At about five degrees celsius this sure was a cold May day. The chill in the wind was pushing the last of the storm out of the picture, keeping most warm-blooded folks inside, but not us.

"West or East?" I asked my photographer friend as we pulled from the driveway; we were on the way to the airport soon, with a couple hours to hunt some magic.

"What's West?" he asked, knowing full well how epic the mountains to the East were.

"The Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve supports millions of birds, reptiles and amphibians and is literally down the street from our house," my wife had all the facts ready, he was intrigued.

"They write country songs about views like this place has," I assured him.

"Alright, I'm down for some wide open spaces," who knew this Texas born L.A. homie was a Dixie Chicks fan?

These birds, these mountains, and these wetlands are my neighbors and this is what Spring looks like in Utah, completely bipolar; sunny and snowy, bright and frigid.

What it sounded like is frogs.

Each ribbit and croak announcing that spring has sprung.

Do you remember chasing that sound for nights and days on end as a kid? I sure do, but those days are disappearing quicker than any of us would like...

But not here, hear the frogs thriving; it sounds like my child-hood to me!

Thanks to the folks that protect places like this for our animal neighbors, our kids, and their kids too!

And thanks to you for taking a moment to appreciate my hometown of Layton, Utah with me!