Sheepherder Wagons

Driving deep into the Sawtooth mountains,

we happened upon an old sheep ranch.

I've been enamored with the sheep wagon for years. So it was quite a treat to stumble across a field of them in various stages of disrepair. Wild horses (or my boyfriend) could not restrain me from inquiring...

The ranch owner is a man who comes from a long line of sheepherders. He fixes up these beauties as a hobby.

The guy is also a cowboy trader. I asked if he knew where I could find some old Navajo rugs. He opened up his barn of treasures, and revealed some of the most achingly beautiful Indian blankets and rugs I have ever seen-- as well as other treasures and relics of a great American West long gone.

He invited us inside his home, which was practically a museum. More beautiful rugs, embroidered & beaded garter bands once belonging to saloon girls- encased in glass. Nez Perce beaded fringe gloves, walls of trophy animals and birds. Completely wonderstruck, I managed a few photos, but could not begin to capture the magnitude and layers of it all. He was very generous in sharing his collections with us (and allowing me to take a few photos).

Hot Springs!

We were driving through a remote area, in the Sawtooth mountains (northeast of Boise), passing full campsite after full campsite (in the rain...). Just before dark we found this amazing little motel that had a private natural hot springs in the backyard of each room. Dreamy! Couldn't have planned it any better than that. We got the last available room, and spent most of the night soaking. There was also a swimming pool, naturally heated by the local hot springs. In the morning we ate an amazing breakfast cooked by the owners of the place.

We were fortunate to have clear skies and an empty campsite the following night.    

The campground host tipped us off to another local attraction: a hot tub, fed by a natural spring, built in the shallows of the Salmon River a mile down the road. 

Idaho

Went up north to Idaho over Memorial Weekend.

The people there are so nice and friendly! We met these guys at a little cafe in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boise. They were sitting at the next table over and one of them thought I looked just like an Australian friend of his, and the conversation continued from there.

Normally, it might have been too much "stranger" interaction, but as I said, they were nice. And funny. Even if margaritas weren't involved I am convinced,it wouldn't have been any different. (Well, maybe I wouldn't have been so nice...)

ph: they aren't even gay they're just nice.

(to be continued...)

Morocco

Remembering my trip to Morocco last May (and plotting another trip, in my dreams...) I took mostly video clips. Luckily I managed a few snapshots. Don't know what I was thinking. Shopping, mostly. And getting familiar with the camera I literally got the day before I left. I miss the donkeys trotting alongside cars, motorcyclists, bikes; ancient times mixed with modern. And the way they expressed their frustrations loudly, quickly returning to good humor. There was a flow amidst the chaos that was fascinating. I made some good contacts for a trip back there one day, discovered my tribe, and developed a love for Africa that will last a lifetime...

Iosepa

Mother's Day Drive with Tom. We found ourselves in Skull Valley,

a desolate area about 1 hour from Salt Lake City. At a cemetery in the ghost town of Iosepa,

we discovered a sign which read:

IOSEPA SETTLEMENT CEMETERY

MORMON CHURCH CONVERTS FROM POLYNESIA SETTLED

SKULL VALLEY IN 1889-1917, WORKING FOR THE CHURCH-OWNED

IOSEPA AGRICULTURE AND STOCK COMPANY

THEIR SETTLEMENT, LOCATED 1/2 MILE TO THE SOUTHWEST

AND NAMED IOSEPA (JOSEPH) AFTER JOSEPH F. SMITH, THEN

PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH, FLOURISHED UNTIL 1917

WHEN A HAWAIIAN TEMPLE WAS CONSTRUCTED MOST

OF THE ISLANDERS RETURNED TO THEIR HOMELAND.

MANY WHO SUCCUMBED TO THE HARDSHIPS

OF THE LAND ARE BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY

Full Flower Moon

The Oriental Poppies

in the front yard are beginning to pop out, just this morning

-on the Flower Moon.

(I love how in tune nature is with itself.....)

Swimming Under the Sky

Today the local community outdoor swimming pool is officially open for the summer. I have been swimming indoors all winter long and have been looking forward to this day for a while.

ph: Life archives

I can pretend I am swimming in the ocean, with a dome of blue sky above. One day I will be swimming with the seals at La Jolla Cove again.... Until then, I am relying on the powers of my imagination to turn chlorine into saline.

Hazel & Baxter

Hazel & Baxter have been returning to Allen Park every year for the past 15 years. My neighbors swear it is the same pair each year, anyway.  They have been hanging out in and around the stream in front of my place and are getting ready to hatch another batch of ducklings.  Can't wait to meet them!