Week 20: #52 Ancestors – Nature By Eilene Lyon You’ve met my great-grandmother, Clara Ransom Davis in several earlier posts. Clara moved to Idaho as a teen and attended Moscow High School, becoming a teacher at 16, while still in school herself. She attended the University of Idaho, and graduated with the third class in... Continue Reading →
The Loneliest Road
By Eilene Lyon I asked my iPhone for the shortest route from Georgetown, California, to Durango, Colorado. When it came to Nevada, going across the middle wasn’t presented as an option, even if I said to omit the interstates. So I specifically told Siri to give me directions from Reno, Nevada, to Great Basin National... Continue Reading →
The Huntington: Gardens
By Eilene Lyon Sunday morning, I arrived at the Huntington to see the gardens and galleries. I thought I was there after opening, but it turned out I was fifteen minutes early, because I'd been looking at my computer clock (mountain time) instead of my phone. As I waited for the ticket office to open,... Continue Reading →
The Drought Diaries: Reprieve?
By Eilene Lyon The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued. --Robert Frost Dust of Snow March 14, 2019 The skiing at Wolf Creek was totally awesome! The... Continue Reading →
A Slow Death
By Eilene Lyon A 19th Century Scourge In my gold rush research, I’ve come across a couple cases of milk sickness – a deadly disease that was common in the 19th century throughout the Ohio River Valley states. I made the erroneous assumption that this was some bacterial illness that was neutralized by pasteurization. Rather,... Continue Reading →
The Striker
By Eilene Lyon We live in a forested area with many birds - and in a house with lots of windows. Once we started using UV decals, the number of birds striking our home dropped, but did not stop altogether. Every year, some continue to perish this way, which really saddens me, but I really... Continue Reading →
Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness
By Eilene Lyon When you think of wilderness, do you conjure a deep grove of majestic, old-growth trees surrounded by fuzzy pick-up-sticks of fallen mossy trunks? Waterfalls thundering and spongy, leaf-strewn ground cushioning your every step? Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is nothing like that. This is the Badlands. Some might call it barren, but that would be... Continue Reading →
A Secret Mission
Week 50: #52 Ancestors – Naughty By Laurence M. Smith (May 7, 1985) At times there are unusual experiences involved in being an Electrical Engineer. It was the time of World War II. I had just transferred from Portland to Spokane, Washington, to work on the design of the Spokane Army Air Field. It was... Continue Reading →
The Grand
By Eilene Lyon My inbox had an unexpected surprise in the spring of 2014. “Only 4 slots left!” I hurriedly forwarded the email to The Putterer – “What do think? Should we go?” He just as rapidly fired back – “Hell yes!” I placed a call to the rafting company, only to be told that... Continue Reading →