Spud Drop in Boise

Last night a friend and I spent four hours walking around downtown Boise, listening to great music by live bands at two different stages, enjoying a heavy beat from piped in music on a third stage, passed multitude of booths selling everything from cowboy coffee to flashing tiaras.

Meanwhile, tons of restaurants remained open, serving brew and savory food, while other bands pounded out yet more tunes to those thawing out from 8 degree weather.

High above all this, a seventy pound spud hung suspended from a monstrous crane. Christmas lights lit dozens of blocks. Word was, 60,000 people would attend the event.

Right after 11, as we finished two huge pink sugar cookies, I saw a square black thing on the frozen sidewalk. Everyone was walking past, but I guess my "abandoned gear" mode stepped in and I stooped and picked it up.
A nearly new I-phone.
My friend and I hoped the owner's friend would contact us soon. No doubt if they realized it was missing, they would dial it up and arrange for retrieval.
Time passed. Soon the spud would drop. Tension rose.
We asked two cops on duty for the lost and found. None. Finally, the lost phone rang and the meeting arranged.
The tourquois hatted gal thanked us multiple times for finding her phone. Good Karma all around. Happy New Year, we said, hi fiving.

Now, the music came to a dramatic close. anticipation was high as we hurried to stand as close to the spud as possible. The brown tater loomed just below the bright moon.
Purple pin lights hit the spud. A few pink sparklers erupted beneath a store balcony. We waited, smiling, watching, cameras all aimed.
The thing descended. We watched. No one counted down. Soon, we thought, soon the count down would begin.
Nothing.
The guys behind let off some graffiti. I spun my free noise maker. The thing stopped. The spud hung there and people started leaving. We looked around. "Its after midnight," he said.
"Wow, seems anti-climatic."
"I know."
"Happy New Year, then."
We left. It was like an unfrosted cake, like a milkshake without the ice cream. Weren't you supposed to count down....10-9-8-7...? Then shout Happy New Years like fools, turn around and kiss everyone in sight?

Kinda left me hanging. Maybe that's the point. Like the spud, sorta hanging. I thought it would at least land. Oh well. Happy 2015!