Wednesday, July 9, 2008

For a Good Laugh - Take a Hike

I took the five pictures below on my approximately six mile walk home from work this morning through several Boise neighborhoods, strolling from the east part of the North End to the northwest part of Boise where I live. I'm always amazed at the interesting and often funny things I notice when I'm walking, things I would miss if I drove.

I've been a regular runner since I was a junior in high school and I recall several years ago, after running the same route regularly for many years, walking the course one day and being surprised at the things I noticed which I never saw before, all because I was running instead of walking, and it wasn't because I was such a fast runner. It's just that slowing down is a rewarding and an eye-opening experience.

Don't worry about the passengers in the plane with its tail sticking out of the roof of the house just west of 36th St. It's been there for decades so I'm sure they've been extricated! The "attack frog" warning sign and the poster of the smiling frog were NOT at the same house.

One of the most frequently over-looked sources of humor in our lives are the signs or messages we see posted along roads, trails, on mailboxes, in yards, on fences, t-shirts, and even "bumper" stickers on cars, bicycles, and scooters. It's an inexpensive, but very vibrant, source of humor that challenges anything on comedy tv or stage. But sometimes we have to slow down to notice them.

Traveling by foot instead of using a motorized vehicle makes its possible for people to observe, appreciate, and perhaps even better understand their hometown and its neighborhoods. These five photos are just a small sample of what I saw during the 90 minute walk home. Not illustrated were the seven or eight cats lounging on porches in doorways or yards cautiously scrutinzing me as I walked by; the unusual and fascinating irrigation system in one yard in the North End; and dangling from a couple trees along 6th street on small pieces of simple but attractively designed cardboard, somewhat like broadsides, several of the articles of impeachment addressing the decisions made by Pres. George W. Bush!

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