My grandma picked me up from the Boise airport and we ate lunch at Shari's, a diner she always takes my dad to. This was the first image I made of my grandma after we made small talk over our sandwiches.
Our drive took around four hours to get to her house, and on the way my grandma said we had to stop at a tiny town named McCall. My father stops in McCall most years when he visits - it's his favorite spot. As we parked in the middle of the quiet town, it began to snow; my grandma lit a cigarette and told me to check out the lake. After I took a few photos, we were back on the road.
Arthritis riddles my grandma’s hands so to keep them from going stiff, she likes to make bread. As we kneaded and prepped the dough, my grandma talked about her childhood. The more I got to know her, the more I started to see my dad, my aunts, my siblings and me in her.
One morning my step-grandpa and I walked to their barn that is a mile away. He walks there and back every morning to feed their horse Ace. My grandma used to ride Ace, but now she says her hips bother her too much and that Ace is too old to enjoy it.
My step-grandfather sits in the living room after making a fire. After a recent back surgery, he said that sitting for long periods of time causes him pain and he constantly needs to move around. This was a rare moment of him sitting still.
My step-grandpa on his morning walk. I quickly picked up on their daily habits and routines. Most of these included reading, cooking and walking.
Deer walked into the backyard so we all rushed upstairs to look at them from my grandparent’s bedroom balcony. As I took this image, my grandma asked me if I wanted to photograph the deer instead of taking her picture.
We drove along the Salmon River and on our way passed a herd of elk. My grandma explained how these animals are trophy elk and that people will pay to hunt them.
When I took this image, I was supposed to be halfway home on a plane to New York but my flight got cancelled and I stayed an extra two days with my grandma. This extra time with her was exactly what I needed and we ended up making pictures of us together, a collaboration we didn't at first think of, but quickly became excited about. I left soon after with a greater understanding and love for the woman who had always been too little of my life.