Bruneau Sand Dunes

It was somewhere shortly before 5 am, just outside the despicable city of Mountain Home, when the interstate sign pointing to Bruneau Sand Dunes caught my eye.  I know I must have driven by that simple brown and white sign dozens of times but somehow I've never noticed it before.  Then again, perhaps I've been sleeping every time I've driven past it--which would clearly explain why I've never seen it!  Regardless, this morning I was wide awake and clearly heard the call of the dunes!  I quickly calculated the time it would take me to get my work done for the day and realized I would be done just in time for picnic at the dunes!  As I have been packing my camera EVERYWHERE right now, I decided after my picnic I would chase wildflowers, see if I could be frightened by some random but pitifully harmless animal and perhaps even get a bit of a sunburn.  Somehow I managed to accomplish all three of my largely enthusiastic goals today and ended up having an absolutely splendid time in the desert--with JUST ME!  Before I set out on my adventure I talked to my friend Danielle, who, knowing of my plans to make an extremely early commute to Mountain Home, called to make sure I wasn't sleeping, upside-down, somewhere by the freeway.  When I told her I was headed out to the dunes for the afternoon she asked, 

"BY YOURSELF?" 

And so my ADVENTURE begins!

But first, for those of you who aren't accustomed to adventure, there are a few requirements for creating a truly great adventure:

• Spontaneity.  I clearly had plenty of this considering I had EVERY intention of finishing my job, taking a quick nap while I drove home, and spending the rest of the afternoon taming dandelions in my backyard.  One of my very favorite authors, Patrick F. McManus, writes, "True adventure is rarely expected."  INDEED!
• Fuel.  Given the absence of a map (which is clearly part of the spontaneous quality of a true adventure) I personally recommend a FULL tank of gasoline.  Adventures sure are getting expensive these days!  Additionally, you'll want to be sure you pick up some adventure fuel for your body too.  You never know when some delightful aspect of a true adventure will suddenly appear (such as FULL not being ENOUGH).  You'll want to have plenty of energy for the true adventure part of an adventure should it arrive.  I chose Subway fuel for my solo picnic as McDonald's is the only other establishment I am familiar with in Mountain Home and McDonald's and I don't necessarily . . . agree with each other?  This quickly brings me to final adventure necessity.

      

~fueling up~

• Toilet Paper!  I KNOW I don't need to elaborate on this one much!

So here are some of my favorite photos from my FIRST SOLO ADVENTURE!  

photos taken in Bruneau Dunes State Park:

     

     

     

     

  

I was so excited to be out in the park, I had a hard time finishing my lunch!  Once I started hiking around, I was surprised by how many different faces the desert has--how many completely different feeling areas there are in the park itself!  The day was absolutely PERFECT!  The weather was warm, the wind ever so slight and the sky brilliant, cloudless blue!  Additionally, as it was a Monday, the park was largely deserted.  Well, except for this little guy . . .

AND HE TRIED TO EAT ME!

Okay, maybe not but he did scare me pretty good!  Fortunately he had to stop to laugh at how badly he frightened me and I was able to get a few pictures of the mean-spirited little thing! 

I had learned, at the visitor's center, spring is the prime time for WILDFLOWERS in the desert. In fact, the Sand Lily only blooms for a few short weeks this time of year!  Lucky me!  However, after the hours I spent hiking, I didn't find a SINGLE flower!  Frustrated, I was heading out of the park when I noticed this a small, ugly area with a parking area nearby.

   

     

however . . .

THAT'S WHERE THE FLOWERS WERE!

If only I could have captured the delightful aroma enveloping the area, the sound of the bees buzzing from flower to flower, the warmth radiating off the hot sand, the spectacular color. . . I would have bottled it and saved it for the dreariest of winter days!  Absolutely splendid!

     

 

  

      

After finishing my work in the park, I wasn't ready to call it quits for the day so I took off exploring.  I ended up along the Snake River, right near where it becomes C.J. Strike Reservoir.  Here's what I found there . . . 

photos taken at Crane Falls Cove Arm:

     

     

     

~my absolute favorite shot of the day~

thanks mr. bee for being so cooperative!

I was working on the shot above when suddenly I noticed some movement on the rock in front of me.  My gaze shifted and in an instant I realized, that for the second time that day, I WAS ABOUT TO BE EATEN BY A FEROCIOUS, POSSIBLY RABID, WILD ANIMAL!

Well, I'm not sure if snakes are allowed to be rabid, but nonetheless, I don't do snakes!  Fortunately, this particular snake took pity on me, slithered around the wet spot forming around my ankles, and disappeared from sight.  Needless to say, I hopped in my truck and slithered out of sight myself! 

Spring 2008

~FAVORITE PARTS OF THIS ADVENTURE~

• it was my FIRST SOLO ADVENTURE!  I could stop and take pictures of whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, for however long I wanted and I LOVED it! 
• the FLOWERS, of course!
• the REPTILES, surprisingly!
• a WARM, SUNNY spring day with NO WIND!

~just me and the nismo~

~lovely self portraits~

Broken and Beautiful

Last week, while working in the yard, I came across this tiny bird egg in the damp, green grass.  I was immediately intrigued and knew just what I wanted to do with it.  Today, the light was coming through my kitchen window just perfectly and so I began snapping some pictures of my little treasure.  As I worked to find an appropriate angle and waited for the right ray of light, the words BROKEN AND BEAUTIFUL danced in my mind.  I am a woman who refuses to believe in coincidences and who insists everything happens for a reason.  This means every little thing becomes a great big miracle.  I don't think my finding this little blue eggshell was an accident and I'm thrilled I refused to pass it by on my way to the weed patch.  Taking the time to capture a few images of it enabled me to be still long enough to hear . . . and to learn something about being broken and beautiful.

This Christmas my family surprised me with THE most awesome gift I have ever received!  They went together bought me a new camera--an amazing digital SLR!  Although I have been passionate about photography for years, since receiving my new camera, my passion has been revived and then some!  I can't believe it took me so long to convert to digital!  I LOVE being able to shoot, edit and share my photos within a matter of minutes!  There is so much my Pentax and I are going to do together!  But back to my egg lesson . . .

Being broken not only diminished my passions, it erased them completely.  When I focused all my energy on the very act of survival there was simply nothing left for anything as inessential as photography.  Even though I didn't necessarily notice my passions had been tabled, my family certainly did.  This Christmas they all made some major sacrifices to give me a gift that has honestly changed my life!  They showed me that wonderful things can still happen and they have touched a part of my heart that had grown cold and dark.  They did something so completely BEAUTIFUL for a woman who was once so unbelievably BROKEN.  I still have a hard time believing I deserve their gift of generosity and love but I intend to make them proud of their daughter, their sister, their aunt!  The thing about being broken so badly is that it enables an opportunity for a unique kind of beauty.  I am delighted with the woman God has molded me into!  I know in my heart He couldn't work with me with until He cracked me open, broke me beyond belief and left me shattered for while.  As He reveals the woman within the pieces of what once was, I see a completely new creation is being formed!  Each day, a piece of my old shell falls away to reveal a fresh, new Tess.  While my incubation period is far from over, I'm certain something beautiful is hatching.

Thank you, my family, for loving me with a love that never ends.  For imparting such beauty into a broken girl.  And for constantly encouraging me to be one cool chick!

I love you beyond belief!

Sweet, Lively Becca

MEET BECCA!  SHE'S MY "LITTLE" FROM BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS!  

It had been forever since Becca and I had managed to spend some time together so yesterday we made up for lost time!  She was an absolute riot!  As always, she had some hilarious stories saved up for me (and even a few terrible jokes)!  Even though we had a busy afternoon together, Becca still wanted more time!  What great motivation for future time together!  I LOVE her sweet, lively personality and I am so glad BBBS matched us!  I am learning so much from her about myself and I TRULY enjoy the time we spend together.  I make a concerted effort to be fully present with Becca.  That means no phone calls, no interruptions, no worrying or mental list-making on my part.  I try to make our time together ALL ABOUT BECCA and somehow that is extremely rewarding for me!  I love our list of future activities because it is an completely believable excuse for me to go do some awesome "kid" things I might not otherwise do (for fear of ridicule)!  It is just too much fun to play--no matter how old you are!  Not that I'm saying I AM old . . . :o)  Here's what our afternoon together looked like this time:

Becca had a soccer game at 10 am and I wasn't about to miss it!  I got a good taste for what life like must be like for Soccer Moms though.  COLD!  I am still trying to figure out why they insist on playing soccer before the weather has actually turned nice!  After all the craziness of the soccer fields, we head out for some lunch--at her usual favorite KFC (I swear we NEVER eat anywhere else but that's okay because I simply ADORE the way she eats chicken with NO FRONT TEETH)! On the way, she noticed the basketball I've been carrying in my truck.  I explained to her that whenever I find a hoop, I've been stopping to shoot around.  She was just tickled at the thought of me playing basketball  at random parks and subdivisions--where ever I happened to spot an outdoor court.  We quickly added this quirky activity to our list of Fun Things To-Do Together!

After lunch we headed to Fire and Ice, a pottery studio here in Nampa, to be artists for the afternoon.  I was quite entertained with the activity and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Becca, however, decided maybe she isn't cut out for the pottery painting business.  She was done WAY before I was and was off playing with the toys (which are likely there for just such occasions)!  We have to wait a couple of days to pick up our finished product and who knows, after I see my finished product, I might decide I'm not cut of for the pottery painting business either!  

         

      ~before~                          ~after~ (yeah, it's ugly!)

Next time, Becca will finally be meeting my dogs!  She's pretty excited about that!