Thanksgiving in the Desert

We made our first trip back to the valley to visit the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for Thanksgiving.  I was taken aback by the openness of the landscape.  The vast farm fields seem to go on and on.  This is the scenery that I have always lived in, but it seems as though six months in the forest has left its mark. In the past I would cringe as we would reenter the desert after a trip to the forest. I would feel depressed by the dull, sage-brush dotted landscape and pine after something greener and cooler.

On this trip I "visited" the high desert.  I appreciated its openness and found the dry rocky mesas and cliffs captivating.  The fields looked like a giant quilt of various patches of green and brown all sewn together and laid across a bumpy surface.  The mountains appeared to be covered in a blanket of taupe colored velvet.  I think that the cool temperatures, low creeping clouds, and scattered rain storms all added to the awe and wonder of the desert.

Owyhee Mountains

After we ate two turkey dinners complete with smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, salad, pumpkin pie and whipped cream, saw how much the cousins had grown, and caught up on current family activities we drove home.  As Corey maneuvered our Suburban through barren mountains and rain storms I admired the beauty of the desert but looked forward to the fresh, tree-filled air.  My thoughts wandered to the forest before I began to see trees. 

 sidewalk to our front door

 I do not miss the desert, but my memories of holidays past filled with family traditions and celebrations will be a scaffold that I stand on as we seven Ankenys make a new life in the woods.