Jackson Hole
Discoveries in Your Own Home
Sometimes you make discoveries in your own home. In my case, the discovery was in Gray’s antique map of the Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho territories from 1875, just after the Hayden Survey and the exploration and formation of Yellowstone National Park. The other day, I was gazing at the map in a semi-distracted state when…
Read MoreDip! Wade! Swim!
The water ouzel was my father’s favorite bird. Sometimes I think it was his favorite because he liked to say “water ouzel.” Try it, it’s fun! There are five water ouzel varieties throughout the world, and our local ouzel is the American dipper. (Not as much fun to say.) The American dipper is roughly robin-sized…
Read MoreLet it Snow!
It’s ski season in Jackson Hole. Many of us here at Barker-Ewing are lucky enough to both work and recreate on the snow-covered slopes that surround us all winter. And that fluffy white snow is solid gold! When spring arrives, the snow transforms into liquid gold as it melts into the Snake River, our summer…
Read MoreRandom patterns
I love the return of spring and its random patterns and awakenings. In spring, the days warm slightly – and then snow slightly – and then warm slightly, but despite the season’s see-sawing nature, we start to see the return of the flowers, insects, and animals that have been missing or were merely occupied with…
Read MoreThe Last Day of Summer
I just saw the last day of summer. I know what you’re thinking: it’s the Equinox – so didn’t we all just see it? That’s true, but if you work outdoors like I do, you don’t need a calendar to tell you when the seasons change. You just have to read the signs. Over the…
Read MoreOlympic Fever
I’ve got Olympic Fever! Up here in Jackson Hole, as the old joke goes, we have two seasons: Winter, and the Fourth of July. The warming climate has subtly altered this once-accurate description. We still enjoy just two seasons, but while Winter has become noticeably shorter, the Fourth of July has extended on both sides…
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