Jaci Dawn

I started this post a couple days ago and ended up writing about my mom instead. It’s so easy to get side-tracked.

I spent a couple days backing up all my digital photos and my (few) digital remastered photos. Of course, I found a few I really liked.

This old homestead is up on Hart Mountain, over on the east side. Hart Mountain is a fault-line mountain, rising gradually from the east and dropping off suddenly to the west. It’s the exact opposite of Steens Mountain, which is also a fault-line mountain, but Steens rises gradually from the west and drops off suddenly on the eastern side. Steens is a taller mountain, but Hart Mountain is not without its charms. Most of Hart Mountain is an antelope and wildlife refuge. The old homestead was located on Refuge land. (35mm, scanned and cleaned up)

I always wonder about the homesteaders: who were they and why did they give up? Did the water in the well dry up? Did they get tired of the icy winters and lack of firewood? Did the Great Depression drive them to town?

Mostly, I liked the patterns of the shadows and the texture of the wood.

(On a side note, we hadn’t gone five miles from the homestead when we busted one of the springs under the F-25o. It was over a hundred degrees and we had to unload everything to get to the wire in the bottom of one of the camp tubs. The chocolate melted in the cooler. Don wired the spring and we limped 90 miles into Burns where we had to buy a new spring. But that’s another story.)

I was having a blue day and Don took me for a walk along the Clackamas River, between Gladstone and Oregon City. I snapped quite a few photos that I still like. (digital photo)

More textures. It’s an old culvert sitting along the side of a road somewhere, waiting to be installed. I think it was along the 46 Road up above Estacada, but I can’t rememder. (digital photo)

That’s pronounced “es-ta-CAY-duh”.

We were picking huckleberries above Indian Henry Campground one lovely September. This huge bald-faced hornet’s nest was tucked into a vine maple. I had a nice telephoto lens for my 35mm. I’d forgotten that I scanned this and cleaned it up.

Another 35mm photo. I’m guessing it was February. The beaver ponds had flooded over their banks at the bottom of the horse pasture. The mist was just rising when I walked down to see if I could get some good photos. I’ve always liked this photo for the colors.

Film fades. This was taken along Utah Byway 128 in 1984, the first time we drove through there. it was very early morning and all the hills were purple, pink, orange. (35mm)

Same drive, different view. 35mm. I still think the 35mm captured the colors better than the digital camera does. I probably used Fuji film.

Wild flowering currants. I love the contrast in colors. (digital)

Long-nosed leopard lizard on a dead cow. Mickey Hot Springs, out in the Alvord country. The cow had been dead quite awhile and was mostly mummified, but this lizard was still making a living hunting bot flies. If you don’t know that’s  dead cow, it’s an interesting photo. If you know it’s a dead cow, well… I think the photo becomes more interesting. (35mm)

This isn’t a great digital photo, but it takes me back. Don and Samuel carrying our Christmas trees down off the hill. 2008. I just like the photo.

The trees were Charlie Brown Noble Firs. Pretty sad. The memories are precious.

Last one for tonight: A row of washed and weathered stumps along the flood line of the Clackamas River, looking east toward the old railroad bridge.

And that is a snapshot into my life. Be safe everyone. I am thinking/praying for the east coast tonight.