Sagebrush Step 2....

John and I left Kackley Springs and went into Grace, Idaho, to pick up lunch for us and the property owner we were going to visit next. I was looking forward to actually meeting a property owner. Mr. Croney is a lovely gentleman with as many facets and interests as the arrowheads he has collected and cataloged. His farm has been in the family for generations. We sat in the tidy kitchen with our offering of sandwiches, fries and tater tots. With that genuine Idaho hospitality, he augmented our lunch with a plate of raw veggies and homemade lemonade.

We chatted throughout lunch about his family and life. Afterwards he showed us artwork that he has collected and best of all his collection of artifacts that he has collected in southeastern Idaho. It is an amazing collection that he has painstakingly cataloged with diagrams of each artifact that in themselves are pieces of art.

We stepped outside and a mama Great-Horned Owl flew from her perch on the barn. We soon saw two fledglings in the barnyard perched on fence posts. One sat still sometimes even closing it's eyes while we walked around the yard.

The barn is incredible. Cohen said that many artists have stopped to either paint or photograph it. The secret to the good shape it is in, the new metal roof he put on it a few years back.

The Portneuf River runs through the property; Cohen purchased a portion of a Union Pacific bridge to bridge the river. I was able to get so many wonderful photos. Following are a few sketches that I painted from my photos. Okay, I added the Meadowlark, but I saw the Red-Winged Blackbird while I stood on the Union Pacific bridge.

Croney Property Barn with one of the "Hootlets"

Meadowlark and Union Pacific Bridge

"You are Bugging Me!"