Service pays dividends

I wanted to write a little more about Rita, but it's too depressing.

I'm teaching a large format/studio lighting class this semester. The first half of the semester the students learn to use large-format cameras to photograph architecture among other things. Early on many students struggle quite a bit. I will sometimes take a small group out some evenings for extra instruction. Last Thursday I took a couple of students from the class out to find some tall buildings. The only tall buildings in these parts are grain elevators. We went to Newdale, which has a long line of elevators along the railroad. I helped them with the movements of the camera and with exposure. I think they managed to get a couple of interesting photographs that filled the assignment. I took a couple of photograph at this location but it was mostly about the students, so I didn't try very hard.

We took the scenic way home. I noticed in the distance some black smoke. Things always seem to be on fire on the farms in spring and fall. I usually see smoke and try to get close and it's always much further and much less accesible than I hope. This time however, the road was right next to the fire. The light was perfectly balanced. The sun was setting and the intensity of the light in the sky was near that of the fire. I photographed from the road initially. With some encouragement from my students I crossed the fence (electric I found out - the hard way) and photographed it some more. Anyway, I took one of my favorite photographs in quite a while.

I never would have been out there in that fortuitous situation if it weren't for my students. Service has it's own rewards, but sometimes you get a bonus.


Grain Silos, Newdale, ID 2005


Fire #1, Newdale, ID 2005


Fire #2, Newdale, ID 2005


Fire #3, Newdale, ID 2005

Rita

You may or may not know that Susan and I lived in Louisiana for four years prior to coming back to the west. While there I spent a lot of time photographing and birding the coastal marshes. In the last month two of my favorite Louisiana locations have been all but destroyed.

Plaquemines Parish, basically the delta area southeast of New Orleans is almost totally under water thanks to Hurrican Katrina. Most of that parish was water anyway, but the thin strip of land bordering the highway was great for birding and was really interesting to photograph, though I didn't photograph it much.

Cameron Parish, the southwest coastal area of Louisiana is now probably destroyed thanks to Rita. I spent as much time as possible between work and school photographing and birding in Cameron. Spring migration especially was unbelievable. Now I'm wondering how the coastal woods fared. This area is already economically depressed; most barely scrape by fishing, shrimping, and working in the oil and gas industry (if they're lucky). I'm wondering how and if they will rebuild.

This spring I had a chance to return to Cameron Parish. I spent most of my time photographing the coastal woodlands and communities of the cheniers (coastal ridges). I'm glad I had the opportunity, I'm wondering what's left.

I hope to get back soon (but don't know how) to document the destruction and resilience. Anyway, here are a few photographs of Cameron Parish as I'd like to remember it:


Marsh Fire, Holly Beach, LA 1999


Wind-blown Oak, near Peveto Bird Sanctuary, LA 2005


Submerged Gas Line, Cameron Parish, LA 2005

To see more Cameron Parish and southern Louisiana photographs visit these two galleries on my website: Southern Louisiana Landscapes or Chenier

Fall

I like fall, sort of. The weather is great, birds are migrating, colors are lovely, skies are dramatic, and television is no longer in re-runs. However, I feel a certain bit of anxiety because I know the arctic blast of a Rexburg winter isn't far off. Even though I'm not looking forward to 5 months of bitter cold and darkness I still enjoy the transformation from summer to fall. Anyway, enjoy the color of fall, soon it will be white and blue and dark.


Fall Colors, Rexburg Sewage Treatment Plant

Susan's Birthday and Beaver Dick Park

Today was Susan's birthday (35 years old and as gorgeous as ever). We went to dinner and did some shopping in Idaho Falls last night without the children. Aside from a couple of birthday things today was a pretty typical Sunday. Church, snack, Susan opened presents (which wasn't typical), nap, dinner, birthday cake (also not typical), Sunday drive/walk, put the kids to bed, and chill.

I got a little restless this afternoon. I wanted to get in a little birding (Fall migration is quickly coming to an end) but didn't want to go too far today, so I went to Beaver Dick Park. Beaver Dick Park is a park (obviously) along the Henry's Fork of the Snake River a few miles west of Rexburg. The front part of the park is groomed lawns, a parking lot, campgrounds, a boat ramp, and public restrooms. The back end has a few trails cutting through grassy fields, ponds, wetlands, and cottonwood river bottoms. It's a nice place for a walk and is pretty good during fall migration for song birds. I took a walk out there this evening carrying a camera and binoculars hoping for a few good birds and things to photograph. There were a few birds, mostly the regulars including: Wilson's, Orange-crowned, Yellow, and MacGillivray's Warblers, Cordilleran and Willow Flycatchers, White-crowned and Vesper Sparrows, and Hermit Thrushes among others. I did see a new bird for my Madison county list, a Long-eared Owl that I flushed from some willows bordering a pond. Here are a couple of the cottonwoods in the park.


Cottonwoods, Beaver Dick Park

Caving (I'm not cool enough to use the term spelunking) with Jon and Jeff

Yesterday Jon, Jeff (a person we met through a friend of Jon), and I went to explore and photograph more caves. We had a lot of fun and Jeff was a lot of help in giving us the names of, and taking us to more caves. The three lava tubes we explored were really interesting. We first went to Natural Bridge Tunnel. It's a long tube with a dramatic entrance. The inside is filled with interesting formations and a cool horizontal split half-way back. The next cave was also very interesting (we've been sworn to secrecy as to name and location - I think). It had a very small opening and then opened up quite large and included a cool Indiana Jones type rock in a slot. Then we took Jeff to a cave he didn't know about. Jon and I have visited it on a couple previous occasions. It's quite long, and is full of bats, side chambers, and bones. Anyway, we had fun and I took some interesting pictures, some funny pictures, and some cliches. I'm sure Jeff thinks Jon and I are pretty weird. Here are some images:


Natural Bridge Cave Entrance


Jon and Jeff on Indiana Jones Rock


Jeff marking a cave entrance with his GPS


ca. 540 degree panorama. I don't have a cool rotating camera, so I rotated instead

Drive to Camas NWR

Wow, it's been ten days since my last post. I may do better, but I may not.

I took a drive to Camas NWR this morning before work. Fall migration is peaking, and I'm trying to fit in as much birding as possible. There were quite a few birds this morning. I found 8 species of warblers, including Nashville, Townsend's, and a Blackpoll (a fairly rare, but annual vagrant). It was a beautiful morning, see for yourself:


Driving, Interstate 15


Back of Sign, Sage Junction


Potato Cellar, Hamer

Jacob's Blessing

I assume most of you know that I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If you didn't before you do now. Anyway, in our church it's custom to give a baby a name and a blessing in front of the congregation. Sunday we blessed Jacob. We had a lot of family and some friends attend the blessing and a luncheon/get together afterwards. It was a lot of fun and we are thankful to those that made the long trip. I was a little stressed out prior to the weekend. I don't come to party hosting naturally. I was surprised that things went smoothly and I actually had a good time. The children had fun playing with their cousins and it was nice to visit with family members, some of which I hadn't seen in a while. It's been a while since I've posted Jacob photographs enjoy these taken on Sunday after the blessing:


Susan and Jacob


Jacob in his Blessing Outfit

Commute

I've been glued to the news for the past few days watching my former stomping grounds (Southern Louisiana) be torn to pieces. I wonder how that place will ever recover, it probably won't totally. I spoke with my friend James, who works for the LSU special collections library in Baton Rouge. He was telling me about the museums and libraries in New Orleans, and how they have lost hundreds of years of important documents and artifacts. It's all pretty mind-boggling. I sort of wish I was nearby to help out and photograph, but sort of glad I'm far away.

I guess that's an introduction to today's entry and image. Increased gas prices, as everybody knows are one of the by-products of the disaster. I'm much less inclined these days to drive around looking for photographs. I'm also less inclined to drive to work (the construction and lack of parking, and my need for some sort of exercise are also contributing factors). So, I'm restarting an old project (commute). I've been carrying a camea with me on my commute (10 minute walk) to and from work everyday. It's a fun way to photograph. The challenge is to find little things that are interesting, even though I usually take the same route. Anyway, here's some photographs from this morning.


Broken Fence


Cable Wires


Flamingos - the ultimate suburban cliche