First Entries in the "Guest Book"

The Taters have been Pennsylvania residents for a little over 7 weeks now, and have already enjoyed short visits from two Boise friends.  On this Sunday evening we find ourselves grateful to their friendship and the aid they've given us in easing our transition to this new place.  We sincerely hope many more will follow in their footsteps.

• Mark Hofflund spared a couple of hours during his recent tour of the mid-Atlantic states to have dinner with us in historic Gettysburg PA. Our understanding is that Mark ended his visit by meeting with Idaho's Senator Crapo. We surely enjoyed Mark's company that evening and feel honored to be included on such an auspicious agenda.
• Joanne Smith, a friend who first entertained us at her home with bocci and dinner (at which we were pleased to be guests of our great friends Karen Meyer and CK Haun), joined us for lunch in Philadelphia today. Joanne lived for a number of years in that city and treated us to a walking and driving tour of some of her haunts and the neighborhoods that comprise the city. We'd visited downtown Philly several times, most recently on our first escapade to Reading Terminal Market, but we came away from our tour with Joanne more educated and energized about the city's restaurant, arts and shopping possibilities than before.

Unfortunately we've no photos to share from either Mark's or Joanne's visit, but we'll try to remedy that when our next batch of begins to arrive tomorrow.   They'll be the first to stay at K-bar-T B&B - we hope y'all will follow!

Congratulations to Our Friends in Public Service

While we're on the other side of the country, it didn't escape our notice that several of our friends were elected to public office this past Tuesday. We'd like to take a second to recognize their efforts on behalf of their communities.

• Lauren McLean - Boise City Council
• Ben Quintana - Boise City Council
• Dave Bieter - Mayor of Boise

and Tina's dad Ike Funkhouser, who became the newest City Council member in his home town of Challis Idaho.

Congratulations and thanks for stepping up.

Battle of the Breakfasts: Goldy's vs Nudy's

Maybe it was Kenn's southern upbringing, but he and Tina really enjoyed weekend breakfasts. They were semi-regulars at many places around the city - the Trolley, Red Feather, Addies, Parilla Grill, so forth. Their sentimental favorite (and that of much of Boise) was, of course, Goldys. Kenn credits the place for cementing his relocation to Boise, since he unexpectedly enjoyed a fantastic breakfast (no doubt prepared by Goldy himself) during his 1999 job interview visit.

Goldy's menu, decor, staff and postage stamp-sized location all contribute to its charm and success. In their search for the eastern Pennsylvania equivalent, the Taters stumbled across Nudy's, a locally-owned chain with 7 locations.

Nudy's decor is, well, let's say less avant-garde than Goldy's. The paint scheme and furniture are certainly bright and serviceable, but the look is closer to Denny's than Goldy's. More potted plants and formica, no tables shoehorned into funky corners, and certainly no winged chandelier (Tina still yearns to be given the opportunity to dust that chandelier...)

Nudy's food does, however, make up for the lack of ambiance. While it, also, isn't as adventurous as Goldy's, the omelettes, french toast, etc are consistently fresh, healthy-sized, and tasty.

While Nudy's sets a solid base, the Taters' search continues for a suitable Goldy's substitute. There are worse projects than trying out all of the area's breakfast joints...