snow

Thanksgiving in the Mountains

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Thanksgiving in the Mountains

First of all, please excuse how quiet andthenthey has been.  I had grand plans to write a few blogs while we were away for Thanksgiving, but I dropped my phone in the toilet right when we got to our house.  It spent the whole weekend in a big bowl of rice, and thankfully has made an almost full recovery.

Anyway, we had a wonderful weekend up at Sunriver for Thanksgiving with my Dad and Step-Mom and her brother and family.  We went up to the mountains on Wednesday, and drove on packed snow from before Willamette Pass all the way to Sunriver.  I’ve never seen that much snow, for so long.  Luckily, we got to do the drive during the day, so it was sunny and clear.

We got to the house in time to play in the snow a little bit before dark.  Alma loved it and would have stayed outside longer, despite her cold, wet fingers and legs.  The promise of the big bathtub was the only thing that could lure her inside.

andthenthey sunriver 01The next morning, Thanksgiving, we went to visit our great friends, the Gosses, in their new home in Bend.  It was another snowy, beautiful drive.  It was fun to finally get to see their house, and to get to see them!

The rest of Thanksgiving was spent playing in the snow, cooking dinner, and eating.  I made the turkey this year, and everyone added something to the table.  It was wonderful.

andthenthey sunriver 02 andthenthey sunriver 03 andthenthey sunriver 04On Friday we braved the below freezing temperatures and went to the High Desert Museum.  I love this place so much.  It holds so many memories of my childhood.  The otters (who weren’t on display), the indoor scenes of the West, the old settler’s cabin and sawmill.  It’s all there, all the same, and all incredible.  I loved sharing it with the girls.  Plus, it was amazingly beautiful in the snow.

Alma took this photo of me and Jesse.

andthenthey sunriver 05 andthenthey sunriver 06 andthenthey sunriver 07 andthenthey sunriver 08We went back to the house to watch the Civil War and learn how to knit. Harriet has such a sweet relationship with my dad.  He’s certainly one of her favorite people.  I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

andthenthey sunriver 09 andthenthey sunriver 10Then, we tried to go to the tree lighting.  It was just too cold, and we left before Santa got there and the lights were turned on.  It was still fun, and Alma got to talk to Rudolph and Frosty.  Here’s my favorite exchange:

Alma:  Rudolph, I saw your friends being mean to you!
Rudolph: *nod*
Alma:  Do they let you play with them now?
Rudolph: *nod*

It was sweet to see her so concerned for Rudolph.  She has a sweet heart in her, that’s for sure.

andthenthey sunriver 11

More Ice Photos

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And Then They - Moss

And Then They - Lavender

And Then They - Hydrangea 4

And Then They - Chicken Fence

And Then They - Burning Bush

And Then They - Burning Branch

And Then They - Beauty Berry 4

Another Winter Storm

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Here in the Willamette Valley, we don’t usually get much snow.  Maybe a dusting a couple times a year.  Somethings none at all.  We already had a big snow storm that hung around for a few days back in December. (Photos of this here and here)  This week brought another winter storm system.

We woke up on Thursday morning to a couple inches of snow on the ground.  It kept on dumping snow all day and we ended up with about 5 inches.  Alma, unfortunately, was sick, so we didn’t get to go play in the snow this time.  By the end of Friday, we had 8 inches!  Luckily, Alma was feeling better by the time Jesse got home from work, so we went for a quick walk in the snow.

While we were walking, the snow turned into freezing rain.  The freezing rain kept up all night.  We could hear it pattering on our window.  In the morning there was a quarter inch of ice covering everything.  The freezing rain is still falling, and coating everything with a thick layer of ice.  Outside, you can hear tree branches creaking and cracking.  I’ve heard stories of fallen trees and power outages all over town.

The freezing rain can cause some spooky things, but it’s also really beautiful.  I have gone out a couple times already to take some photos.

Here’s our weeping cherry tree at 8:00 am:

And Then They - Cherry 8amAnd again at 11:

And Then They - Cherry 11am

And Then They - Maple Tree

And Then They - Maple Tree Close Up

And Then They - Hydrangea

 

And Then They - Beauty Berry

Snowy December Day

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We don’t usually get amazing amounts of snow here in the Willamette Valley, but this week the weathermen were predicting snow.  We have learned never to trust weather forecasts (unless the forecast says rain), so we were all skeptical.  When I woke up on Friday, I was amazed to see that it had snowed a couple inches, and that it was still snowing!

It ended up snowing all day long, which is even more unusual.  If we get snow it’s usually gone by the afternoon.  I remember one day in high school where they cancelled school, and the roads were completely dry by 10am.  I watched movies at a friend’s house that day, and it was amazing.   Anyhow, this time, not only did the snow stick around, but it just kept falling.

It was really beautiful, and I only had to venture out in it once.  Jesse had to work (and actually came and got Harriet and me for our outing), but got to come home a little early.  It was fun to get to play in the snow as a whole family.  Alma’s friend, Rory, and his family met us on the street for some sledding.

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Harriet's Angel

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We got out Jesse’s old sled and he pulled the two old kids around in it for a long time.  Alma and Rory loved it.

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