Pages

9.14.2015

KAMIAK BUTTE + THE MUDDY COLORS OF THE HARVEST


In June the wheat fields are green. The entire country out here is a perfect dream of rippling green waves, twinkling and glistening and glinting in the breeze. June in the Palouse is some kind of trick on the eyes. It's an emerald city every which way you turn.

And then comes August, and the wheat has turned gold, and the combines came out and the waves get razed down to nothing. The tires leave gaping tracks, blackened stubble smokes after the burn, and the gentle green waves are replaced with hill after muddy hill of browns and tans and blacks. And for just a quick minute, in the beginning of September, you have this magical week or so before the leaves on the trees turn gold to match.

It is romantic, and it is ugly, and it made for a killer hike in the rain last weekend. The drizzle (I hope) helped douse out some of the wildfires in the area. It definitely ushered in a hint of the coming cold weather. Done all my flannel be accounted for. Let's go for it, Idaho.


Kamiak Butte is about a 20 minute drive outside Pullman, and at the very tippy top of the 3 mile hike is this intensely insane view of what's left of the Palouse after the harvest, once the land has given all it's got. Empty and quiet, but still somehow beautiful. Maybe even more so.

I just think there's a metaphor in there somewhere.


My parents were there too! My mom killed it up that hike, I swear, that woman. SOMEDAY I will be able to keep up with her. Unlock my inner Stanger woman from its beast cage or whatever. Shrug emoji. 


Idaho has been a lot of good things so far, and a lot of itchy growing pains, too. Backwards growing pains? Sloughing off some of what the city added on. I like being a little more connected to the earth like this, a little more vulnerable to the rocks and rolls of everyday silly things. It's funny, even tucked away in vehicles and behind double paned windows like we are, with heaters cranking and all these layers happening, I still feel a million times more vulnerable out here than I did in the city. Idaho softens me up. And I'm not just talking about the inevitable suburb-10. ;) Whatever, bring that on too, Idaho! 


SEARS CATALOG


Huck made this adorable friend on the hike. Total Bridge to Terabithia type deal. We have since bumped into this family at the hardware store already. This small town junk. I don't know, what are you gonna do. 


And now that is the end of that. 


BOOM! Thank you, Idaho, for all this beautiful early autumn garbage. We'll take it and soak it up like there's no tomorrow. 

(Thank you also for all the falling-apart barns. I forgot how much I love those.)


Now it's really the end.

14 comments:

  1. Autumn and falling apart barns make my heart sing! I think I would love Idaho.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fall hasn't completely arrived here in Utah. It's slowly creeping in to make a brief appearance before snow is dumped all over us. I hope I'll have the chance to enjoy it for that brief moment it is here!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm loving reading about Idaho here. I actually dreamed last night that my toddler and I roadtripped (by hitchhiking with a truck driver no less) through Idaho and Oregon. What? I'm just so ready to move away from my west coast big city. I lived in NYC for a year, too and it does get to you. It can feel hard to remember there is life elsewhere. I'm glad I got out of there before it was too late and I became one of those obsessive New Yorker zombies. I run into one of those people every now and again and I just wipe my brown and "phew!" dodged that bullet!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Idaho looks beautiful :) thanks for the inside-peek at a lovely part of our country I've never seen!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very beautiful! But I miss New York! (cry emoji)

    ReplyDelete
  6. So beautiful....
    Doesn't everyone else agree that these post are sooooo much better then posts about "the city"
    The writing is lovely, the pictures are fantastic. Each and every post makes me excited and anxious to read more..... love this blog....

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gah. Get some of those golden photos in a frame and on my wall. Gorg.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love you in Idaho! Makes me want to hop a flight and explore!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I drove through a little bit of Idaho in September once, a little morning drive on a Wyoming vacation, and completely lost my heart. Like, completely. Something about it got me even more than gorgeous Wyoming and Montana.

    So far, I like Idaho Natalie a whole lot. I hope you do too.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Brandon looks SO happy. And you and Huck don't appear to be suffering either. :) I'm adjusting to Spokane after four years in Zurich - we need to meet up, Natalie! xoxoxo

    ReplyDelete
  11. Idaho does nice things for your writing.

    ReplyDelete
  12. this is one of your most swoon-worthy posts.
    beautiful words, beautiful heart.
    i hope idaho keeps inspiring you.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated because mama ain't no fool.