Leaving Bend and Hello Sunshine!

We can't leave Bend without a picture of Mt. Bachelor. This is why there is a Sun River Resort...fabulous skiing here.
This is a beautiful sunset the night before we left and there were some gorgeous sunrises too.
This is the 3 Sisters..this whole area is one big mountain after another. South of here is Crater Lake and a little further south Mt. Shasta. It was a beautiful drive down to Sacramento and the further south we went the scenery changed to farmlands and orchards.
See flowers...grab camera! We arrived at Richard's sisters I had to take pictures of her simply divine Camellia's. My eyes were feasting on the greenery and flora after all that whiteness...
A cute little bunch of miniture daffodils
She has pink and red Camillias.
Richard's sisters Maxine and Janice styling in their new rhinestone studded sun glasses!
Aren't they too cute!
Maxine belongs to a huge group of singers in the Sacramento Valley...the Sweet Adelines. Small groups of them go out and do singing grams on Valentines Day for charity. They were featured on the news all day and lo and behold around 5 they showed up to serenade Maxine personally. They were a complete delight and we all enjoyed every minute of it!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines and shared your love as we did.

During and After the Storm

Whoa, we were hit with one storm after another. Finally the snowplow came down our street but blocked us in the driveway. Richard went out to do some shoveling and the Angels sent a guy with a Bobcat!
We weren't done yet...3 times he had to come and clear us out...Richard was thankful!
Undaunted by any amount of snow, all Chuck wants to do is fetch the ball. Here's how to keep him happiest!
Check out that powder! He plows right through.

Can't forget the wildlife. I put on the snowshoes and tramped down a trail to the bird feeders and shoveled a path so we would feed the squirrels and not lose Reisha in the snow.

Out on the road with snowshoes making tracks for Reisha and she's right on my heels. They love their walks and we're out there snow or shine!
What our walks look like...nice huh?
Just a pile of snow? No, it's the picnic table! Just to give you an idea of the depth of it all.
Beautiful trees!
Couldn't resist a picture of this little guy...isn't he cute? We've had a great experience here and have really enjoyed some snow and taking care of Chuck and Reisha...they are such great dogs! Next week, Valentine's Day, we'll be in Sacramento to visit Richard's sister Maxine and her husband Paul. Then on February 17th it's Granite Bay, CA...where the temperatures are in the 60's ;-)

Chop Wood...Another Storm!

Sunday, Jan 26th...we heard another snow storm was on it's way so we laid in a good supply of kindling and wood. The guy still has it...look at him go! We woke up on Monday to beautiful sunshine and about 4 in of new snow. Hmmm, what do you do if have no snow boots, the doggies need their walk and shortie only has a 2 inch clearance from her belly to the ground? We jumped in the car and drove our walking route over about 3 times to leave us a nice track to walk in!
It all started out great until about half way through when the wind kicked up and the snow began falling...this is end of our walk.
Time to get inside and relax by the fire.
This morning...another 6 inches on top of the 2+ feet. I sat at the table and watched the squirrels and the birds feeding like crazy...they must have heard another 8 inches is on the way! This guy was determined to get into this suet basket.
A couple of the regular birds that feed here...need to look them up and see who they are!
Richard had thrown squirrel feed out last night. This guy finally gave up on the basket and started digging in the snow...he had to go a ways down but Eureka!
Life is Good again. As you can see...we haven't traveled out much since being here. Lots of snow to contend with and it's forecast for the worse weather this afternoon. Good news though, I hear the snow plow!

Home for the next month

From the sun and beach to the mountains and snow! Our life...an ever changing landscape and adventure.

After a too brief but great visit in Boise with our family, we have arrived at our new home 6 miles south of Sun River Ski Resort (Mt. Bachelor) and 24 miles southwest of Bend, Oregon. We are here Jan 20 thru Feb 15th. while the family goes to Costa Rica. As you can see, there is about 18 in of snow on the ground and more in the forecast. Despite the 40 degree change in temperature, it is quite beautiful and the most snow we have had the experience of living in.
7 year old chocolate lab, Chuck. He is trained as a Delta Dog. His coloring is rich and gorgeous...a color that women can appreciate...like a Loreal commercial. He waits for Richard to throw his big ball which he won't lose in the deep snow like the tennis balls.
10 year old, Norfolk Terrier, Reisha. She kept right up with us on our walk and is wonderfully oblivious to the little snowballs accumulating on her! There is also a Teddy Bear Hamster named Bagel...lots of birds and other wildlife we will get to see and take pictures of and scenery, of course.