Snow on Baldy

We are fully vaccinated. We are also thankful that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be slowing down around our country, although Idaho is at the tail end—an example of first in and last out. Nevertheless, our friends and family are all vaccinated, so we are able to give and receive hugs, dine out and visit many locations without masks, and exercise largely without masks. We do still keep a mask handy in case of requirements or perception of need.

Field of Purple Lupine and Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Good news about our book, The Magical Universe of the Ancients: A Desert Journal! It is a finalist in the Foreword INDIES Awards (June announcement of winners) and Honorable Mention in the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Art. Both are national awards. Check out https://bigwoodbooks.com to read some of the fabulous reviews our book has garnered. Here is the comment from the Eric Hoffer Book Award:

The American West lives in a constant state of decay and preservation. Petroglyphs dance across stone as if painted yesterday, and ancient places of worship rise from the desert floor as if closed only temporarily—all while the relentless wind or the random stone cleft come crashing down upon them. In words and photos, this art book captures the magic.

Time for a road trip? Yes! We drove west to Oregon and the coast and Washington–a trip of about 2500 miles. We walked on ocean beaches, watched hundreds of puffins circling

Sylvia Beach Hotel, Newport, Oregon

Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, traveled Highway 101 to Newport and points south. We visited Salem on the Edge Gallery in Salem and daughter Melanie. We stayed with daughter Melinda and granddaughter Ilaria in Seattle. Gerry attended a 60th year fraternity reunion lunch. We carried our usual bags of books and feasted on fresh seafood at every opportunity!

Upon our return, we found wildflower abundance in our Wood River Valley. Aspen and cottonwood leaves burst forth in our absence. A surprise snowstorm slowed the march toward full spring. Welcome rain feeds the thirst of trees, grasses, yellow arrowleaf balsamroot and purple lupine. Can blue camas and white and pink bitterroot be far behind?

Our Community Library is kicking off the theme of Reading Fearlessly. We participated in our community read of Kindred by Octavia Butler this winter, a chance to educate us about our country’s dark history in a time travel narrative. We decided Reading Fearlessly means to us reading about climate change, global fever, end times, and possible ways to be part of the solution and not the problem. Here are some of our recommendations:

Great Tide Rising by Kathleen Dean Moore

A Hundred Little Pieces on the End of the World by John Rember

Global Fever by William H. Calvin

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates

Apocalyptic Planet by Craig Childs

Erosion by Terry Tempest Williams

Collapse by Jared Diamond

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

Most of you probably have others to suggest. Please add them in Comments!

Other books worth reading for enlightenment and enjoyment:

Consequences of Fear by Jaqueline Winspear

Stargazer by Anne Hillerman

Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles

Four Lost Cities by Annalee Newitz

Skiing Sun Valley by John Lundin

Bless the Birds by Susan Tweit

And, coming in December, MINERS’ MOON, a Nellie Burns and Moonshine Mystery!

Our Community Library is also inaugurating a summer reading program for adults, beginning June 1. Check it out–it sounds like fun.

Finally, we bought a Toyota hybrid automobile—our small contribution to lessening our carbon footprint, especially after the road trip!

Lilies on Camas Prairie

All photos courtesy of Gerry Morrison