The joy of knowing my Grandparents....

A song on my I-pod reminds me of my sweet, departed Grandpa, and I got inspired to scan some old pictures.  Words cannot describe what having these Grandparents meant to me.  Two of the kindest souls this world has ever known have long been reaping their heavenly reward, but I still think of them often and am so grateful that I had the privilege of knowing them.  December 7th would have been Grandpa's birthday, and every year I remember his big smile (seen here with a 13-year old Traci- sorry Traci), his big kind heart, his long, wild stories (and the way he told them), and some of his funny, cute quirks- esp. later in life.  Anyway, the musicion on the top has the song that always takes me down memory lane. 

Melakwa Lake

Last weekend we enjoyed hiking out to Melakwa Lake in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.  About 2 miles in we encountered snow up to 7".  The way had been paved by others, so route finding wasn't tricky and we weren't sinking- so on we hiked.  It was a Winter Wonderland up there complete with icy cold winds.  The bluebird skies left our spirits sailing and we really enjoyed this little slice of heaven.

The video quality is really poor for some reason, so I also posted the pictures above.  You may have more luck double clicking on the video and going to the Youtube site, where you can watch in high quality.  Even the high quality seems to be a bit grainy though.  Technology- can't live with it.. can't live without it :).

Let it snow!

The top 10 signs that Winter is nearing...

1.) Walking the dog is requiring gloves
2.)...And kleenex
3.) There is snow on the usual hilltop suspects
4.) Breaking nightly news is the snow-related issues in the passes
5.) People are bringing in their skis and snowboards for tune-ups
6.) There are big Christmas wreaths up at the shopping centers
7.) I pulled the wool sweaters out of the closet
8.) Faux fur is back in season
9.) There was a line at the pharmacy
10.) No more recent bear activity in the neighborhood!

By the way.. the music above (little green box) is "Let it Snow" by Peter Cetera.  My favorite holiday CD ever!

This is HOME! New video finally.

It's been almost one year exactly since we "officially" moved in (that is... upstairs with a complete house).  What a fantastic year of "living" we have enjoyed.  

We've been wanting to make a movie of the building process and between the two of us- finally got around to doing so! Making this video brought back all the long-hours spent up at the property- the cold nights working on sanding or burning yard waste, picking up construction trash (my job), all of the endless trips to Home Depot, Lowes or the dump, minor frustrations, endless patience and a lot of love and help from family and friends.  The video is kind of long, but serves as our souvenir of the work and time for our labor of love.  Click here for the movie! Enjoy!

Rattlesnake Lake Happenings

One photography class I had instructed us to take our camera to everyday places and get pictures.  The instructor explained that you don't have to go far, to find subjects.  How right he was!

Today I headed over to Rattlesnake Lake and enjoyed 'finding' interesting subjects and snapping the natural beauty.   I stayed within a 2 mile radius, and found all of this!

If you look closely- you can see the 'masses' enjoying their snacks on the top of the ledge.  The unseasonably beautiful weather for November had highs today around 58 degrees- short sleeve weather for the climb up!
Mt. Si provides a great back drop to this beautiful maple.

Sallal in perfect light...
Snow berry still in bloom!
Rufus-sided Towhee matching the leaves...
Red breasted Sap-sucker (woodpecker)- super skittish, so you have to quietly move when photographing..

Summit turns 4...

It's hard to believe that 4 years ago a little furry monster was born and melted our hearts forever. We celebrated today by letting him open his new presents.  He's really great at opening gifts with his paws and his teeth.  He's very gentle and makes sure only the paper rips, then he promptly spits out the pieces.  Here are some pictures of how far we've come... Happy 4th Birthday, Summit!

SNOW!

This morning Vil said "I think it's snowing....".. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw big white flakes among the rain.  It wasn't long before it turned to all flakes, then back again to rain.  It didn't stick here at our place, but Mt. Si and the Ridge behind the house got the first few inches of the season!  Santa won't be far behind... can you believe it's already November?

Simply Amazing

A "Northern Pygmy Owl" was spotted on the neighbors property, so I grabbed the camera.  I've wanted to see one of these for SO long.. I was giddy.  They are tiny and hard to spot, although the zoom lens makes them look full-sized.  Here's a little more about them:

Size:  A sparrow-sized owl 7-7.5".  

Range:  Resident from Southeastern Alaska southward through most of the West

Habitat:  Open Coniferous forests

Nesting:  3-6 small white eggs in an abandoned wood-pecker hole

This small owl sometimes hunts by day, attacking birds even larger than itself.  In spring the male is conspicuous uttering a staccatto whistle every few seconds while flicking his long tail upward and sideways.  In response, the small forest birds sound an excited alarm, scolding and mobbing this tiny owl, just as they would any larger owl.

Halloween Spooks

Creeps!  We hosted a murder-mystery dinner party this year for the neighborhood and had a fantastic time.  Everyone really got into character and the costumes were fantastic.  Here are a few pictures....

Marie Anntoinette and her "ghostly ghoul"Marie A. and the "Kitchen Witch"...the ghost hosts for the evening...
"May Cup" and "Gore Underfoot"- they were the Makeup Artist and the Special Effects Supervisor from the Mystery.
Putting the excavator to good use...we dug a grave and had the ghost running the machine, ready to bury "Hal O'ween"- part of the party...
This picture cracked me up.. Vil was fixing up the grave.. with the ghost behind him...
All of us Halloween Creeps...