Weekend Warmup

We FINALLY had some warm weather this weekend. It has been a long, cold, hard winter and it was so very nice to feel the sun on my face and the warm air. We sat on the back porch for lunch.

The cats followed us out and basked in the sunshine along with us.

Leif was inspired to get his hot wheels tracks from the attic and set the up outside, not sure what he was thinking that made him go get them but he had a good time.

I received a call from a sick employee and off to work I went for the rest of the weekend. I hope we have some more warm weather soon-I am ready!

Out into the Teeth

We decided to go for a walk despite the 20 degree temp and the wind. We went to the fairgrounds because I thought there would be a path, made by someone else. As you can see we made the path. It was crusty about a foot down so we didn't sink in too much. I was wishing we had some cross country skis at first but is was fine, great actually.

This is taken from the stands. Leif loves the stands when they are empty. I think they must seem like a giant fort to him. We explored and played around the stands for awhile and had a reprieve from the wind. I think he would have stayed forever but I noticed that the sun was going down...

So, we made our way back to the car.

Winter Wonderland on Monday

This is what my backyard looked like on Monday after another big storm. We lost power and I thought I was going to have to sit by the fire all day and knit. But a call from a sick employee changed that! We had power at the Shop, so off I went. I stopped to take a few pics before I headed out the door for busy work day.

Icicles abound.

It was beautiful!

Mini Break

I needed a Mini Break so we took off for Portland on Friday at noon. It was a splurge for us but a much needed one. We stayed at a hotel with a pool and hot tub. It felt great to swim and then relax in the hot tub. It has a surprisingly nice atmosphere for a hotel pool.

Leif loves to swim!

We picked up Cor and all went out to dinner. It was nice to see him and we had a good dinner. Then we went off to the art museum where I took this picture that I was NOT supposed to take. As usual, I whipped out my camera, I knew enough not to take pictures of the art. I just wanted to get the feel of the place. Uncle Paddy immediately says "You can't take pictures in here". I was like well just a couple and I'm not going to steal any art so it is fine. I took 2 pictures and was immediately descended upon by the 'museum nazi's'. I can't really blame them, they were just doing their jobs and there were so many people to keep track of. the funny part is that I am normally a major rule follower. I have be called a "goodie two-shoes" & and a "goodie goodie" more than once in my life. My family has given me a hard time about it in many different instances. But, apparently something different happens when I want/need to take a photo. I just gotta do it.

We Tried Dog Sledding!

One of Leif's 4H leaders organized a dog sledding demonstration for us over vacation. What a blast! Here is a shot of the group from up in a tower. Leif climbed up to take some pictures.

This is a shot of Leif as he takes off. He had a fun ride.

Here I am, on my own! The dogs took of faster than I expected and it was a thrill. It took a little getting used to but I did and I loved it. I would like to take a trek through the woods sometime for real and not just a short ride.

Leif took the camera on this ride and took MANY photos of dog butts. I thought this one came out nice.

It was such a fun time, I never imagined I would do such a thing but I truly loved it. The dogs were great too. Very friendly and we got in some much needed dog love!

The Best Pizza I Ever Ate

We were invited over our friends' house on Friday night for Pizza. They have a beautiful 200 year old farmhouse and their living room has a large fireplace with a bread oven on one side. It is in such good condition that I asked how old it was, and it is original. In this day & age it is hard to imagine building something in my house that would look good and still be usable 200 years later. Times have changed!

Every once in a while they get this oven going and have a pizza night. I love pizza and the company was good so I knew I would be in for a fun evening. What I didn't know was how delicious the pizza was going to be. This first picture is right after the pizza went into the oven.


You can see here that the fire has died down some but the oven temp was quite hot. The pizza was pulled out and turned periodically so it would cook evenly.

I put this shot in so you can get a glimpse of the domed top of the inside.

Done! The flavor was unlike any I had ever eaten. Very smokey and tasty. Lite on the cheese with artichokes, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and some feta.

I truly want one of these ovens in my home some day, not a simple task to undertake. You can't buy one of these ovens at your local "mart".

Socks for Paddy

Today is Uncle Paddy's birthday. He was lucky enough to get these handknit socks. I finished these socks 2 days ago. Originally I had intended these socks for myself about 4 years ago when I knit the first one, I could tell he liked them as I was knitting up the second one during the past week (yes that is all it took after all that waiting). So I decided that I would give them to him. He was happy to get them. We had a steak dinner & chocolate cake too. I also gave him some gluten-free beer. We didn't have a big boisterous celebration but a nice, small, quiet one instead.

Happy Birthday Paddy!