February 3, 2019: The Boise Adventure

Garrett getting his culture on and a little outside his comfort zone
(for me and Kathy, any kind of culture is in our zone)

Garrett humored me with his annual participation in a cultural event outside his norm. In reality, Garrett actual does this for me on a more frequent basis than annually, but his belief that it only happens about once a year keeps him joining without question and also keeps his running joke alive.

"Sandy hates to miss a party" is commonly stated comment by Garrett. I cannot dispute his observation. I really do hate to miss a good party. Or a great local event, concert, museum, play, festival, movie, organized club, trip, adventure.... the list goes on and on for me.

I love adding variety to life and trying new things. With every new city we visit, I often gravitate toward checking out the local museums or downtown festivals. Always on the lookout for restaurants and watering holes that are representative of the heart of a city, we have many times tried places and things that Garrett likely wouldn't have experienced in his life pre-Garrett & Sandy.

He tells me this is a good thing as he often equally enjoys these eclectic experiences. But other times he later asks for my interpretation of what we just experienced, as the cultural value isn't as apparent to him.

Our love for movies is a great example of our aesthetic similarities and differences. We both love going to movies. But those highest on my list often include subtitles and unexpected endings. The more they make me think and the higher the creativity, the more I like them. My assessment of a movie typically follows the critics, whereas Garrett's more closely mirrors the audience response. He now has a set rule that I go to the subtitled movies without him.

A favorite story of the culturing of my engineering-minded husband also includes my craftsman brother, Mark.

Garrett and I were in Texas for work which gave us an opportunity to spend a Sunday afternoon with my brother who lives there. When asked how we should fill our day together, I suggested visiting the Dallas Museum of Art.

Initially happy that they both agreed, I was soon worried when I saw the current art display was contemporary sculptures. I knew this would be a stretch for Garrett and likely my brother too. But they were troopers, open to taking in something new on the laziness of a Sunday afternoon.

As I happily took in the tangled displays of metal dancing among smooth edges, I was pleased to see them both engaged as well. They were closely looking at a particularly large sculpture, a bronze tornado-looking piece pointing straight up to the ceiling of the glass dome overhead. But instead of gazing up at the art form, both men were looking down underneath the base. In fact my brother was almost lying on the floor looking at the stand holding the massive sculpture.

I soon figured out that the object of their amazement was how the sculpture was bolted down. Conversation and their apparent intrigue was around the installation of the pieces rather than the form and expression of the art itself.

When we left, I was pleased. Garrett simply asked "Have I been sufficiently cultured for the year?"

As our adventures in Boise continue, we have taken in many craft breweries, movies, and downtown restaurants while meeting new people while enjoying the local feel of Boise. Aunt Kathy, Boise local and adventuress extraordinaire (and my cultural partner in crime), sent me a text last weekend asking me to join her for a Sunday afternoon Boise Phil concert event. It was call Uncorked and included wine, poetry, and orchestra. I was all in, but wanted to at least ask Garrett, not wanting to leave him out.

Through a text exchange, he shocked me by accepting.

Me: "Kathy asked you and me to go with her if you are interested. Are you?" <attached link to Boise Phil concert>

Garrett: "Want me to go? Think I would like it?"

Me: "Yes! Broaden your horizons!"

Garrett: "Ok"

nappy time

And so he went. We made our first trip to the Egyptian Theatre in Downtown Boise. We started out strong, reading about the history of the the theatre and studying its renovated design. As the program began and as Kathy and I enjoyed the beautiful soothing instrumental music with the narrator reading poetry in unison, Garrett promptly took a nap.

He was holding my hand through his nap and my enjoyment of the concert, so he still scored brownie points. But did he actually get cultured? That one is up for debate.

We finished the day with the event reception at the Boise Coop Uncorked! Wine Bar. Garrett was awake for this and Kathy made new friends. We also checked out the Coop Grocery Store. Both were great venues and we will be back.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night were also nights out, but getting cultured Garrett style. And this time I scored brownie points.

Always on the search for new people, places and things, I often check out local Meet-Up groups for the area. I sift through the many categories, joining a few that seem most interesting and then watch for Meet-Up events as they pop up. For anyone in a new city (or wanting to explore more in the city that isn't so new to you), I would highly recommend creating an account with this website.

Two Meet-Up groups I have joined in Boise are Shut-Up and Write! and Boise Movie Fans. It was through the Boise Movie Fans that I received a push notification on a three night event called the Banff Mountain Film Festival. This is an international film competition that presents short films and documentaries centered around mountain culture. The exact kind of culture that my mountain-man husband completely gets and thrives on.

wide awake

Although the actual festival is held each fall with selections named in Canada, they take the show on the
road to various cities throughout the world the year following. This three day movie viewing event is a long-time Boise tradition. Tickets sell out fast and the show house where they are played? The quant and historic Egyptian Theatre.

For four nights in a row, Garrett and I got our culture on at the Egyptian Theatre in Downtown Boise. Kathy joined us a day and we met some new people from the Meet-Up group prior to mountain viewing night one of the Banff Films. The last night was a date night dinner prior with Garrett thanking me for coming up with such great ideas and finding this jewell in Boise.

Like all things in life, you take the good with the bad, and the sometimes in-between. But you're not going to find it unless you look and try out new things. Routines are too easy to get into without leaving room for spontaneity.

I loved the film festival as well, by the way. There were twenty-four short films total with everything from a 6 month cross country skiing adventure to a beaver trapper to two men documenting their 100 mile endurance run through the mountains (one hates to run).

The line that struck me most through the films was a man describing the definition of joy. I don't recall which film or which man, but I clearly remember his words.

"I find joy in my adventures because I live in the moments as they happen. As adults we forget how when we were children we did this naturally. Every moment lived was only about that point in time. As adults we spend most of our time thinking about the past or mapping out the future, with the present moments just fleeting by us. The child gets it. They enjoy the joy each moment in real time free of the other distractions. We need to live more like the child."

I love this. Words to live by. Let the sweet moments in our adventures continue...