Spring Break in Salmon

Salmon

I took a quick trip over the first weekend of Spring Break to visit Mom, Dad, Grandma Parsons, and Josh.  I was also able to attend church in the Salmon Ward on Sunday and visit a little with Josh, Kala, and Kanyon afterward. 

On Saturday morning I took a walk out to the branding corral and took some photos.

Josh and Kala's driveway at sunrise

The bed of Dad's truck and other equipment parked at the shed

This angle of the calving shed evokes a powerful emotional memory for me of visiting newborn baby calves when I was very young. The calving shed was a mysterious place that I was rarely allowed to visit, and only under supervision. I remember the anticipation of that big door being unbolted and creaking open. I remember the warmth and light inside:

As I was looking at the calving shed this visit, I wondered about the origins of the shed. I wondered if it was built by my grandpa or great-grandpa or great-great-grandpa, or built before that when Governor Shoup owned the ranch. I asked Dad, and he said that it was built before my family bought the ranch. It was originally a horse barn for the teams. It had a second story hay loft that the horse teams could drive into from the hill above and behind, before the canal was dug into it.

My grandpa and great-grandpa built all of the wooden parts that you can see now and created a calving shed, long before I was born.

The sun was coming up as I explored the remains of the branding corral.

The above photo turned into a "happy accident." It turned out to be the perfect background for the poster advertising the Tolman Reunion here in Salmon this summer. 

Mostly I was trying to capture the way I feel here in the mountains - centered and whole. It is as if my past, present, ancestors, and my soul all connect with God and eternity and perspective. 

So many people and memories are close here.