It Is What It Is

I came across these pictures the other day and realized that I had not posted them on this blog.

Actually..........I have many random pictures that I take and never use, but very few of this place.

These were all taken early in May at the reservoir in Blackfoot.

I don't remember why Kory and I were there killing time. 

 LC was busy doing something that I now don't remember, and had agreed to meet us at the large lake that is located in back of this small, farming, blue collar town when he was done.

On this day it was warm, but it was still early in the spring and (although snow had long since disappeared from this town) there was still remnants of snow in the hills in back.

The reservoir is emptied during the winter.  Instead of being a beautiful sanctuary in the city, throughout the cold months it is nothing but a humongous, unsightly, dirt hole in the ground.

It usually is filled with water again around mid-late April, in anticipation of the throngs of locals who recreate in this place when the temperatures begrudgingly and slowly begin to climb.

Throughout the summer months it is common to see small boats, kids noisily splashing, and occasional men who stand along the edges of the lake further away from the parking lot while hopefully tossing their fishing line into the water.

But on this particular day there was none of that.

It was still too early.  

Warm but barely, and while waiting for LC to do whatever it was that he was doing, I decided to walk the perimeter of one portion of the lake...................

As my curious and wander-loving pup sniffed the ground and learned all there was to learn about who and what had passed this way, I looked around me.

The reservoir is nice enough and provides opportunities for local residents to play on the water without having to leave the city limits.

Living in the desert it is always wonderful to be close to water, but in truth this place is not somewhere I would chose to visit if I was not waiting for someone to finish his business.

It is adjacent to the Interstate, and so it is a noisy place even without the locals playing here.

In addition, the park proper contains a skate board park, picnic tables, frisbee golf nets, childrens play parks, a couple of pavillions.

Adjacent to the Interstate on one side, it is also adjacent to both a golf course and small airport on the opposite side.

It is what it is - an in-town outdoor recreation area, and the town is very lucky to have such a great resource.

As Kory and I headed to the far left of the lake so that we could pick up a paved trail that circumnavigated the the water, I snapped random pictures - of small docks, of life jackets stationed at various places convenient to the public, of picnic shelters and of picnic tables................... 

We only walked one section of the trail (perhaps two miles in total) but there is much more trail that we did not see on this day.

There is something like nine miles of paved trails, but also dirt trails and even an archery range somewhere (back there somewhere).  Not places I would wander alone with my dog, but places I hope to see sometime soon......................

The first mile was quiet and uneventful as I knew that it would be, and I spent the time randomly picture taking and watching Kory greatly enjoy both the trail and the water.

Patiently I waited for her to frequently climb down the embankment to take a drink from the lake water.

And patiently I waited for her to smell whatever she wanted to smell and mark whatever she wanted to mark.

It was her walk as well, and I wanted it to be good for my sweet girl.

Heading for the bridge that would take us over to the opposite side of the lake................

Pictures taken as we crossed the bridge.................

I had expected LC to be busy for much longer, but as Kory and I slowly began to wander the trail back towards the parking lot (and while we were still a mile or so out) he called me.

Thankfully he was in no rush.  Take your time.  I'll see you when you get here.

Taking him at his word, I continued to take my time, still occasionally snapping pictures and still occasionally waiting on my pup as she wandered in and out of the water.................

The small air strip...................

My previous blog post was my 1000th blog post.

This is post 1001.

How many pictures make up 1001 posts?

How many words make up 1001 posts? 

Who has that much to say?.....................

My sister in Australia unexpectedly sent me an email the other day.

I hadn't heard from her in almost a year and I was surprised when she told me that she, her husband and a handful of her husbands' family members were taking an Alaskan cruise together.  

She asked for my phone number.

A few minutes after I responded back to her she gave me a call.

They are all flying to Toronto to spend time with family members of her husband who live in that huge metropolis, that I also once called home.

After leaving Toronto, family will take a train trip across the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver.

My sister and her husband will fly here and spend a week with us before meeting everyone in Vancouver to pick up the ship.

It is all a little unsettling.  Surprising.  Unsettling.

The last time I saw my sister she was 13 years old.  And I was 18................

My father had surgery a few months ago for bowel cancer and has been receiving chemotherapy ever since.

In the same email from my sister she told me that they have now found cancer in both his kidney and lung.

More surgery to come.

He is 19 years and 9 months older than me..................