May, 2006

On the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River near Chester, Idaho is a large diversion dam that allows water to pass into a couple of canals for irrigation. It’s one of my favorite places in the upper valley. I took Mike there last night. He made a couple of photographs with the big camera and I took a few color and digital pictures. Here they are.

Mike Photographin Chester Dam with a 12×20″ Camera, Chester, ID 2006

Chester Dam, Chester, ID 2006

On Memorial Day we went with my parents to the Annis Cemetery, where my grandparents on my father’s side are buried, to place flowers at their grave. The kids had fun running around. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was a kid running around this cemetery on memorial day. I’m getting old.

Ethan, Carson, Jacob, and Kevin at my Grandparent’s Grave, Memorial Day, 2006

My parents came up this weekend to visit and to help prepare, tape, mud, and paint a wall in our basement. We managed to have a little fun along with the work. I’ll post pictures of the basement when we finish.

Baseball in the backyard with Kevin, Grandpa, and Kevin’s cousin Carson.

Ethan playing baseball and looking pretty “Napoleon Dynamite” in his boots

Grandma, Susan, and Jacob

Grandpa and Ethan at the grill

Corn and sweet potatoes on the grill

They are doing a lot of construction on campus these days. They are currently remodeling several buildings, putting new turf on the atheletic field, and expanding a building. It will be nice when construction and growth slows on campus. In the meantime I’m enjoying this sight that’s between my office and the photography lab.

Snow Building Construction, 2006

Many of the rivers and creeks are running at or near flood stage right now. It’s nice to see after so many dry springs. Mike and I went out and made some photographs of this nice group of trees in a field flooded by the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River this evening before and after sunset.

Flooded Field, Before Sunset, Fremont County, ID 2006

Flooded Field, After Sunset, Fremont County, ID 2006

This afternoon I took a drive to and around Squirrel, one of my favorite places in the upper valley. I thought I knew the area pretty well, but I found a really neat spot on Squirrel Creek. There is a decomissioned railroad line that runs through the area. I drove down it and ended up at an old bridge that crossed the creek. It’s a beautiful little underdiscovered area that I hope stays that way. If it’s like most places around here though, it will soon be trashed, fenced off, or otherwise “discovered” shortly.

Railroad Bridge over Squirrel Creek, near Squirrel, ID 2006

Our mailbox is under our porch light. June bugs congregate near the light and fall into the mailbox and can’t crawl out. There are 11 bugs in there now, I wonder how many we’ll get by the end of summer.

Eleven June Bugs in our Mailbox, 2006

I’ve always liked this sign in Ashton that several of my students have photographed. Jon had to go up there for some reason and I tagged along.

Frostop Diner, Ashton, ID 2006

Kevin and Ethan had a pretty good time today in our hot summer weather, it seemed to go from highs in the 50s to highs in the 80s overnight. Anyway, here they are after running through the sprinkler.

I think I missed the peak of picking roadside asparagus by ten days or so. I managed to find a couple pounds of decent asparagus along the ditch banks in Menan today though (man, I’m turning into my parents). It’s going to be pretty tasty.

Roadside Asparagus, 2006