Filling Up, Slowly

March 5, 2011.

Today’s post will be a comparison set.  Without planning the date and time, I discovered today that I took two photos from the same spot with the same subject – exactly one month apart. Almost to the minute ….

February 5, 2011, 11:30 AM:

March 5, 2011, 11:37 AM:

The water level has come up a bit in the last month.  With at least as much snow on the ground in the March photo as was present in the February photo, there is hope that the water level will continue to rise.  Anything received in the mountains above Clarkston in the coming storm will help, too.

Turkeys in the Pines

February 26, 2011: Once a path through the snow was cleared to the cows, from the driveway and sidewalks, and the neighbor’s path to the bus, it was time for a little drive to see what this Saturday morning in NW Cache Valley looked like.

The first thing we saw was the bright blue sky above Gun Site, Clarkston area.  After the storm the air was clean and clear.

We drove up to the junction of the Long Divide thinking that it would be a great day to see the turkeys, and we were not disappointed.  They were lounging on the road, picking up sand or rocks, and our driving up the road sent them back to the trees. Through the winter these turkeys are using a stand of pine trees in the edge of a field for their home.

The land owner has set out a couples of bales of safflower straw on the edge of the pine trees, for them to pick through.

I have to admit I have not enjoyed this storm.  I started moving snow about 7:30 this morning and had to quit from exhaustion at about 11:00.  We need the water that it holds, no argument about that.  Now that the worst of the cleanup is done maybe my perspective will change when I see the beautiful scenery covered in snow.

Snowball Attack

February 24, 2011: Monday I was able to leave the office early to spend the rest of President’s Day at home.  The kids were out of school and it was a fairly decent day, weather wise.  We tried to take a short walk, but the flurries began again.  After we returned from that adventure my son helped me with the set up and snowball for this photo.

Benson Marina, Revisited

February 11, 2011: I have been sidetracked by a photo project and have neglected this site.  Apologies for any followers. Today was another beautiful day in Cache Valley.  One of those winter days where the sunshine fools you into thinking it is warmer outside than it really is.  Finally by late afternoon the temperature caught up with the sunshine and it felt a bit like Spring.

A detour on the way home took me by the Benson Marina (again).  This time I pulled in the boat launching area and stepped out on the pad to snap some photos, including this one.  The channel is expanding each day, but the shallow edges still have plenty of ice.

Photo: NIkon D3100, 35mm F/1.8G, 1/200s, ISO 100

Wood and Fire

January 30, 2011:  We still use a wood burning stove occasionally in the winter months.  With a forecast high of 34 degrees in Cache Valley, and some time to spare, today is one of those days.  Getting wood from the pile to burn was one of today's tasks.

After a bit of chopping and preparation, we have fire!

Ice Fishing

January 15, 2011: A father and sons team on the ice at Newton Reservoir, anxiously awaiting the visit of a fish to their bait.

Photo: 1/15/2011, 2:41 PM, Nikon D3100

Ice Crystals

January 8, 2011:  Cache Valley has been in the grip of a cold spell for many days.  One morning we woke up to see a pretty ice crystal pattern that had formed on the kitchen window in the frigid overnight air.

Once There Was a Snowman

January 8 2010: While driving the streets of town to get a shot of a small herd of deer that have been camped in backyards all week, I spied this friendly fellow.

A Future on Ice?

January 5, 2010:  He shoots ….. 

January Sunset

January 1, 2011: A beautiful day worked it’s way to a beautiful sunset.   Taken from the front porch with our Christmas lights and flagpole in the foreground, what an awesome ending to a wonderful day.

A Bright, Sunny Day

January 1, 2011: A beautiful bluebird day beckoned and on a short ride on the back roads of Cache Valley this was the view that caught my eye and the camera lens.

Remembrance at Christmas

December 26, 2010:  As a service project, Newton’s cemetery was lit by rows of luminaire’s for a few hours tonight to allow community members a chance to visit and remember their loved ones in a unique way.

Bedtime Snack

December 23, 2010: With the Bear River Canyon and Mollie’s in the background, Newton’s deer herd enjoys a bedtime snack at dusk in a foggy hay field on the west side of town.

The Day After

November 29, 2010:  Morning dawned cold and clear in Cache Valley on a Monday after a Sunday snow storm that added about a foot of snow to parts of the valley.  Looking west from Richmond towards Clarkston, a favorite landmark of this blog, Gunsight Peak is blanketed in the new snow.

US 91 in Richmond after the plows have cleared all but a little bit of the snow.

A New Hobby….?

November 28, 2010:  During the storm Sunday morning I was caught on camera removing snow from the driveway.  This is destined to become my new hobby for the next few months.  The problem is I think thie new “hobby” will take up too much time ….

First Snow

November 24, 2010:  The mountains of northwest Cache County crowned in clouds and blanketed with new early-winter snow.