Idaho Part 1 - Magic Valley

As the month of August began, we made our way to Idaho. We had a full slate of activities and tasks ahead of us. The first event would be a family reunion.

Reunion

The impetus of the reunion was the 100th anniversary of my maternal grandparents’ wedding. From what I know, such a date is normally not a thing. People don’t commonly commemorate such a wedding anniversaries of people that are no longer living. For my family, it’s necessary to understand a bit about the near mythical legacy left behind by my grandparents. Though they were far from perfect, they did, for some reason, have a near unanimously positive impression on their descendants. Those that had the good fortune of knowing them would likely highlight a variety of attributes and/or experiences that, when put altogether, provides a collective memory that looms large even a quarter of century after their passing.

The event was simple. There were a few photos on display. A slide show had been prepared consisting of old photos (as well as a few of the descendants). The two surviving children, my mom and uncle, told a few stories. I’m not sure how many were there but it was a pretty good turnout. I hadn’t seen these people in decades, others I had never met. Not a bad idea for families to do this on occasion, though I don’t see this happening again anytime soon.

mom & the kids

* * *

Cleaning

While we were in the Magic Valley, we stayed with my parents. The first task at hand was to take on the challenge of the garage. In addition to the need to clean and organize, there was the issue of my personal belongings taking up space in the middle. When I left the US in 1988, I had no intention of it being a 30-year career abroad. When I returned to the US for grad school and returned again in the early 2000s to work in California, each departure resulted in a few more things being left behind. And when you add to that the possessions we use while we are on vacation (summer/winter), it adds up to a lot of boxes and bags that need to be stored.

before

My sister graciously made her trailer available and I was able to load it up for transport to the storage that we built last summer on our property in New Meadows. Once that was done, it was time to clean and organize.

after

My job doesn’t offer me the same type of satisfaction you get from cleaning a garage or doing yardwork. Generally humanitarian contexts are messy when you arrive and (hopefully) less messy when you leave but will never be “clean”. And the process of making it less messy is messy. It took me years to be okay with that.

* * *

beautiful Shoshone Falls

The remainder of the time in the Magic Valley was spent balancing work and play. I don’t always get the balance right but, generally speaking, it was a fruitful visit. 

girls handling power tools...

rodeo time

* * *

We then headed north to spend a week in the mountains. This would involve a continued balancing act between work and play. We would begin with play – our annual backpack trip.