Sarah was right. It was too long since I’d seen Andy. The past few days have been wonderful seeing him, his wife, and his now nearly grown children. Great friendships can pick up right where they left off. Andy is one of those people in my life. I am super thankful for him and his family in my life.
We took a day to have lunch in Boise and walk through the downtown. We started at Bardenay for lunch. I highly recommend it. The food was great, the price was right, and Sunday afternoon dining on the patio was fantastic. When will they open another location on the west side of town?
We took a stroll through the Idaho State Capitol grounds after lunch. I always pause when looking at large government buildings, trying to understand their influence on their societies. I remember my first look at the California State Capitol and thinking this buidling has the largest influence outside of Washington, DC. As an American I’m aware of the impacts of the 10th amendement that any powers that are not specifically given to the federal government, nor withheld from the states, are reserved to those respective states, or to the people at large.
Idaho is a very different place than California – a non trivial part of that is the influence of the 10th amendment. States have a large degree of influence on how they want to run their societies. Those choices often have radical impacts on the people within those states.
I also find it curious that Idaho has replicas of famous American icons throughout the state. A small version of the Statue of Liberty sits on the shores of Lake Pend Orellie near Sandpoint. Here at the state capitol is the Liberty Bell. Yes, it does ring, lol. Don’t ask me how I know.
We wrapped the day by strolling through Freak Alley – the section of town open to mural artists. There were some fascinating pieces of art in the gallery. I chose to photograph my favorite one above.
I was impressed by how clean the city’s downtown really was. It’s a new city with a significantly smaller population than those back home, but the experience definitely left a mental note for me. The traffic is still a nightmare though, lol.
Thanks for a great time in town Andy. Looking forward to seeing you back in California for a weekend soon.
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