BRRRRRRRR!

It looks like a pretty dusting of snow doesn't it? Don't be fooled -- it's actually frost. Monday and Tuesday this past week were so weird and surreal. I woke up Monday to what looked like a light dusting of snow -- there were even little tiny particles blowing around in the air outside. The weird thing was to look straight up overhead and see patches of blue sky. Driving to work, up and down rolling hills, I would come up to a "high" point and realize everything just a little bit below was in an ice cloud. It was strange and yet very beautiful all day Monday and all day Tuesday. The frost would start to burn off, then settle in again, so by Tuesday mid-morning it had built up an impressive layer over everything. Silverton and all the little rural roads around town looked like the trees and houses had been frosted with confectioners sugar.

Sophie was very excited; I think she thought it was real snow.
She ran around the yard like a puppy -- dive-rolling into the snow and being very silly.






This was an attempt to capture the frost and ice covered trees mingled with the swirly clouds and blue sky above. I couldn't quite figure out how to capture it from the ground -- I should have gone up the hill at the end of my street where I was up just high enough to see that the cloud was settling right in town.


This is the tip of the big spruce tree that blew off the top of the tree in the huge wind and thunderstorm last week. I came home from work one night, in the most ferocious wind and rain, to two very upset dogs. I'm sure it was pretty impressive when it landed in the yard. The power went out that night and I went to bed trying to figure out which flashes were from the lightning and which were from the transformers exploding all over town.

Hoover and Santa

Now that we are getting organized here in the Salinas Valley we thought it was time to get ready for Christmas. We have our lights hung around the inside of the house and have decorated some small trees. Carl found a topiated rosemary bush at Lowes which is on the dash with mini LED lights and glass balls. I managed to do my thing with a tree and decorations all from the dollar spot at Target.
(It will be easy clean up after the holidays.)

Hoover is fascinated by the blow up Santa and friend on ons side of the park entrance and the set of bears on the other. The fact that they are lit up at night and make a whooshing sound does not seem to spook him, and only makes them more interesting.

roving weinmeisters

roving weinmeisters

Hi Guys!
We are out roving again, having followed I-5 south to Redding, CA and into Green Acres RV Park. Since we arrived after dark we really have no idea how cute it really is but Ma and Pa Green Acres are about an 8.5 on the family owned resort scale. We will see what Redding has to offer tomorrow.

The drive down from Salem (Silverton) was pleasant although a bit on the foggy side until we got into Souther Oregon. The trip south through the Siskyous was lovely, and is an interesting contrast to the same drive heading north, which we have done several times already. Mt. Shasta was most impressive as we watched the up-slope winds forming clouds in the snowy caldera and rising off to the East. Our lunch/rest stop was at the Valley of the Rogue State Park where we had spent the last week of October. Hoover felt right at home, and if it weren't for the predicted foul weather we might have stayed a few days. Our goal has been to get south of Lake Shasta and the 4K plus passes before the snowy season, and it seems we have that under our belts. Now, where to plant ourselves for the next two weeks that will allow trips into the Bay Area and perhaps some time in Yosemite.

Enjoy your shopping and we will let you know if we see anything of note

Great Snow in OK

The cold came and covered us! Here is our decorated and shivering abode on the 30th! Winter has finally arrived, late and in a rush. We never lost power or had to get out in it, so it was fun to see. Even the dogs are excited!