Let it snow, let it snow,...

Instead of the rain that we usually get this time of year, we got a good 7 inches of snow! It started falling on Thursday afternoon, and by Friday we had probably 4-5 inches of nice powder. 

Willamette was closed on Friday, and Jan returned from a conference Friday at around noon, so we got to spend some quality time outside. And Pepper LOVED it! He went nuts in the fresh snow. I think it was the first time that he saw that much snow!

He also had a nice wrestling match with Gibson, our neighbor's Golden/Lab mix. Which made me particularly happy since Gibson didn't really like Pepper when they met the first time,... or the second,... or the third. Guess "Pepper" is an acquired taste!

We also let Abby and George out for a brief moment since they were complaining loudly when I let Pepper out in the yard (Why does the dog get to have all that fun?!). They were interested but not too thrilled about that cold, wet stuff on their paws :). After just a few minutes they were very happy to be back inside, cuddling up on a warm blanket.

 

While Friday was all fun and games, we must have gotten some rain over night. When I let Pepper out Saturday morning to do his business he was in for a nasty surprise: He learned that he really, REALLY hated the feeling of a thin layer of ice on top of his beautiful snow. To the point where he didn't even want to go potty anymore! Poor thing. So what did I do? At 4 am, might I add? Grabbed a shovel and dug through the ice to the nearest tree, where Pepper happily lifted his leg. Talk about spoiling the dog :P.

It's Sunday evening now, and most of the snow has melted. There is more rain in the forecast, and together with the rising temperatures that's probably that. Goodbye snow 2014. Welcome rain. We've missed you.

More moody Molalla pho... err... movies

Molalla, the second

No news, just a few impressions of of Molalla River State Park this morning.

Chilly

Pepper has been a bit chilly these last few weeks. He really likes to snuggle on the couch (or office chair for that matter, he's not picky!), and when the fire place is on, he's not far away. So, I took this old sweater of mine and put it on him. Pepper is usually not happy with anything that's around his body (harness, rain coat, dog coat, you name it!), but he *loves* this sweater. Plus, he looks super-cute in it! Reminds me a bit of Yoda :).

Happy New Year!

As usual, we partied long and hard on new years eve, seeking out big crowds and celebrated into the wee hours of the morning of the new year ... kidding, of course. We went to bed before 9 pm, woke up briefly at midnight from the firecrackers outside and then greeted the new year a few hours later after a good night's sleep.

While Michaela started the new year industriously working on her upcoming lectures, I joined Rob and Kristen for a trip to the Mt. Meadows ski resort on Mt. Hood for some skiing. The snow pack is rather thin this year, but groomed well enough to still provide a lot of fun. Plus: it was sunny and warm!

The following day we were invited to visit Corie and Jody on their new farm! Michaela rode on a horse for the first time in a very long time! (Pictures are fuzzy, took it with a cell phone and it was rather dark.)

And no, I did not join Michaela to take a horse for a spin...

The next day we were off to Molalla State Park for a walk in the woods with Billie and Pepper's best friend Maggie.

The weather was fabulous for this time of year - lot's of sunshine!

The only downside for Pepper: he had to take a bath afterwards...

Tomorrow: boardgames! (Most likely 'Arkham Horror'.) And after that vacation will sadly have come to an end - but it has been a lot of fun while it lasted.

Christmas 2013

Julie, Juri and Zoe visited us this Christmas, flying up from sunny (and dry) California to green (and not so dry) Oregon. With the goal of exposing Zoe to some snow, we drove from the airport towards Mt. Hood via Multnomah Falls:

Multnomah Falls was - as usual - a breathtaking sight (second highest year-round water fall in the nation!) and very, very wet.
And yes, we did hike up all the way to the top!











The weather cleared up on our way to Mt. Hood, giving us a beautiful view as we drove closer.

Higher up the mountain we enjoyed remarkably sunny weather and stopped at the Nordic Ski center to build a snow man:

Monday the 23rd had less pleasant weather, so we passed the time mostly indoors playing board games (Forbidden Island, Bohnanza, Ticket to Ride) and then heading out for our by now well established pre-Christmas dinner tradition at VQ:

The weather was much better on Christmas eve, so we decided on a trip to Oregon's coast: Neskowin.

Back home:

Everyone's excited and the big unwrapping starts:

And, after a Fondue dinner, tinkering with all the new toys continues late into the evening...

Good times...

Thanksgiving 2013

Billy and Rod were kind enough to - once again! - invite us to their Thanksgiving dinner at the coast this year: good times!

Billy and Terry were cooking a formidable feast inside, while the rest of us hung out outside:
(Carol, Rod & Bill)

Rod carving the bird:


After eating more than we (I?) should have, we took advantage of the phenomenally good weather (sunny, warm, no wind) and went for a sunset walk:



And we even had the opportunity to - for the very first time - see a green flash when the sun set! Very exciting! (Though unfortunately, I was not able to capture it with a camera...)