Winter

Hooray! It got above freezing today for a few hours.  That was after freezing rain or sleet last night that left the sidewalks slippery but a bit crunchy.  Thank goodness for Yaktrax!  

Now, the wind has picked up and the temperature is dropping.  The high temperature predicted for tomorrow is 6F!  

How fickle winter weather can be!

Steady Snow

It has been snowing steadily all day, lightly this morning and then a bit heavier since about noon.  The temperature is about 17 F so the flakes are small.  Gradually the wind is increasing and more snow is moving sideways than down.  It ended up being a great afternoon for baking bread and surfing the web for summer plans!

And what were my original plans for today?  It was the annual handbell choir festival in Sioux City.  When we practiced at 8:30, most of us were hesitant about going due to potential road conditions on our way home.  However, the choir director was so excited that none of us spoke up.  By 10:30 the father of our college student was adamant that she not go, and the state road report warned against unnecessary travel after 3:00 p.m.  So the decision was made to stay home.  I'm glad.

We all have memories of the drive home last year through 30+ one lane 'tunnels' through drifts. After watching the snow this afternoon, I am sure we would not have enjoyed the festival, would have had trouble focusing on the music, and would have spent the whole afternoon worrying about the drive ahead.

Pictures?  I didn't even think of getting out the camera until the light began to fade.

Gromit's Adventure in Oregon: Christmas with the family

The last few days in Oregon were spent in Portland with family. This is always a fun time with good food, family visits, and PRESENTS! Marilyn and John need to learn to bring big suitcases so they can take home more stuff but they insist on carry-on luggage only. Besides presents, they could buy lots of stuff because Oregon doesn't have a sales tax!

While I have been to Austria, Germany, France, and Italy, I have never been to England. Was I excited to hear that one evening we would go out to a real English pub, right here in Portland. I helped Marilyn drink her cider and eat her fish and chips. Marilyn said it was a lot like the English pubs she'd been in but the fish and chips were even better.





Marilyn and John bought some desserts at Waves of Grain in Cannon Beach for the Christmas Eve dinner. Key lime tart with ginger crust, lemon tart, and mocha (or some coffee flavor) roulade plus a few special cookies.



Grandma Penny, Great Aunt Marilyn, Mom Erin, and Wren all oohed and aahed at an interactive advent calendar.

Presents!

It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back for another Christmas!

Gromit's Adventure in Oregon: Cannon Beach

This is Gromit again, continuing with the trip to Oregon. Whenever Marilyn and John get to Oregon, they find some time to visit the beach. They find the Oregon Coast to be a special place. Sometimes the combination of short December days and often rainy weather means that time walking on the beach to be limited. So, they usually add in some sightseeing; this year that included the Tillamook Cheese Factory.


This was the view from our hotel room. Can you see the double rainbow? It was beautiful but meant that beach walking wasn't going to happen for a while.


So off we headed to Tillamook. My job was to help with navigation. The gps sent us away from the beach for a few miles. Marilyn and John decided to follow that route on the way down but took the coastal route on the way back. I like the coastal route better in spite of more traffic.


Once in Tillamook I got excited when we turned into the Cheese Factory. While I like watching the packaging, the samples and then the ice cream were the BEST.



After we returned to Cannon Beach the weather cleared long enough for a brisk walk on the beach. Haystack Rock is a special place for Marilyn because she spent two weeks here every summer as a child. Can you see me tucked into her jacket? It was windy and cool.


Just as we turned to walk back (with a tailwind!), this shot caught Marilyn's eye. It made me think of my friend Rover and his owner Denise who loves playing with her camera. Marilyn and I both wish she'd been there to capture the scene with her camera too!


Here's one last shot from our Cannon Beach walk. It is my favorite!

On Thursday morning we had a snack at the Waves of Grain bakery and then headed back to Portland for Christmas with the family.

Gromit's Adventure in Oregon: First Days

Gromit decided he needed to blog about his trip with Marilyn and John to Oregon for Christmas this year. He jumped into nearly every picture taken with Marilyn's camera and then chose the ones he wanted to share. Please note that his words are in italics.




Getting to Oregon requires a plane ride or two. Because of a weather prediction of possible snow, Marilyn and John packed up on Saturday and drove to the Carter Lake Super 8 motel. Did you know that a former oxbow in the Missouri resulted in a little island of Iowa right by the Omaha airport. When you drive from the airport to Omaha, you pass in and out of Carter Lake, Iowa in a blink of an eye.




I had fun in the motel playing with the iPad and then playing Gulliver's Travels with my buddies Enough Already (Gulliver) and Hutch.




The next day we headed to the airport. I traveled in Marilyn's little backpack.




After a longer than expected delay in Salt Lake City, we arrived in Portland and drove to Jenni and Brian's house. We have never stayed there before and it was very exciting. Jenni is Marilyn's niece. Two cats, Pete and Pearl, also live in this house and I decided they should be my friends.

Here I am getting up close and personal with Pearl. I was told she was shy, but she obviously loved me.



Hutch joined me for a chat with Pete. He was quite vocal at times and I know he was singing my praises! I am sure he was upset to see me leave.



We took a field trip to Voodoo Doughnuts, a very 'portland' type place! The doughnuts were normal with unusual toppings, like white frosting with purple sprinkles and purple tang crystals - a Grape Ape.


Here Jenni and Brian pose in front of our selection of doughnuts. Jenni chose the plain one while the rest of us OD-ed on the sugary frosting.




We managed to be there for a wedding. Note the voodoo spear used in the ceremony and the special wedding doughnuts.





Jenni and Marilyn posed in front of the bright pink establishment. All in attendance were glad to have experienced Voodoo Doughnuts but a repeat visit was not necessary.


Back at the house Jenni and Marilyn played with the Wii, got out their iPads named Izzy and Paddy, downloaded some fun apps, especially Scrabble, and watched a Christmas movie on the the big screen (thanks, projectionist Brian!). Unfortunately, the time with Jenni, Brian, Pete, and Pearl was short. On Tuesday we jumped into the rented red HHR and headed to Cannon Beach with a stopover to visit Anne and Vern in Banks. Did you know that Marilyn and Anne were college buddies 40 years ago???