September Travels: Part 1

State Capitol in Boise.

My travels in September began in Idaho. And ended in Minnesota. Part 1 will share the Road Scholar trip I attended, "Hiking Amid Nature and History on the Snake River Plain", followed by a  few days in Boise visiting a friend. Part 2 will share the Minnesota portion of the trip. 

The Snake River Plain is a flat crescent moon shaped geologic depression that stretches across nearly 400 miles of Southern Idaho from it's south eastern border with Wyoming to the Oregon-Idaho border. It covers about a quarter of Idaho, is home to most of Idaho's major cities and, over time, has been transformed by irrigation into an agricultural area known as "The Magic Valley". 

The Magic Valley

First stop: The Snake River. Beginning in western Wyoming, the Snake River flows 1,078 miles through the Snake River Plain and onto the Hells Canyon area in northeastern Oregon. It then continues into the Palouse Hills of Washington state where it eventually flows into the Columbia River as it's largest tributary. 

The Snake River Gorge at Twin Falls.

North of the Perrine Bridge.

The I. B. Perrine Bridge at Twin Falls is a truss arch bridge approximately 1,500 feet long and 486 feet above the Snake River. The bridge is named for I.B. Perrine who, in 1903, spearheaded the development of a canal irrigation system which transformed the "Magic Valley" into a rich agricultural region. He is also credited with being the founder of  the city of Twin Falls. 

Shoshone Falls is often referred to as the "Niagara of the West". Located northeast of Twin Falls, the falls drop 212 feet to the canyon floor. The water levels in September are probably half or less than those in the Spring when snowmelt creates a more 
dramatic display.

Date of picture: 1874

But a beautiful site nonetheless!

Next stop: Craters of the Moon National Monument

In 1969 NASA astronauts prepared for the Apollo moon mission at Craters of the Moon NM, learning basic volcanic geology. 

No volcano in sight? The volumes of lava that make up Craters of the Moon flowed not from one volcano but from a number of deep fissures, known collectively as the GREAT RIFT, that cross the Snake River Plain. 

As far back as 15,000 years ago Lava welled up from the Great Rift to produce what is today a vast plain of volcanic rock. The most recent eruption of lava was 2,000 years ago. Geologists say it's not over yet!

In the mid-1800's Oregon bound pioneers traveled in wagon trains along the Goodale's Cutoff, a parallel route north of the Oregon Trail. This route took them along and through the northern edge of these lava beds. 

In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge used the 1906 Antiquities Act to preserve Craters of the Moon as a National Monument. It was described as "a weird and scenic landscape, peculiar to itself." An apt description.

Next stop: City of the Rocks National Reserve, located in southeast Idaho near the border with Utah and Nevada.

At City of the Rocks ancient granite is subjected to weathering by wind, freezing and thawing water, salt and other naturally corrosive factors. These forces create a variety of natural granite sculptures. 

Between 1843 and 1882, a mass migration occurred across the American west. First seeking land and later in search of gold, over 200,000 emigrants followed the CALIFORNIA TRAIL through the City of the Rocks. The first travelers followed landmarks described by fur trappers and early explorers. 

City of the Rocks National Reserve was part of the largest overland emigrant route in American history. The 14,407 acre Reserve is a landmark that preserves the most intact and authentic setting of the California Trail.

A few shots from the Ketchum-Sun Valley area.  

September 4th and first snowfall in the Sawtooth Mountains. It was fun while it lasted but soon the sun came out as the storm passed.

I am glad I had the opportunity to visit the Minidoka National Historic Site as part of this trip. Established by the National Park Service as a historic site in 2001, Minidoka is located between Twin Falls and Jerome. The site commemorates the hardships and sacrifices of Japanese Americans interned at Minidoka and other internment camps during World War II.

Minidoka Relocation Center was a 33,000 acre site with over 600 buildings and a total population of about 13,000 internees. Minidoka was in operation from August 1942 until October 1945. 

In the 1800's many Japanese citizens emigrated to America and for many the United States became their new home. Prior to WWII in the early 1900's prejudice and hostility toward the Japanese began to increase. The incident of the attack on Pearl Harbor intensified the hostility and in February of 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066.

Executive Order 9066 initiated the single largest forced relocation in U.S. history. Persons of Japanese ancestry, both American citizens and legal resident aliens, from all western states were ordered to report to designated military holding areas (internment camps). 

Minidoka was still under construction when the internees arrived and living conditions were harsh and discouraging. The internees proved to be creative and hard working. They built baseball diamonds, a swimming "pool" and small parks, a newspaper was published and Japanese gardens were planted. Over time Minidoka evolved into a nearly self sustaining community and the internees became a source of labor for the local agricultural community. Minidoka was closed in October of 1945. Over two thirds of those incarcerated under Executive Order 9066 were American citizens by birth.

In 1988 the Civil Liberties Act acknowledged the injustice of the incarceration of Japanese Americans with a formal apology and restitution to individual internees. The act also provides for a fund to educate the public about one of the worst violations of constitutional rights in American history. For me this historical site was more than just history. Given the current movement of refugees world wide, it seemed most timely and contemporary to consider "Could this happen again?"

Farewell to Road Scholar and on to Boise and a visit with a good friend. I'll share here a few of the places I enjoyed visiting in Boise. 

Boise City Hall. See Public Art on wall upper left.

There is plenty of public art around Boise and a favorite was called Penny Postcard: A Hometown Greeting. This multi-paneled mural presents images from Boise history in historic postcard images. 

Of course, The Boise Art Museum. 

And last but definitely not least:

Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial.

The memorial is an educational park inspired by the universal desire for peace and justice and the ongoing inspiration of Anne Frank. It is located on the Boise River Greenbelt, a 26 mile walking path along the Boise River.

 This memorial park was a favorite discovery as I wandered around downtown Boise on Labor Day. It was definitely a place to linger.

Farewell to Idaho. Next stop: Minnesota. More to come in Part 2. 
Thanks for sharing this adventure!

Frank Lloyd Wright in Kankakee

Over the past weekend I traveled to Kankakee, Illinois to participate in the "Wright in Kankakee Fine Art Show and Sale".

I have to admit that my motive for going was primarily to tour another FLW designed residence. The trip was also a great opportunity to show my Paper Art Quilts to a new audience during the weekend show.

The juried fine art show took place in the B. Harley Bradley House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1900 for Mr. Bradley and his family. It is located at 701 S. Harrison Avenue.

The Bradley House and its next door neighbor, the Warren R. Hickox Jr. House, are recognized as Wright's first pure Prairie style designs.


This Wright designed residence is uniquely located on the banks of the Kankakee River. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the residence, its furnishings and the landscaping.

The Bradley's moved into the house in the Spring of 1901 and lived there until 1913. Between 1915 and 2005 there was a succession of owners and uses for the property.

In 2005 present owners Gaines and Sharon Hall purchased the property to rescue the Stable from demolition. Eventually they used FLW's original plans and undertook a complete restoration of both the residence and the stable.

In 2009 a not-for-profit organization, Wright in Kankakee, was formed. It's mission is to eventually own the residence and make it available to the public as an arts and education center.
It is this organization that sponsored the Fine Art Show and Sale. Thanks to all the staff, many volunteers, fellow artists and interested art patrons for a great visit. 

And thanks to the Art Competition Judges, David Bagnall of the Frank LLoyd Wright Trust in Chicago and Jeff Stevenson, Gallery Director at Governors State University, for my First Place in the Joseph Dodson/Bird Inspired category:

and my Second Place in the Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired Category.

And Thanks for looking!

Fourth of July Travels/Athens, Ohio

Over the July 4th holiday weekend I traveled to southeast Ohio and, in particular, Athens. My main reason for going was to see the Quilt National 2015 Exhibition at the Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens. 

The Dairy Barn Arts Center today.

The history of the Dairy Barn dates back to 1877 when James Bower, a Civil War veteran, arrived in Athens County and established a dairy. In 1912, the Athens State Hospital purchased the Bower farm and residence. The present cow barn of Georgian Revival architectural influence was then  completed in 1914 at a cost of $10,000. 

 
 
By 1977, the dairy barn, virtually unused for ten years, was slated to be razed along with other buildings that the Athens Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center no longer used. The demolition date was fast approaching. But the local arts community had other ideas. The Hocking Valley Arts Council, artists, crafts persons, business leaders, government leaders and other concerned citizens, succeeded in saving the now 100-year-old barn. The Dairy Barn was saved and received its first funding in the form of $10,000 in grants making it possible to winterize, paint, and begin administrative duties of the arts center.

   
In 1978, the Dairy Barn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Dairy Barn Southeastern Ohio Cultural Arts Center was established as a non-profit corporation.

The first full scale arts exhibition to show at the Dairy Barn, Quilt National '79, was organized in the summer of 1979. It was produced in collaboration with local quilt/textile artists including Nancy Crow. The Quilt National is a biennial juried exhibition of innovative art quilts and remains the largest and longest running show of its kind in the United States. It draws entries and visitors from
around the world. 

On the property is this charming herb garden.

So...my first stop was the Quilt National '15. No photography allowed but I thoroughly enjoyed the 84 quilts on display in this show. The 84 were selected from over 600 entries from around the world. To quote the Dairy Barn web site:

"The works in a Quilt National exhibit display a reverence for the lessons taught by the makers of the heritage quilts. Many of the works hold fast to the traditional methods of piecing and patching. At the same time, however, the Quilt National artist is intrigued by the challenge of expanding the boundaries of traditional quiltmaking by utilizing the newest materials and technologies. These innovative works generate strong emotional responses in the viewer while at the same time fulfilling the creative need of the artist to make a totally individual statement."

Next...one of the greatest delights of the trip turned out to be the lodging where I stayed just 10 minutes outside of Athens, the Sand Ridge B&B and Native Garden operated by innkeeper Connie Davidson. It turns out there is a very unique story here.  

In 2007 Connie moved to Athens and purchased the property with the intention of opening the B&B. But the land behind the farmhouse was overgrown with non-native and invasive species. It was a tangled mess. Today it has been transformed. The landscape now contains a prairie, woodland garden, butterfly garden, and a bog.

Dr. Frank Porter, of Racine, Ohio, is a regionally known landscaper and lecturer who promotes the use of native plants to enhance outdoor living spaces. Connie asked him to help her revitalize the overgrown and weedy landscape and he designed a Nature-scape on which they began work in the fall of 2009.

Within the confines of the property, there are several ecological niches that have become the home of a wide diversity of native wildflowers, grasses, vines, trees and shrubs. 

They added a walking trail that winds through the gardens.

What a delightful surprise it was to discover this peaceful space of native plants that has been created and is looked after with care and devotion. These pictures really do not do justice to the hard work and intelligence that went into this project. I was also impressed by Connie's ongoing intention to create and maintain a supportive ecosystem in her "back yard" for all the bugs and beasts and other living things! Often when I returned from my activities she would come up from the garden where she had been working to greet me. It was utterly random that I selected this as the place to stay for the weekend. Isn't randomness a blessing!

Across the road from the farmhouse.

The hummingbird feeder was located right next to the front porch. And it was a very busy place with many hummingbirds jostling each other for access to the feeder. They move so quickly it was tough work to get a photo...

On the way to Cedar Falls.

On July 4th the weather was warm, sun was shining and skies were blue. This was a change from the rainy monsoon like weather we have been having all over the mid-west. So I set out to travel the Hocking Hills Scenic By-way and find a place to hike. 
The geologic history and the human history are significant in this area. The landscape is made of mostly sandstones and shale. 350 million years ago bedrock formed a delta in a shallow sea that covered what is now Ohio. Subsequent years of uplift and erosion created the cliffs and gorges that are there today. 

Cedar Falls

Most photographed falls in Ohio

There is evidence that the area was first inhabited by the Adena culture up to 7,000 years ago. In the mid 1700's Indian tribes including the Shawnee, Wynandot and Delaware traveled through and lived in the Hocking river area. White settlers moved into the region after 1795. By 1870 the area was attracting visitors to its scenic features and in 1924 the first purchase was made in and effort to preserve the natural beauty of the area. 

Conkle's Hollow Nature Preserve features towering cliffs of Black Hand sandstone.

A walk through the Conkle's Hollow gorge.

Towering trees, powerful rock formations and occasional shafts of sunlight combine with the damp and shady atmosphere along the way in Conkle's Hollow.

An enjoyable journey over this July 4th weekend and thanks for sharing it with me.