Bird life of Idaho.

In Idaho, we love several things:

1. the journey up, as we leave behind, for at least hours and most happily days, the things that press us and worry us.
2. the georgian vista, as I once said grandly in a poem, of the high mountain valleys.
3. the blessed, blessed quiet.
4. the quality of the sleep, and the air, and the--again--quiet.
5. the river.
6. the birds at the river.

It's September, and we have been feeling the chill of it--up here, it's maybe fifteen or twenty degrees cooler, sometimes, than in Salt Lake--but there are still birds enough to give us a few thrills.

Flyaway. #henrysfork

A photo posted by Lisa Bickmore (@megastore) on Sep 6, 2015 at 9:55pm PDT

On the bridge at the river. #henrysfork

A photo posted by Lisa Bickmore (@megastore) on Sep 6, 2015 at 9:57pm PDT

The pelican line up. #henrysfork

A photo posted by Lisa Bickmore (@megastore) on Sep 6, 2015 at 9:59pm PDT

It's a blue heron on the #henrysfork

A photo posted by Lisa Bickmore (@megastore) on Sep 6, 2015 at 10:00pm PDT

The blue heron again, on the other side of the river. #henrysfork

A photo posted by Lisa Bickmore (@megastore) on Sep 6, 2015 at 10:03pm PDT

Big Springs at the dimming of the day.

A photo posted by Lisa Bickmore (@megastore) on Sep 6, 2015 at 10:02pm PDT

I totally did not know that.

In a hotel room in Minneapolis:

Me: Did you know that the headwaters of the Mississippi are in Minnesota?

Dr. Write: ... I... did, because of that Indigo Girls song--'the mississippi's mighty but it starts in Minnesota'--but I hadn't really thought about it since.

Map of the Mississippi River Watershed

Me: [pondering my incuriosity. also my ignorance.] 

Well, here is an acrostic that considers all of the above. My conference statement/'paper' is written. Well, mostly written. I present it tomorrow. After that, I will have time to pursue greater river knowledge, and perhaps I will share it with you.

More river.

Today, we did another piece of the Jordan River walk, between 4800 South and 3900 South and back. Because the historian rides along the river all the time, he knows what are the charms of each segment, and he did not recommend this bit highly. "It's right up against some apartments on one side," he said, "and on the other side there's some industrial stuff."

But in this project, I am a little bit literal minded. I want to walk all the parts, pretty or no. I want to see the whole thing, preferably in order. So off we went.

It reminded me a little bit of the L.A. River, the part we walked when we were there last May, by the Glendale Narrows. Industrial/railroad on one side, residential on the other, big deep culvert with hardly any water for a lot of it, but the parts with water, deep down in the culvert, were so beautiful, and the more beautiful for where they were situated. The river today was high, so there were no dry parts as in L.A. It rushed and poured in between the apartments and the warehouses, and there were some gorgeous meanders and plant life, and a few birds.

The historian is right about this segment, but it also seemed to have its beauties.

 

A walk on the river.

The historian and I are planning to walk the length of the Jordan River Parkway over the next few weeks. This was the first section. Actually, it was partly doing a little walk by the L.A. River last spring that made me want to do this--something about an urban/suburban water way, its very presence in the cities and towns in which we live--seems worth knowing more about.

Sights.

River.

The Wet Spring That Was is also occurring in Idaho. My dad called to say, a few hours ago, that a severe weather watch was in effect in eastern Idaho, with as much as a dozen inches of snow predicted for Island Park. Snow! This has put a serious crimp in the unrolling of my grand plan, which occurs in this order:

• Finish the semester (check)
• Finish grading (check!)
• Go to L.A. (check)
• Come home and cry a little (also check!)
• See a dubious comedy @ Brewvies, with Dr. Write et al (hi Jane & Pam!)(also, hello Shroom & Swiss Gardenburger with fries!)
• Gather my wits and be the happy genius of my house (in progress, but check!)
• Drive up to Idaho with my folks to open the cabin and spend some quality time with them. (weather-related wrench in the gears!)

After that, there was to be, and still will be

• Go to the west desert with singing son for a music weekend
• Go to NoCal to see my oldest darling friend
• Return to Zion, then drive north with the historian to Idaho

Well, time, fortune, and the weather will sort themselves out. One way or another, we'll be in Idaho, oh YES WE WILL BE IN IDAHO sometime in June.

But until then, perhaps a few pictures of the Glendale Narrows section of the Los Angeles River will cheer us all up. If we needed cheering up, which, around here, actually, we don't:

Land spreadin' out so far and wide.

In the city, there are movies. Lots of movies. Harry Potter, for instance. There are grocery stores with a lot of produce. In the city, there is a farmer's market, and there are peaches. In the city, I could be having lunch with my friends, and petting my dog, and wearing different clothes than the ones I've been wearing. I could wear blue shoes instead of red ones. Or yellow shoes. There are free concerts downtown.

In the city, I have a garden and flowers. A combination of sprinklers and twenty-year-olds are watering them. People are having parties and I am not in attendance. There are outdoor chairs I could sit in after having taken Bruiser for a walk whilst sipping iced tea.

In the city, there are grandchildren I haven't seen for two weeks. Swimming pools. Target. A printer.

In the city there are no bats under the eaves.

In the city there is a library where I could return the novels I have already read and in turn, check out new ones.

HOWEVER: in the city, I almost certainly would not have done the work I've done here, to wit: revising sixteen poems and counting, renaming the manuscript, and getting a grip (yet again) on what it's all about. I would not have read so many books and I would not have spent as many peaceful, restorative hours in a place I love, with the historian whom I love. I would not have seen so many birds or coyotes (or bats), nor would I have logged as much river-time.

City: when I come back I will have a big howdy for you. But till then, I'll be living off the land and whupping my manuscript into shape. I trust there'll still a little bit of city-style summer fun left when I see you again.

Update 1.

We arrived yesterday evening. Our accomplishments thus far:

1. Brought up two bikes with no mishaps.
2. Slept the sleep of the blessed last night.
3. Cabin-napping. (Studies show that cabin-napping is far superior to regular napping.)
4. Two walks by the river.
5. Watched a new episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which featured an egocentric poet/editor of a poetry magazine. Oh! 'twas very heaven.
6. Watched three episodes of In Treatment, which is everything I have been told it would be. Which is to say, excellent.
7. I finished one L.A. detective novel and am now halfway through The Black Dahlia. Which is excellent as well. Remind me to tell you about my whole new L.A. thing. There is a reading list.
8. Started reading through my manuscript. Hey. It's the weekend. I'll get serious tomorrow, which is Monday, which is, in case you forgot, the beginning of the work week.

The people, Idaho is beautiful. There are birds everywhere, all kinds of birds. It is warm but not hot, and there was a wonderful stiff wind swooping around everywhere while we were eating our dinner, which was spaghetti, which tasted like everything tastes up here: perfect.