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Tag Archives: snow

This Week on the Community Trail

The freezing rain that coated the soft snow with a hard crust gave the trail groomers something good to work with. The ski trails had been soft and slow with all the new, cold, dry and powdery snow last week – good for classic skiing. The last couple days, they trails have been faster and more fun for skate skiing.

 

A thin layer of fog hugged the lowest trees as the sunlight climbed up the hillside

 

Ice coated everything, even the fence wire

Skate skiers

Great morning on the MVSTA Community Trail

In and Out of the Fog

Freezing rain fell on our fluffy snow leaving a crust of ice behind. It also produced fog in the morning which quickly burned off to reveal more bluebird blue skies. The dog walk went from sunshine to fog to sunshine and more fog til it was just sunny and the fog retreated farther down valley. I heard that Twisp mostly stayed in the fog. Sorry Twisp.

A dried yarrow flower coated with ice

Luna, walking towards Shelley’s house

Sam thinks maybe she doesn’t want to walk to Shelley’s house.

It seems so far from here

Who walked here? A mouse? A vole?

Ice coated leaves

and branches

The neighbor’s driveway. They don’t come here in the winter.

Kelly emerges from the fog

And Luna. Think the tortoise and the hare.

Sam’s foot is turning white. As if it too was covered in ice or hoar frost.

Winter Blues

Blues. The color. Not the mood.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile Back at the Ranch

This post is mostly for my husband and his brother who are visiting their folks on the east coast. They have missed the best snow of the winter. And of course, the shoveling that goes along with it. Three feet of powder snow has fallen since Ken left here a week ago. Hard to believe.

 

Where’s that plow guy?

 

We have a trail here. Somewhere.

 

There’s the site of Burning Fish, just 25 days ago.

 

What’s scary about this image is that none of the snow has slid off the roof. Yet.

 

Icicles

 

Bird tracks on the deck

 

More icicles

 

Winter reflections

 

Mourning Dove

Downy Woodpecker

 

Ahhh, the compost bin

 

Pretty

 

 

The Sledding is Perfect!

You’re probably tired of snowy activities by now. It’s a fact. People should not live here if they don’t enjoy playing in the snow. And now, it’s perfect. Deep and fluffy. I said that recently, didn’t I? Well, it still is and more is coming down. So in between sessions shoveling snow, a person has got to have some fun. And so does the dog.

Our house sits a ways up a steep hill with a bench down below. When the snow is soft like this, it is a perfect sledding hill. It starts out with a short steep drop off, the scariest part, and then glides down through the bitterbrush to the bench. Of course, the bitterbrush can be an obstacle as well. Last year, the challenge was to get to the edge of the bench. I think today I went farther than anyone did last year! More than halfway across the bench. I tried once more but crashed in the bitterbrush. The hard part is the climb back up the hill pulling the sled. That’s the exercise part of the fun.

 

Luna is thinking, ‘ are you sure about this?’

 

Part way across the bench at the bottom

 

Again? You’re going to do that again?

 

 

It’s a long ways back up the hill

 

Look at how much further I went!

 

That was fun. You know, you are starting resemble me. Are you going to fix dinner now?

 In case you are concerned, Luna doesn’t ride in the sled. She runs at full speed behind me.