The snow is here!  Woke up this morning to snowflakes falling and a few inches on the ground.  So we immediately hit the hot tub for a bit of soaking! We love soaking while the snow is falling around us.  (Sorry, no pictures!)  And we snapped this picture of the front of the homestead.

Sadie is taking it all in stride by staying warm and taking a nap

As are the cats.  They love laying on quilts and where better to lay than on Diana's pile of long arm projects waiting for the frame.

We went to our local grocery a few days ago and look what we found!  They are now carrying 25 pound sacks of flour from a local mill that is packaged in real cloth flour sacks! So not only did we have to decide how much flour we needed, but we also had to decide what color and pattern of material we wanted.  So now, when we're done with the flour (and it's really good quality flour -- light and fluffy!) Diana can make a flour sack dress (or after many bags of flour she can make a quilt)!

Here's the back side of the sack.  Maybe it sounds strange to get excited about flour packaging, but we just love the good old ways of doing things!

And on to our next project.  We bought this old chair years ago in Glenns Ferry and have wanted to get it re-caned, but never could find someone who still practiced the art -- until we saw an ad for a caning class in Virginia.  Long story short, Diana and I both went to the class, learned the art of basket making and caning and now the old chair is getting a new seat!

I start taking pictures and look who has to be right in the middle.  (She's also the one who spread all my caning pegs around the room as you can see on the right hand side of the frame).  At least I know the new seat will hold the weight of one spoiled cat!

And with all this snow fallling around us we figured there might be enough for us to venture to the nearby hills for our first cross country ski outing!  Diana and I have been cross country skiing before, but this was Isabel's first time on skis!  And she did really well for her first time.  She only fell once and was gliding pretty well by the end of our trip.  

Here is Sadie, enjoying the warmth and protection of her snow booties!  We bought these in Mammoth Lakes for just this purpose!  She has another pair with rubber soles for hiking as well.

 

Sadie asks why I'm taking pictures instead of skiing?

Here are the ladies at the beginning of the trip up Bennett Mountain.

And further along the trail.  The snow was really cold and slightly sticky, but perfect for getting our legs under us.  The weather was nice as well and the setting was peaceful and quiet except for a few yelps as we fell.

Definitely an activity that will be repeated many times this season and for years to come!  We'll make sure to pack a picnic next time out -- and maybe some Ibuprofen!

Christmas Break 2012

We enjoyed a very nice, quiet, peaceful Christmas this year which allowed us to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ!  There was a bit less excitement than we're used to since Lisa accompanied Andrew to San Jose to celebrate with his family this year.  She was missed, but she had a good time and was warmly welcomed by his family (and we did have them both here for Thanksgiving).  Before they left, we had a chance to make some Christmas cookies which we shared with friends and neighbors.

Side note - We are really getting used to living without TV since our return from California this summer and it has freed up so much time for us to take up the activities we "never had time for" before.  As we told many of you previously, we didn't have access to TV this past summer during our 5 months in Mammoth Lakes and we started noticing a few nice side effects; 1. We lost weight since we weren't sitting in front of the TV snacking and instead of sitting in front of the TV we were out doing other active things,  2. Our blood pressures became collectively lower since we didn't spend time mulling over the latest "news stories"  reported by the "media" and the latest political antics, cliffs, threats, etc, 3. We are now going to bed earlier and getting up earlier since we're not staying up to watch shows.  4. We are getting things done around the house and we now have time to finish projects and explore new hobbies!

We aren't going totally TV free, however, since we still have the internet and can watch select shows on Hulu and Netflix. We are just more selective now and we don't find ourselves "surfing" the channels.  We'll keep you updated on how this plan works out long-term...

Meanwhile, back at Christmas, Diana started the day by making us a load of whipped pancakes!  They were awesome.

Then on to the presents...

Isabel will be getting an angora rabbit in the next few weeks for use as a 4H project so it made sense that she should receive some rabbit associated gifts.  Here she is holding a new water bottle

and here she is modeling the robe her momma made her.  In addition she received a new Carhart Jacket, more rabbit stuff, beauty supplies and  a beautiful necklace from grandpa Bob and Grandma Anne (as did her sister).  She also received some spending cash, which she really liked!

The cats also got into the spirit.  Here is Isabel's kitty opening her present (catnip spray).

And she was just as excited once it was open.  (She can't remember much after this and she did end up sleeping away most of the rest of the day!)

 All in all, it was a good day to focus on the real reason for Christmas and enjoy each other's company!  We are starting to realize that we won't have the kids around forever, so we need to really cherish the time we do have...

Well,  winter is definitely here to stay now as we find ourselves with another day in the 30's... and as I write this the snow has started in earnest, though little is sticking at this point.  Another "inside" day.

We start each day now by starting a fire in the stove.  I finally got the idea to move the fan from the shelf above, where it was pulling the warm air off the stovepipe, to the wall behind, where it pushes a lot of warm air from behind the stove.  This new fan position makes a very noticeable difference as it pushes more heat into more areas of the house!  I still have to finish off around the tiles with molding, but that project will probably wait for spring and warmer temps.

Once the fire is going, I usually repair to the quilt studio where I am currently finishing up a last minute Christmas order of stocking caps for a local ranch.  They want 150 caps total, but need 25 of them before Christmas.  Each cap takes 15 minutes to stitch so the order of 25 will take roughly 6-7 hours.  This is a pretty simple logo (just one color) so it takes minimal babysitting on my part.  Just remove the cap from the hoop when it's done, trim the stabilizer, trim any errant threads, and turn it right-side out.  Then set up the next cap in the hoop, place it into the machine, and away it goes.

During the 15 minute run, I have decided that I should finish up some quilt shop projects from years past. Diana and I have literally dozens, if not hundreds of projects that are half finished.  We usually had just enough time in the shop to make a crude "sample" to demonstrate a step during a class or just the quilt top to hi-light a new fabric.  This happens to be one of my stained glass quilts (we offered a class each year leading  up to Christmas) from  a few years ago.  I got the top pieced and the "leading" on, but hadn't stitched it in place yet.  I work while the embroidery machine hums away -- when it stops, I tend to it, then return to my work.

All sewn in place now! (I'm happy to report that I finished the project shortly after this and the Santa is now hanging on our living room wall!  Another one of my project's done!

Each time I go back and forth between the house to the studio I meet Sadie.  She wants to play Frisbee 24/7 no matter the weather and is considerate enough to place her toys right along the path so you can't help but step right on them as you pass.  We usually make it a habit to stop and throw it several times each trip which keeps her pretty happy most of the time.

When we're not playing Frisbee  Sadie is usually hanging out at the fence with her buddies next door.  It's fine during dry days, but if it gets wet, she runs the fence line and covers herself with mud, which she then tracks through the house.  She's going to be happy to get some new chickens that she can herd come spring.

Back inside now for a refill of coffee.  On this particular day, Isabel happens to be holed up in her room studying guitar chords.  Notice that her cat has taken a position of comfort on the bed behind her since the weather is not conducive to roaming.

Diana is also hard at work, trying to keep up in the "let's finish undone projects" department!  This is a quilt that she had on her frame at one time and she had it half finished, until something came up (probably a quilt show) and she had to remove it before it was completely stitched out.  Now it's back on the frame and she's just about done.  (I'm happy to report that this quilt is now off the long arm and simply awaits the addition of a binding before it's done!)  She only has about a dozen more half long armed quilts to go!  Then she can  move on to her pile of cut, but not quite fully pieced quilts! Then she can move on to her.....

As I started typing this entry the snow had just started...  Now, there's about 1/2" on the grass and it doesn't look to be slowing.  I turned on my scanner a few minutes ago and there's cars, truck and fifth wheels off the road in all directions...  I think we'll just stay in all day today, add a few sticks to the fire and watch it all unfold through the windows.  Maybe we'll sample our wine a little as well!

Woke up to 14 degrees outside at 6 am and it looks like it's going to hover below freezing all day!  At 11 am we're now up to 24...

What a good day to stay inside, fire up the wood stove and make candied orange peel!  You know the sugared orange wedges you can get in the store?  Well this recipe takes that taste to a new level!  We have a box of really nice oranges that will go bad soon if we don't do something and this is a great way to utilize the entire orange.

I cut and peeled 6 oranges, then cut the peels into 1/4" strips.  Boiled them in water 3 times to mellow the bitterness a bit, then into the syrup to boil until translucent.

Once translucent, I removed them from the heat and strained off the syrup (which we will sweeten our tea with for days to come).  Then I rolled a few at a time in sugar and placed them on a rack to cool.

Diana and I both tasted one at this point and all we could do was stare at each other in disbelief!  THESE ARE AWESOME!!!

Now, I've seen pictures where people have dunked these little citrus beauties in chocolate, but alas, I got my chocolate chips too hot and accidentally  made a batch of fudge (which is great as well).  I'll have to go to the store to get more chocolate... (no complaints from Diana)

And what to do with the wet,  fruity inside bit of the oranges? We're dehydrating them!

This is definitely a recipe you should all try.  Although it takes some time, it's simple and the peels come out tasting GREAT!  And really, what else are you going to do on a below freezing day where there is no snow for skiing?

By the way, our second batch of concord/flame grape wine is in its secondary fermentation (with more added sugar this time)...  We learned a lot with the first batch as the yeast ate entirely through the sugar reserves in the fruit and gave us a wine so dry it makes our lips curl around our ears!  We're hoping for better results this time... check back in 12-18 months

Nevada City, CA Vacation within a Vacation!

Had a few days off and Isabel wanted to get back to Grass Valley to see her friends from last year so we took off after "work" Monday night to spend our two days off in Nevada City which is one of our favorite towns and it's right next to Grass Valley!  When we were here last year we happened upon a 1930's mom and pop motel that has been remodeled into theme rooms with lavish gardens surrounding the place.  What a find!  We are staying two nights in the "woodland" room (more for the fact that it has two beds than for its theme).  We spent the day walking about the dog friendly town, sipping coffee and chai and doing absolutely nothing! while Isabel ran around town with her friends. (The biggest item on my agenda was to buy another Tibetan garden bell to go with the smaller one I bought last year.  These make great wind chimes!)  Here's a picture of us enjoying the gardens, the hor d' vours, and updating our blog!

Hiking to Crystal Crag

Crystal Crag is a rocky formation that juts out of the Sierra range  near our cabins and Chrystal Lake sits right at its base.  We recently hiked in to Crystal Lake to picnic and try our luck at catching its esteemed Golden Trout.

The trail itself was an out and back 5 ½ mile round trip with a 600 ft elevation gain.  Here’s a view of the crag (top, center) taken near the trailhead at Lake George.  Crystal Lake is located just to the right of Crystal Crag.

The trail was listed as easy to moderate, but anytime you start an uphill hike at 9,000 feet you notice how little oxygen there is.  Needless to say, we took our time!  Here are the girls on the trail

And a little further on (is someone getting winded?)

The first reward came as we broke through the treeline!  Lake George is in the foreground with Lake Mary behind (Crystal Crag Lodge is hidden in the trees at the bottom right corner of Lake Mary)

Here’s some more of the view from on high

Then, we reached the lake!  Totally worth the effort!

We had our picnic

And Isabel climbed a tree

We fished, but alas, the Golden Trout evaded us this day!  (we did see a few swimming in the creek though).

Isabel at Crystal Lake

Mammoth Consolidated Gold Mine

Diana and I got up early one day in the recent past and took a walk around the lake to Cold Creek Campground which is the site of the old Mammoth Consolidated gold mine.

It was pretty neat as many of the old buildings were still intact

These were some of the old bunkhouses for workers

Here’s what’s left of the cabin of a later miner.  Notice on the roof of the porch all the coffee can lid patches and cracker tin repairs that were nailed in place to stop leaks. (and we think we’re such good recyclers.)

I think the restoration value on this old sedan is near nil!  I don’t think it’ll be moving anywhere soon!  I can’t begin to tell you what kind of car it was, but we did make out that it once had a trunk!

Here’s part of an old generator/air compressor that sat half way up the side of the hill!  I wonder how long it took them to get it up there.

And look at the flywheels on these 100 hp single cylinder engines!  I’d hate to have been a mule back in the days that these were shipped in and hauled up here.

Here’s Sadie, returning from as long day of work in the mine!

And finally, the view from the top

As a side note, we visited another mining section further down the valley on a different day and it comes to mind now since I was talking about how heavy some of this equipment was way back then.  This picture includes pieces and parts of a stamp mill  that someone had set up in the mid 1800’s.  I can’t begin to imagine how hard it was to get this to its site and installed before the advent of good roads and modern machinery to help!

It’s all cast iron!

And it’s ¼ mile off the nearest modern road, up a draw, across a creek, in the middle of what is now nowhere!