Tara and I managed to squish in a quick trip to Boise and still be home for Christmas. We had remarkably good December weather and driving through the passes between Pendleton and Baker City was safe and quick.
First stop was my brother and sister-in law’s house. My two nephews are at an age where a visitor enjoys a few minutes of available parent when they can get them. Last time I visited, A suggested, “Why don’t you two come stay the night sometime, and we will have a chance to talk after the boys go to bed?” It was a great idea, so when my brother E suggested we stay the night Sunday, I immediately accepted.
For those of you who have received my annual Christmas letter, you will have read that I also caught a show in Boise. I’ll post photos from the show later. My original intent was to bring A and E along and have hours of grown up time and show them my favourite musician. They couldn’t find a babysitter on that holiday weekend, so A sent E off with us because she is a selfless sweetheart. I loved having all that time with my brother, and look forward to the day when I can spend the same quality time with my sister-in-law. Everyone had to get up early in the morning for work and daycare, so we had only a few minutes of evening and morning time. That will teach me to visit on Sunday night.
Anyway, for all my high hopes, I simply did not get enough time with them and the boys. I will have to go back! Tara and I soaked up their beautiful home and hospitality, and got the full story on Rocky, the shelf elf, who comes to live in the house every December so he can report to Santa on the boys’ activity. Each morning, Rocky shows up in a new place in the house, and my nephews run around and find what kind of mischief was wrought in the night. The morning we woke up there, Rocky had found a photo of my nephews and drew mustaches and glasses on them.
We crossed the Treasure Valley out to my Pa’s house on the Snake River. This is not my preferred country. My Pa just loves the Owyhee desert, but I find it barren and bereft. Out there for too long, I begin to take stock of assets for survival purposes…just in case. Still, as the photos show, I am an artist, and I cannot help but find extraordinary beauty around me no matter where I stand.
My Pa fed us some fabulous meals and we had the chance to tell stories and catch up. (Don’t you agree that it’s wonderful to visit a good cook?) It’s been a really hard year for my dad and it felt good for me to reconnect. I worry about him and it’s hard to be so far away sometimes. I hope he found the same comfort from our time there.
We visited with all the kitties, one by one, as they gained the courage to get a little closer to us. I teased my dad, “I’ve heard of crazy old cat ladies, but you’re the first crazy old cat man I’ve known.” He does have a soft spot for cats, and a million acres for them to roam – albeit dangerous acres with raptors nearby. Tara and I watched a movie in the theatre downstairs. I believe it’s obligatory: if your host has a theatre, a movie must be watched.
Pa talked about the recent catastrophe of the outdoor pool bursting and exploding down the hillside, washing out retaining walls and the road down to the river. The timing is dreadful, because he was getting ready to sell the house. Now he has to sit and wait until insurance settlements are worked out. He reminded me of the bright side however, pointing out that the pool burst on the side away from the house, and went toward the river. Thus 15,000 gallons of water did not even approach the house, much less tear at the foundation the way it wrecked the retaining wall.
It’s our very last Christmas as Mom and high-schooler; who knows what the future will bring? It was important to us to be in our own home with our own beautiful tree and our own sweet Racecar kitty for Christmas. So we said goodbye to Grandpa/Pa and made the 8-hour drive home to Portland. On the way we passed this fabulously decrepit place beside I-84. I slowed down for Tara, who took all the following shots.
Conscious Engagement 
Nice trip – and loved the photos
Oh, thank you so much! It was a lovely trip, even though it was a short one.
My dearest cousin, Would love waking up on the Snake River with its majestic aura with you by my side. Can you imagine the memories, giggles, and “Oh, look at that!”, we would share?
I’ve passed the broken down relic on I-84 numerous times and wondered about its past. Thank you and Tara for capturing its beauty.
As always, I love your post. Keep them coming. Big hugs and tons of love.
Debbie
I’ll let Tara know you liked the photos. They did turn out great! We will have to schedule a future river date, for sure. 🙂
You packed in a lot during your squished in trip. I am with you – not too barren, please.
Ha, ha! Yes, it’s par for the course with me, I think – packing in activities. Gosh, life is just too darn short to let opportunities slide past.
I’m not sure, but that may once have been a gypsum processing plant. I know a good deal of gypsum used for garden additives, but primarily sheetrock, came from somewhere along I-84.
…Then, again, those silos might have been fabricated by our ancestors for storing huckleberries and venison jerky, for all i really know. :3
ha ha! That would be a heckuva lot of berries and jerky. Another friend of mine referred to it as a concrete plant, so maybe that’s it. Nice to see you on my blog, Pa. I love you bunches. ❤
Great post. Love the photos by both of you. You’re right, there’s beauty in almost anything if you look hard enough and often it’s up to an artist to do the looking for us, to see the things we miss. I think Tara may have inherited her mother’s eye. 🙂 I love old buildings, they’re so interesting, especially when they start to decay.
Thanks Sarah. I think your image of the bike shadows perfectly illustrates the way an artist looks at life differently. I thought the same thing about Tara’s eye. When we got home and I looked at the photos, I thought, “Wow!” Tara has asked to have them to post on DeviantArt.
😀
Do you have a link for Tara on DeviantArt so I could have a nosey at her gallery and say hi? (If she wouldn’t mind, of course.)
Tara says that’s fine and that you should expect to be underwhelmed. (Hm, does self-critiquing run in the family?) http://randomsketch12374.deviantart.com/
So nice to find you here (thanks to Bruce’s blog). I find your photos to be absolutely gorgeous – thanks to both the geography and the photographer. What a different life, those who live out there in ‘the wilderness,’ yes?
It’s great to have you stop by, and thank you for the compliments. Bruce has one of my favourite perspectives in the blogosphere. it is a different life outside of population centers, forcing people to be much more self-sufficient.
These photos are STUNNING! I now want to visit Idaho.
Wow, for reals?! ha ha ha! Just wait till I am able to post photos of where it’s actually pretty in Idaho. But seriously, thank you for the compliment. I think Idaho is an amazing place to visit, and it’s one of those giant Western states so there are many variations in the geography. If you get a chance to go to Idaho, I’ll be happy to give tips on places to visit.
Oh my Idaho! and yes … I do think it’s pretty in the southern part 🙂
The photos are wonderful, Crystal. Truly!
Thank you for your constant support with my photography, Laurie! I know you are already an Idaho fan, so I don’t need to convince you. Funny how so many people have never been to Idaho, but the special few who did visit seem to have been struck by it.