Blizzard!

We're getting enormous amounts of snow. It's been snowing for 3 straight weeks, and now we're experiencing our first blizzard of the winter. Everything's cancelled - work, school, basketball. People are X-country skiing to town!

You can't tell from the photo below but it's blowing snow like crazy, gusts over 30 mph, snowdrifts covering all the roads, visibility limited to 100 feet. In the picture below, that's about the three feet mark on my shovel along the driveway.

Here's what used to be our patio:

It's a high clearance, four-wheel drive, snow tire type of vehicle day. Lucky I've got just that, so we ran downtown to see the general traffic mayhem and let Annie stick her nose into a cup of cocoa:

The benefit of all this snow is that we have great snowpack in the mountains, so i doubt we even see a spark during fire season this year. Plus, the skiing is epic right now.

Welcome to the world, Jayce!

Congratulations to Sandy and Terry and Happy Birthday! to Jayce Connor Foltz, 8 pounds 6 ounces. Born February 19, 2014. Photos forthcoming...

Whose Good Looking Thumb is That?

That's my good looking thumb, measuring the space for a gas-insert fireplace. We've got a good old fashioned wood fireplace, but the EPA won't let us burn wood here. So we're spending Jacob's college fund (he's not going anyway) on a gas fireplace!

Honestly, it's finally gotten cold here. Like negative-teens-in-the-morning cold. Wind chills of negative 30. Good stuff. So cold that the boiler/heater at Carrie's elementary school blew a gasket. We eat it up...when we're outside and skiing.

But when we're inside, man, our house is cold! So as we shovel our driveway twice a day as the snow piles up, think warm thoughts, like this:

Selfie!

How We Roll

Double pan bacon fry. If i had a wide-angle lens, i coulda got the beer in the photo. It's bacon-flavored too.

Hooray for Aunt Annie!!!

Our very own Aunt Annie is moving her whole life from Tempe, Arizona, to Bend, Oregon, for a new career, climbing route, yoga practice, lucky guy, outdoor adventures, one great friend with a spare bedroom, beer breweries, ski hills, snow flakes, rivers with water, small town politics, and a whole big life change! We love you Annie! Can't wait to visit!

Merry Christmas All Peoples!

Twas a blur of activity, all through the house.
Not a moment was quiet, which was tough for this souse.
Wrapping paper and ribbons shot through the air
And the usually uptight patriarch didn't give a care.

The children with glee, and stars in their eyes,
tore through the presents and uttered surprise.
"This is perfect!" they screamed in innocent delight,
as doll dresses and Legos appeared overnight.

A mere moment later the unwrapping was done,
as from behind hills first peaked out the sun.
The bacon was broiling and smoke filled the room,
while the cat struggled from beneath a wrapping paper tomb.

Now the kids have disappeared to play with their toys,
while adults enjoy a beverage and a break from the noise.
So with the recliner reclined, all that's left to be done,
is to wish Merry Christmas to you, and God bless everyone!

The Best Kind of School Day

Skiing makes people smile.

So do moose on the highway.

And getting lucky when you're in a horrible accident (not me, the truck driver. I saw the accident and was first on the scene, and I tell you that is one lucky dude).

Another great day of school in Montana.