the faces of anyone that views her work. In other words, you won’t need money or power to convey your love of life–you just need to put one foot in front of the other and keep going and never quit. Fuel your progress with your sweetest vision.
Photos by Terry Welch
Photos by Terry Welch
Terry has shot at such great Idaho events as The Great Idaho Potato Drop every year, Art In the Park, Hempfest, Pride Day, The Western Idaho Fair, Womxn’s March on Idaho 2019, and Hyde Park Festival. He has been published in Greenbelt Magazine.
His dream is to photograph American memoirist, novelist, essayist and podcast host, Cheryl Strayed. He’s always looking for the bigger picture and shoots for free, however, my goal is to be able to pay him when the magazine gets some backing through advertising or maybe an investor.
The McCall Winter Carnival began back in 1924. It was founded by Cory Egan, who was a local resident and an Olympic Ski Champion. He, along with some volunteers, created it to fight off winter boredom. It is now a huge event that draws countless people from all over to see the fireworks, ice sculptures that are spread all over town, and to enjoy the Mardi Gras Parade.
Photos by J.D.F.
There was so much to see and do at the Carnival. Unfortunately, I was on a very tight time schedule. I only had enough time to see the Mardi Gras Parade. I have always wanted to go to Louisiana for Mardi Gras, but, I think this is as close as I am ever going to get. It was so much fun!
I love the bright colors and seeing all the people having so much fun. There was a large group of girls dancing in the parade with a drum band behind them. What fun! Their costumes were whimsical and those girls know how to have a good time. After the parade it seemed that they were everywhere we went.
Photos by J.D.F.
When watching the parade, you had an opportunity to see all the beautiful Rodeo Queens and Princesses. The rode by with their beautiful smiles, waving happily and throwing beads and candy to the crowd. One of my favorite parade participants was the alpaca, so cute! Miss Boise was also in the parade.
Photos by J.D.F.
This year’s theme was legends, myths, and superheroes. There were Batman and Robin, The Riddler, The Joker, Penguin, Cat Woman and more.
Photos by J.D.F.
Photo By J.D.F.
My favorite part, by far, was near the finale. It was the Chinese New Year Dragon. It weaved it’s way slowly from one side to the other and let the little children pet it. The colors were very vibrant and pretty.
Phots by J.D.F.
There was also The Citizens Against Poaching, and ISP, as well as a dog and trainer from the K-9 Unit, as well as representatives of The McCall Fire Department, Idaho Parks & Recreation, and The McCall Police Department.
Photos by J.D.F.
My favorite part of the entire carnival was taking pictures of the people that were really enjoying the McCall Winter Carnival. Everyone was in high spirits and having a great time! I wish I could have stayed longer.
Photos by J.D.F.
I didn’t have enough time to see all the ice sculptures, so I grabbed some of these pics off the internet, and some are from my friend John. I did, however, get a picture of KTVB’s morning meteorologist Larry Gebert. He’s as friendly in person as he is on the news.
Photos by J.D.F. and various others
Photo by J.D.F.
The McCall Winter Carnival continues through next Sunday, February 3rd. Each day is loaded with a variety of events. For the full schedule go to https://mccallchamber.org/winter-carnival/. They also have a list of where all the sculptures are located at throughout town that you can print out.
Idaho Gazette 