December Daily 09

I'm clearly going to have to step up my game. This photo (look up just a smidge...it's a bit boring, so your eyes probably swept right past it) could be my daily photo 88 percent of the time. While the contents of my day can vary widely, there's still so much of it that happens right at this very desk. This is a river-saving desk. Let's pretend this is a "what's in my bag" post, and I'll take you on a tour of the photo.

1. Magnets that I've collected or been gifted over the years. My favorite is a hologram of a river in New Hampshire. Typing this totally reminds me that I have magnets I need to mail my mom.

2. Large before and after photos of restored rivers. I had blueprint copies made of a few project photos and mounted them on black foam board. I spoke at an event at a museum in June, and these prints made a nice backdrop for people to wander past before the talk started.

3. Forum ribbon. This was from a National Trust for Historic Preservation conference badge three years ago. I just like ribbons and the word 'forum'.

4. The timber scrap and three rock-like objects are all salvaged bits from dam removal projects. I can't decide whether it's a sign of old age (or that they all look similar) that I can't remember which piece is from which project. I know one of these pieces of concrete is from the Elwha Dam removal in Olympic National Park in Washington. 

5. My latest notebook. I take copious notes at meetings, jot endless lists, and doodle incessantly. I have a stack of notebooks full of years of work off to the right of my desk. They're some of my most prized work possessions.

Some little girls dreamed of kids or of houses with yards to take care of. I dreamed of a desk of my own.