When we arrived in Boise exactly a month ago, real life met us head on.  Randy had noticed tire wear on the trailer so our first stop was for an alignment.   The decision was eventually made that we have bad trailer axles and will go to Indiana in June for a new suspension system.

Then real life came to us in the mail! I had not one, but two federal jury summons – the second one reminding me that I hadn’t responded to the first.   We only get our mail every 3 weeks or so and had apparently just missed the first summons when we got it last.

I called in to say I wasn’t ducking them and quickly filled out my jury questionnaire. I didn’t have negative feelings about serving and was glad that my summons corresponded with our month back in Boise.

I served on a criminal trial for two days. It was an interesting and sobering experience – not bad, just one in which I felt the weight of responsibility. That was real life.

We also got to experience the real life dentist, doctor, vet, and optometrist appointments – all those things most people spread throughout the year. We schedule them in bunches when we are back in Boise.

We were able to spend lots of time with family and friends!  That was the best part of our real life adventure in Boise! Thanks to so many of our friends for taking the time to see us or inviting us over.   We enjoyed the visits very much.

We spent quite a bit of time with Natasha and Seth and Archer. We took Archer to his first two theater movies and he even got to stay with us in the trailer for a weekend. We had a blast but were very tired by Sunday afternoon.

The picture above shows Randy and Archer walking on the Greenbelt along the Boise River. This path usually extends 46 miles through and beyond Boise but is now closed in many areas because of high river flow and flooding.

The ducks and geese enjoy some quiet waters where the path and grass usually are.  This is in the campground about 100 yards from our trailer.

Water levels and flows are exceedingly high.  We can hear the water very easily.

About 1/2 mile east of our campground the decision was made to remove a bridge that had been there for years because of erosion around the footings. We did’t see the actual removal but watched them moving the 15000 pound crane ballast pads onto flat trucks.

There is so much snow in the mountains, and water in the reservoirs and rivers that flooding concerns are very real.   But all that water comes with a chance to see things that are better than normal as well.

We drove two hours east to Twin Falls to see Shoshone Falls.  These falls are one of the largest natural waterfalls in the United States and considered to be the “Niagra of the West.”

The water flow was very impressive,- approximately19,900 cubic feet per second. To see a video of Shoshone Falls, click here.

Shoshone Falls are 212 feet high and 950 feet wide. The surrounding land was given to the city of Twin Falls by Frederick and Marge Adams in 1932, with the stipulation that it be held and maintained as a public park. There is a small entrance fee to access the park and one vendor shack. It was a very different experience than our visit to Niagra Falls in New York. It wasn’t better or worse, just two very different experiences around two exceptional waterfalls.

We also took the opportunity to visit Twin Falls waterfall (the name sake for the town). This was a first for us even though we lived in southern Idaho for 33 years.

Historical society picture from informational placard.

The picture above shows two sets of falls flowing before the dam was built in 1935. Currently there is only one set of falls.

Twin Falls isn’t a twin anymore.

We had some real life repairs!  Remember the broken rocking chair? Randy and our friend Darrell were able to repair the chair and it is now stronger than it ever was.

Randy is sitting in one of the chairs, bundled up in jacket and gloves.  He did not adapt well to cool and wet weather here in Boise after our winter in Arizona.

We have had rain, snow and hail interspersed with some sunshine – typical Boise spring weather but not what we’ve been used to.

It leaves us wondering how we are going to adjust to our summer on the Oregon Coast! We leave today to work our way west. We will clean yurts at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park for the month of May.   We go to Indiana in June and then return to Oregon for the rest of the summer. We will be at William Tugman State Park for July and Jesse Honeyman State Park for August. If you are on the Oregon coast, give us a call!  We’d love to get together.