Since 2017 I have been been visiting a particular pond off a levee along the Snake River. It is about a mile from where I live in the historical flood plain of the river. Groundwater here is high. Initially I thought I would go every day in an effort to document changes. We all think we know how a place changes but unless we pay attention, practiced daily, we miss a lot. Often we make assumptions. I do. Everyone says “Oh remember last year the weather was such and such.” Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t. These three photographs were taken mid to late November 2017.
Even in a single month, the pond changes dramatically. The stones appear throughout the winter as people “test” the surface, an activity of no apparent purpose other than to “test” the surface.
A week goes by and the ice is gone, the stones fallen to the pond’s floor.
Three days later, the ice begins to form again. For this reason, I am drawn to this place. What we think we will see differs from what we actually see–and hear and smell–even in a day.
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