Where does time go?

The ago old question keeps coming around when we realize that it's only a few calendar weeks until a brand new year, "where does time go"? Just like that the 1st snowfall of the 2011/2012 pre-winter came and went. Summit ran around rubbing his face in the snow, acting giddy.

Since the last post, Thanksgiving came and went. It was such a fun and special one this year, as we were able to spend about a week with Mike, Traci, boys and their furry children, Maddie and Shadow. We made some great memories!

My book came back from copy edit and I spent two weeks making changes, adding, deleting, correcting and reading...only to find out I had corrected the wrong version. DOH! So, I strapped myself to my desk with food and water and this time it took 3 very long, intense days to fix my 309 page mistake. Rookie boo-boo. It's a learning process and I'm grateful that the editors and publishers are good natured, understanding and most of all...forgiving. We are back on track with the schedule and all is well in authorville.

And so the years, like holidays come and go, but it is never without trying to hold on to the tails of time and remember that we only get one lap around this track. We are reminded, as always, to use that lap wisely.

SNOW!

Winter has yet to make the calendar, but it's bullying it's way into autumn's fading weeks. The hill behind the house is completely covered in snow and the frosty front yard, flower bed and driveway are slow to melt. Such a vision!

He's really just a lap dog...

(unless you come in to our home uninvited)....

More chanterelles

Our friend Bruce dropped off even MORE chanterelles! Bless that man and his ability to find these rare and exquisite mushrooms. I shared some with our neighbor because we had plenty to go around. In turn, my neighbor shared some farm fresh eggs and fresh honey from their hives. Talk about a great exchange!

I made a huge pot of homemade cream of mushroom soup, which I froze for snowy, cold days ahead. To make anything with these mushrooms, you have to dry saute them, which is a process designed to eliminate the water. Each mushroom is like a sponge as it grows in the rainy northwest forests. The third picture down is what it looks like when the water starts to boil out- there is no water added! Crazy right? At the end of it all the pot of mushrooms is much smaller, but the flavor is divine!

Falling winter

I took advantage of a sunny mid-November day to capture the fall colors. Just days after these photos were taken the wind made most of these trees turn into sticks, so it was luck to have captured them at their perfect peak.

American dipper

The river otter was out, but didn't like the paparazzi. After I took this, he dove into the lake, and proceeded to eat double his weight in fish.

Kauai- the Garden Isle

It's amazing how life works sometimes. V had never been to Kauai. I had been only once and my experience was with work, which was not memorable. We had always talked about going and then...BAM...life just guided us there, ready or not! Our original plan was to go to the Florida Keys, where the scuba diving and snorkeling is phenomenal. But a day before departure, we found out that hurricane Rina was headed in that direction. After a few phone calls we were informed that even if she did not hit, the seas and weather may be disturbed for a good portion of the vacation. We decided to avoid the risk and find a Plan B. A few hours we were headed to Kauai! We found a killer deal on oceanfront lodging (last minute, rocks) and in a few hours our minds were trying to wrap around warm sunny beaches in the south pacific. We had a great vacation. The rest of the pictures can be found HERE.

Scuba diving was super fun. The visibility was not as good as the Big Island, but the variety of creatures was awesome. My personal favorite are the Hawaiian cleaner shrimp who know their job is cleaning the reef and anything on it (including divers). I've created a video of the diving HERE. We miss it already!

The latest and greatest

It's only been a few weeks since the last post, but it's been a whirlwind of wonderment!

• I climbed up Silver Peak! The first 2 inches of snow and a layer of ice came to crash autumn's party. It was, to me, the first indication of a very long, cold winter, despite the shining sun. I quietly said goodbye to my favorite hiking spots and did my best to welcome winter by nearly falling on my tush on the way down. Temp was 35 when I left the truck at 11am. At 4pm, had risen to a balmy 38. Click here to see all the pictures.

• We changed the clocks back. I had heard one time that the farming industry was the reason for daylight saving time. At comin' home time (5pm), it's pitch dark and not a tractor in sight. I say, let the farmers use roosters and headlamps and let's not mess with the clocks! I'm fine with dark in the morning...just give me more light in the evening. I've always said that I don't mind rain, but I do mind the dang darkness and the things that go bump in it. The under-eye-lightening wonder cream that I spent an afternoon selecting, is helping me pretend I look rested. Wonder if I had more sleep if I wouldn't need the "wonder" cream.

• We went to Hawaii. Our trip to Florida was foiled by the threat of hurricane Rina, so within several hours of our flight, we pulled the plug on Florida and headed to Kauai. It was all so sudden and our heads were spinning in attempts to swap out Jimmy Buffett for Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, and alligators for humuhumunukunukuopoa'a. We landed in Lihu'e several hours later and immediately got into the rhythm of the island. Pictures & video to come!

• Halloween costumes have been replaced by Christmas everything. Nary a store in town can help themselves when it comes to wreaths, jingle bells and red & green everythings. I sometimes feel sorry for Thanksgiving because it's so dethroned by the merriment and joy of the more eager and aggressive season. Our family always had some good laughs at the cheesy-ness of Christmas Cards. One of our favorite sayings on them is "...not only now, but all through the year...". That phrase can go for just about anything. For example "Hope your THANKSGIVING is full of cheer, not only now, but all through the year!"