Out In Idaho

We had a sister come up to Idaho to go bird hunting with us for a few days!  It was a wonderful time — she has an adventurous spirit and the land was so fine.

Farley was top notch, as always.  It’s such a pleasure to watch him work.  His instincts and drive in the field are legendary.  You’ve never seen a bird dog so courageous and big hearted.  When I get to hunt behind him and watch him do the thing he was born to do, it’s thrilling and my heart swells with pride.  He covered ground until his feet were in tatters and ribbons and the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.  The land was big and broad, dusted with sagebrush and flanked with rims of volcanic rock.  It was all choked up with Hungarian partridge coveys, a dash of quail here and there as well as chukar where the air meets the edges of the canyons.  It was brilliant to be out in it, bracing against a sharp, hard wind, skating across frozen water and side stepping mafic rubble.

When the cold weather comes, the mule deer gather here for a season of light grazing, antler shedding and dozing in their ungulate nests in the shelter of the side hills.  We watched them bound across the flats in clusters, disappear around the edges of canyon walls, leap up from their beds when we caught them unawares — always those telescopic ears wavering in our direction and collecting the minutia delicata of our boots crushing jagged snow crystals between sage and soles.  The deer, they move in tempo rubato but our pace was slow and steady, leaving space for Farley to work in broad arcs through the sage.

Of course, there were those incredible details of winter clinging so elegantly to the gnarled twist of stem and bark — crystalline and reflective until burned away by blue skies and bright sun.  Have I ever loved Idaho like I love her now?  Probably not.  I’ll love her even more by tomorrow…she has that effect on me.
I do hope you’ve all had a splendid weekend.
Rest your souls.
xx

Comments

  1. stunning pictures<3

  2. Beautiful! Thanks for these.

  3. i love cavorting around the countryside with you–
    that way i’m sure to notice the beauty in the details!
    ice crystals never disappoint, do they?
    so glad you all had a good time.

  4. i am always transported with you to these dreamy spaces, this wide open idaho you explore. thanks for your clever prose and light-filled images.

  5. Lovely prose, lovely pictures, lovely life…

  6. As always your photos & words are stunning.

  7. simone marie says

    Lady Plume…..
    Your words…..
    Your words……..
    Heavy sigh…
    And pictures too.
    Thank you.

  8. Jillian, your writing and your photos truly do justice to the places you go and the things you do. That’s what I love about this blog/you. You make it look effortless, but I know that’s just because your talents and your style — your soul — are deep and true and wide. Like Idaho. Thank you for expressing yourself through all of these moments and days. Do keep on, keep on. xo

  9. My dear wild thing,
    You certainly have made an adventure of living. I enjoy seeing them unfold in gorgeous photos and words.

  10. I second what Alicia said!

    Also, the photo of the avocado and egg has haunted me! I have been craving avocado ever since, and I finally have one sitting on my counter. YUM!