Blog

Idaho Winters

Living in central Idaho, we are blessed with some of the most beautiful sights during the winter! The snow brings tranquility and calmness to the landscape and community. Time slows down as the snowflakes fall. After the storm passes, we get the privilege of enjoying brilliantly crisp and clear skies with frosted trees from the dew of the night. These days are not rare attractions; they happen often and are a spectacular sight to see. Winter days in central Idaho are something everyone should experience! Happy Holidays!

Planting Trees - Green Ash purchased at Fruitland Nursery, Fruitland, Idaho

“He who plants trees loves others besides himself.” This old English proverb may explain why it is so meanigful to plant a tree to celebrate a birthday or anniversary or to honor the life of a loved one who has passed away. A tree planted otday will be enjoyed by generations to come, serving as a living memorial that also benefits the environment.

Starkey Hot Springs Bottled Water

Starkey Hot Springs Bottled Water: 2 miles deep/11,000 years underground. The back label reads as follows: “Starkey Springs rises from 2 miles deep through fractures and fissures in the Imnaha Basalt where its purity has been protected for 11,000 years. It gushes forth as a single-source geothermal spring in the Idaho mountains, with beneficial minerals, a gently alkaline pH, and a silky smooth taste. DEEP DOWN GOOD.” Creed Noah Real Estate Company is privileged to have had the opportunity to work with previous owner and great friends, ;Evelyn Snider and her son Brian and new owners, the wonderful folks at Allegro Coffee Company, a subsidiary of Whole Foods, in the transfer of ownership of Starkey Hot Springs. Congratulations to Jeff Teter, Guenter de Vincent and everyone at Allegro for your vision, integrity and NOW for being up and bottling! Cheers!

Harvesting in the Fall - Gardening in Cambridge, Idaho

I dedicate our garden this year to my mother and father-in-law, both of whom loved gardens and inspired me to plant a new one each year. My mother loved to include flowers in her gardens and my father-in-law was the consummate tomato grower and garden tender. They both demonstrated year after year their confidence in the act of sowing seeds in the spring. Our garden this year is a tribute to their faith that seeds will germinate, the earth is fertile and the harvest will be abundant.

Delicious Masterpieces

Mary and I have never tasted a better yellow delicious apple than we grow in our home orchard near Cambridge, Idaho. The Idaho sun gives the yellows a blush or “rosy cheeks”, as we call it, and that makes the apples extremely “delicious” masterpieces. I like the Rome Beauty and Jonathan apples just as much. This time of year around March and April and before the trees start budding, we prune to keep the tree growth healthy.

There were commercial orchards in earlier days, especially between Indian Valley and Council. Mesa Orchards was 1400 acres in size and considered one of the largest fruit orchards in the continental United States for many years beginning in the 1920’s. The earliest commercial orchard in the area was established in the 1890’s near Council. Fruit from that orchard was entered in the Chicago World’s Fair and then sent on to London, England. Must have been some apple! Maybe as good as the golden delicious we grow in our home orchard near Cambridge?

Days to be Outside Forever

“Days to be outside forever.” is how our dear friend Jeri Bemis described fall in West Central Idaho in a letter while we were away many years ago. That phrase has stuck with me over the years because year after year fall in this part of Idaho meets that high standard. The predominantly blue sky day temperatures are ideal for outdoor projects and recreation. A few September/October rain showers clean the air without adding humidity in this semi-arid environment; mornings and evenings are for what flannel shirts were so perfectly created. There is even visual exhilaration! Turning leaves create a magnificent crescendo of fall colors.

Cambridge Homecoming 2012

The combined Homecoming Celebration of the two small Idaho towns of Cambridge and Midvale succeeds in carrying on that great high school tradition. Homecoming has evolved into a week-long production that ends with a football game and dance. Very Americana! Dress up contests during the school week are pure fun with comical themes such as “twin day”, “nerd day” and “sports switch” (Don’t’ ask!). The Homecoming Parade on Friday afternoon before the game slows traffic on Idaho’s main north/south route, Highway 95, to a crawl for 15 minutes or so. Farm trucks and tractors pull flat bed trailers loaded with students and faculty through town led by the spirited Cambridge High School Band. Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses ride in convertibles waving to proud parents and grandparents that line the street! Cheerleaders lead a pep rally following the parade and then the Mighty Titans take to the field for a game of 8 man football under the lights. Long live homecoming!

Behind the Artwork

People often ask me why I paint, or what inspires my Art.

When I first started painting seriously in 1998, it was simply something that I did. Since that time, I’ve found that my creations are actually an expression of who I am.
Though music and mood motivate me to pick up my brushes, color and theme ultimately determine whether or not I’m satisfied with a finished piece. My color choices are mostly bold and rich. Themes that move me tend to spring from nature or everyday people experiencing the joy of simple living.
I’ve heard critics describe my work as impressionistic. One reporter labeled me as a colorist.

Whatever the case, interpreting my love for life on canvas simply makes me happy. As I once wrote on my website: ‘Painting gives me a platform to express the bit of untamed heart that rattles my soul and pushes me to create’.

Gail L Richards has been selling her Art to collectors across the U.S. and Canada for 14 years through galleries and online. More examples of her paintings may be viewed at: www.gailrichardsart.com .

Thawing Out at Hells Canyon Reservoir

Make no mistake about it - I love winter in our mountain community of McCall, Idaho. The skiing and snow festivities are primary reasons people live in or visit this town. And nothing beats the nip of frosty cold on my cheeks when a sunrise sparkles on ice crystals.

But come March, when Facebook friends in warmer climes are posting pictures of delicate flowers that are blooming in raised beds next to their freshly mowed lawns, I find myself itching to pack the boots and unearth my sand-crusted Tevas!

Thankfully, beaches and 70 degree temps are only 45-minutes away in Riggins when the 2-ft. of snow in my yard isn’t melting fast enough to satisfy an attack of spring fever.

Recently, however, my family and I traveled 115 miles to Hells Canyon Park, where the whole package seemed to be waiting our arrival: lush lawn, bathing geese, tree branches teaming with song birds, and a place near the beach that begged for the company of our lounge chairs and cooler of snacks.

We each peeled off layers of cotton and wool as if the season had suddenly changed. Out came the sunglasses - and tender white skin got its first drink of sunshine.

Boating, fishing, or camping are options in the canyon, where several campsites are perched on the banks of the Snake River between Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon Dams.

We, however, were there to enjoy a one-day dose of warmth. What a way to kick off spring vacation!