It's Snowing Again...

Well, it's New Years Eve. It's hard to tell the difference between holidays and regular days out here. Yesterday, we got lots and lots of painting done in the lake level rooms. We should be done down there in another couple of days. It was another gray, windy day. I got some house work done, then Jeff and I went out to drill a hole in the ice before it got dark. We had purchased an ice auger before we came out, so we could fish while out here. It took a lot more turning on that ice auger than we would have ever thought. We were worried about falling through the ice, but it turns out the ice is eighteen inches thick! It was a lot of work getting through the ice! Jeff and I made a bet at the beginning of the season pertaining to the ice auger (and I really thought I had it in the bag). We bet that whichever team (the 493er's or the Steeler's) had the worse record going into playoffs would have to drill the hole in the ice. Now the 49er's are one game behind, so the worse that could happen would be to tie. Plus, there can be no playoff sudden death in this game because both teams SUCKED this year (ok, the Steeler's did anyway). After we drilled the hole Jeff went inside, and I went ice skating for a while. Such fun!

Today, it's snowing, snowing, snowing. And, it's a sweltering five degrees.

Oh, I'm Painting my Life Away...

Lookin for a better way...or something like that.

Well the blue skies have moved out. I must say they lasted about a week longer than I thought they would. Yesterday, the wind picked back up, and I knew it would be no time before we were looking at gray skies again. Jeff and I are now working down in the dark, cold basement of the annex. They call it the Lake Level Floor, but they're not fooling me. I think GPI should make the basement into a hostel. They could cram a bunch of bunk beds in the rooms, charge thirty bucks a person, and no one would complain. Plus it would bring in a younger crowd that would spend more cash money in the bar, and many would come back someday with their families. Not to mention, more people in the hotel to waste money in the gift shop. This is my big idea. Now all I have to do is pitch it to the big man in charge or lady I suppose. Anywho, there is A LOT of painting to be done down there, so we will be there for a while.

Today, I was back at the whole painting thing. Jeff was fixing cracks all day, but the joke's on him. There aren't many repairs down in the lake level rooms, so Jeff himself will be painting. Hehe. After lunch I was feeling brave and talked Jeff into walking across the lake to get to the hotel. We have cut the corner on the lake before, but we haven't been brave enough to walk right out on the lake...until today. Since I am so thoughtful, I let Jeff lead the way. Luckily, we made it to the hotel relatively warm and in one piece to continue with the painting.

We are back at home now. Jeff is watching some loud violent movie, and I am hiding in my room. Perhaps an early night tonight...

Ice, Ice Baby (do-do-do-do-do do)

Another amazing day! The sun was shining, the wind decided not to blow, and the temperature was a warm 34 degrees. Jeff and I watched the Steelers game. I would like to say good job Steelers, but it was the Ravens who lost the game for themselves. After the game, we headed outside. Jeff went out to ski and I went to explore a little. Jeff skied the big hill up behind one of the dorms. I strapped on my snowshoes and went up above the hotel with the sled in tow. There were coyote and bighorn sheep tracks everywhere. And, there were tall blades of grass sticking up all over the place that were covered with ice crystals. They looked just like the rock candy that you can buy in the stores. I sledded down the hill and walked around the lakeside of the hotel. There was an awesome sledding hill on the other side of the hotel, so I took a few runs down it. After I had my fun (and had crashed enough times), I headed back to the cabin to grab my ice skates. There is a frozen puddle next to the Jammer dorm that is just big enough to ice skate on. I was nervous at first, but it turns out ice skating is just like riding a bike. I was doing turns and spins, and skating backwards. Winter Olympics 2014 here I come!

Jeff and I are back in the cabin, watching the Eagles (hopefully) win the football game. Why Colts, Why?

Happy Holidays!

Well, Jeff and I have recovered from our brutal trip to the Post Office. Jeff put in some hours over at the hotel on Christmas Eve. I happily stayed here in the cabin. I was busy though. I baked some homemade cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. (We always have cinnamon rolls at my parents house on Christmas, so it was a must.) Then I baked some delicious sundried tomato rolls. Mom sent Christmas cookies to paint (another Sauerand tradition), so I merily painted away while my bread was rising and baking and such.

The weather here has been awesome since Wednesday. It has been a bit chilly (single digits and teens), but the sky is blue, and the mountains are out in all of their glory. It's amazing how little we see the mountains some weeks when we are literally right in the middle of them. But, luckily they are out now.

We started out Christmas with the cinnamon rolls of course. Jeff had a big day of games planned, so we got to work on those (while drinking mimosas of course). We played a ton of card games, darts, and DDR all day long. I cooked a ham, scalloped potatoes, and green bean casserole. Allie had brought us a pie to bake back on Thanksgiving, and it turned out so delicious. Thanks Allie! And, Jeff got me an Aerogarden. It this planter thing with a light that automatically comes on for 17 hrs a day, and it tells me when to put more nutrients in. Now, for all you people out there who are wondering, we are growing legal herbs (chives, thyme, and basil). Get your minds out of the gutter!

Post-Christmas the weather is still beautiful. Jeff is going to teach me to ski on the bunny slopes today (our great, big snow drifts). Wish me luck.

You Don't Know What Hell is Until...

Alright, so yesterday Jeff and I made our first official full trip to the Post Office. By that, I mean we were unble to use a vehicle. We are definitely snowed in now. The car has been permanently parked for about a week and a half. We knew we had some mail and also had to pick up more filters for our water system, so we picked yesterday for the challenge. The temperature was just above twenty degrees and there was virtually no wind. In the morning we had a few flakes of snow float down from the sky, but by the afternoon the sun was shining again.

We left the cabin at 8:45 am. We have not had much wind this last week, so we new we would be able to ski the whole way. (When the wind blows, there are spots of bare road amongst the many snow drifts.) Let me remind you that Jeff and I are not exactly skilled cross-country skiers. It's a sad sight to see actually. So we left the cabin, passed a couple of rams on the way, then turned onto the road for the big adventure. Things started out ok. Jeff is a faster skier than I am, and everytime I rush to catch up I crash, hard. So, I prefer to take my time and stay on my two feet as much as possible. The thing that sucks about skiing (if you are no good at it) is that you (or atleast Jeff and I) have to stare at the skis to avoid falling. It sucks because we are outside and should be enjoying the beautiful sights of the Many Glacier valley. Instead we are thinking about our sore necks as we stare at the ground.

We made it to the ranger station by 10:00 am and stopped for a water break. (I think it's about four miles.) The other problem with skiing in below freezing weather is that the water freezes. I like to use a water reservoir so that I don't get dehydrated, but the tube freezes. So, the water must be kept inside the pack where its hard to access. After the quick break we reluctantly headed out for another three miles to the dam. It's a bummer because you can see the dam from so far away, so you think you are closer than you actualy are. I just couldn't wait to get to the dam so I could walk for a change. Well, we did make it to the dam, and skied down the hill past it to where the plow truck stops (or starts for us). We stuck our skis in the snow, grabbed some aqua and continued on, this time on foot. YAY! If there is one thing I can do well, it is walking. We each had a secret hope that some poor fool would come up the road and drive us the rest of the way to the Post Office, but no dice. We knew it was a long shot, but come on.

So, we hiked the four boring miles to the end of the road (in our ski boots), then headed to the Post Office. Our other secret hope was that the Firehorse Cafe would be open. We talked to the owner in the fall and she said that they would be open all winter long. The sign reads 7 am -7 pm daily. What a load of you know what. That place has never been open when we go to the Post Office. It is the only business in Babb in the wintertime, so it's our only shot at a hot meal. Firehorse Cafe, why do you hate us?

Well, our mail box called, so we headed in to the Post Office. We had FIVE packages! I guess we have been slacking on getting our mail. (And, now you know why.) We also had tons of cards, and Jeff's boss met us there with the filters. Here's where I will take a TIMEOUT from the story.

Thank you everyone for sending us mail. You are what keeps us going out here. By far, our favorite days are when we can get our mail and some relief from our solitude. The cards are all very beautiful. Thank you so much! Also, thanks for the pakages. Uncle Scott and Aunt Becky sent some AWESOME grub! And, mom sent cookies and candy and SOCKS! And, thanks Pattie for sending the game. We really appreciate everything. Just knowing a few people read this blog makes me happy, so thank you so much everyone. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!

Ok, TIME IN. Babb is a very, very small town. Population: tiny. So, it amazes me that when we go to the Post Office in all of our gear, Jeff's beard frozen, and start loading all of our mail into our packs, people can't figure out what is going on. It is always a conversation piece. I would think that since it is such a small town that people would know there are winter keepers up at the Many Glacier Hotel. We always have a hard time getting out of there because people ask all kinds of questions. The funny thing is, no one ever offers to give us a ride back to the gate. Go figure. Luckily, this time around, Jeff's boss gave us a ride back to the gate. Our packs were so heavy from our slacking on going to the Post Office. Plus we had to pack in seven filters (we couldn't fit the last one). Paul, the boss, gave us a ride to the gate, shaving off four miles. We parted ways, Paul in his truck, Jeff and I on skis. It was 1:40 pm.

If there would have been any way to avoid skiing back in, I would have taken it. We were already pretty beat up before we started the seven mile ski home. I won't give you the details of the trip home. All it was was skiing in pure misery. We made it home about 4:45 pm, just as it was getting dark. Jeff and I collapsed immediately. There was just so much pain. Let me recount everything that hurt: my toes, bottoms of my feet, the tendons on the top of my feet, my knees, my back, my shoulders, my neck, and my hands. We weighed our packs when we got home. They each weighed a miserable 30 pounds! At the end of the day, we had skied 14 miles and hiked four. That's a total of eighteen miles. So, now you know what hell is. On the bright side, we were heavily rewarded with lots of great stuff. (Except those darn filters!)

Now, an exerpt from Jeff's mind. Scary, I know.

Hello everyone, this is Jeff. I just thought I would say something for once. Thank you for your Christmas wishes and gifts, also for making sure they were lightweight. Now, cross country skiing is either a terrible sport or we are doing something terribly wrong (I would like to think it is a combination of both). Today is beautiful and cold, about 5 degrees, so a little work at the lodge is in order but probably to cold to paint. I wish you all the best of the holiday season and please keep in touch, it warms our hearts. By the way, what a bummer of a performance by the OSU Beavers in their bowl game but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! Take care, stay healthy and be happy. (This paragraph is all I got, I hunt and peck)

Oh, and one more thing. The thing about this trip is it is just like that old phrase your parents used to tell you. Here's my version: We had to ski uphill seven miles then hike four miles (barefoot of course), both ways, in the snow just to get our mail. By the way, it is uphill both ways. I swear.

Unmask, Unmask!

I've finished The Shining. It took me less than a week. Man, good book, though not nearly a scary as I thought it would be. I've seen the movie a million times, but of course the book was better. I plan to watch the movie again soon so that I can compare them. What next?

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. (That's for you Pattie!) Well, you guessed it, it's snowing again. We didn't get much snow yesterday, but it was snowing like the dickens today. Yesterday, I spent many hours painting. Painting, painting, painting. Gotta love it. I moved down to the first floor where it is nice and chilly and the radio reception sucks (due to the boarded up windows). To make time pass by a little bit faster while painting, I day dream. I have recently realized that the harded part about writing the blog is coming up with a title. It seems like it would be a simple thing, but things out here tend to be repetitive. So, here's what I am going to do. I am going to take title suggestions. If you sumit a title suggestion, I WILL use it (keep it clean please). So, start thinking. I will be very disappointed if I don't get any responses to this. Well, after work I cooked a fabulous dinner of chicken and artichokes with white wine sauce and rice pilaf. Yum. Then, I settled into The Shining. It is officially getting scary. I got to the part where Danny sees the dead woman in the tub, and she strangles him. Plus, there's the part where the animal-shaped hedges chase him. Pretty soon, Jack is going to start acting on his wants to kill his wife and child. Then, we will be in business.

Today, I worked a half-day at the hotel. My mind and body rejected the idea of spending an entire Saturday working. Jeff did, however, like the good worker he is. I suppose it is his job. I have been desperately searching for a job. A real job, but so far, no dice. I'll keep you posted.

Whitewashing

Not much new today. Lots and lots of painting. I am almost finished painting the second floor of the annex and will move on to the first floor at some point tomorrow. It has been very warm (35 degrees), so Jeff and I are trying to get as much painting done as we can. I started the day off by shoveling out our wood supply. We haven't gotten much snow lately, so I thought it would take five minutes, max. Well, like I've mentioned millions of times before, the wind is always blowing the snow around. Translation: a foot of very heavy, very wet snow to shovel. Twenty minutes later I was sweating, and I hadn't even headed to work yet. So, I painted, and Jeff did man stuff. For the record, we are no longer brave enough to cut the corner on the lake for a short cut.

On our way back to the cabin for lunch, we found three male bighorn sheep grazing near Jeff's car. Not only do they like to lick his car, Jeff also parked the car on one of their favorite feeding grounds. Today I realized how happy I was not to have my car out here (my nice, shiny, new, still owe too much money on it, car). One of the males rammed Jeff's car right above the front passenger side wheel well. Luckily, Jeff's car (the exterior anyway) is not in the best shape. If it was my car sitting there, we would be having bighorn sheep for Christmas dinner.

Back to work after lunch. More painting. After work I played some serious DDR. I don't want to brag or anything, but I am getting kind of good. I will take challengers in the spring. We feasted on some bourbon chops (thanks Stace) and are happily watching football. Here's to next year Steelers.

Living in the Dark

Alright I'm back. Monday was your typical day out here. More snow, cold weather, and wind. If it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm actually not. I found myself wishing for more snow. Go figure. It was too cold in the hotel to paint, so Jeff and I got some work done in the shop. I had the lovely job of sanding down barstools, which turns out to be worse than painting, actually. I never would have thought that. Anyway, I sanded and Jeff cut some boards up and stained them, and then he cleaned the shop. We headed home to eat some grub and watch some football. I studied for the GRE, and the 49er's won the game. Way to go! Maybe one of our teams will actually make it to playoffs.

Tuesday, it warmed up quite a bit. It was the first day over freezing (one degree over freezing to be exact) in a couple of weeks. The power was out in the morning for a few hours, so Jeff and I got out our books. Did I mention I'm reading The Shining? I am almost to where it starts to get scary. Once the electric came back on, we ate lunch and headed over to work. We had to climb various snow drifts to get to the hotel. By the way, walking in deep snow really makes me feel out of shape. We are now brave enough to cut the corner on the lake, so that is a bit of a shortcut. I spent the afternoon painting while Jeff fixed cracks and did man stuff. We got home from work, feasted on some pesto pasta, and watched some TV.

Today, Jeff is over at the hotel working. He only has to put in four hours, so that's not too bad. It is a sweltering 35 degrees today! However, the usual gray skies are here. I'm staying in today to make some turkey soup out of our Thanksgiving turkey carcass. UMM! And then, four bean enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce for dinner.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful!

So, its been a snowy couple of days. Saturday, the snow began. Jeff went over to the hotel to work in the shop for a while. I hung around the cabin and shoveled the snow along the side of the house to make our wood accessible. I also worked on my DDR skills. It was a quiet night. I started reading The Shining. I guess its time for the nightmares to start.

Today it snowed all day. It was also negative 5 degrees during the warmest part of the day. We watched some football, and I shoveled the snow from along side the house again. Later, Jeff and I skied out to Swiftcurrent, the other property that we must keep an eye on. The snow is pretty deep and very powdery, so it was tough going. Everything is in order at Swiftcurrent. We didn't see any wildlife on the trip. Everything was very quiet. Luckily, the trip back was much easier since we were able to follow our tracks. We watched some more foot ball and the season finale of Dexter.

Here's an enigma that needs solving (I'm am studying vocabulary for the GRE's). We always have a couple of flies in the house. Like I said earlier, it is not even zero degrees outside. Where are they coming from??? My mom's theory is that the larvae are in our firewood that we are bringing in. This is possible, and I can't come up with any other theory. Any other theories out there?

Good Samaritans

Well the temperature is slowly going up. We have officially hit double digits again. The bad news is the wind. It is outrageously strong and cold. Thursday, Jeff spent the day at the hotel readying the second floor of the annex for painting. I am not qualified to actually repair things over there which made an easy day for me. I got to stay home. Unfortunately, now there is painting to do, so no more sitting around for me. I did get the Christmas cookies made, and Jeff and I spent a while painting the cookies with colored icing. I had my pile of cookies painted in probably twenty minutes, but Jeff, being the artist that he is, took over an hour. To each his own.

Yeah, the Steelers suck. No, I don't want to talk about it.

Today was a half decent day, so we decided to make a much overdue trip to the post office. We got lucky and were able to drive within a half mile from the gate. That's where we hit the snowdrift. You would think we would have this figured out by now, but I guess we don't. Yep, we got the car stuck. And, being the intelligent people that we are, we did not replace the broken shovel in the car from the last time. So, we spent a while (less than 30 minutes, so not too bad) using ice scrapers to clear the hard-ass snow from under the tires. We got the car out and bundled up for the long walk to the post office. We figured we would be walking, so we were prepared. We hiked less than a mile when a wonderful man named Jerry picked us up and drove us to the post office. Jerry was out chopping down a Chirstmas tree. YAY! We had to sit in the post office for an hour until the lunch break was over, but that was much better than walking for that hour. Let me tell you about the conditions of the road. The road is mostly clear, but there are these ridiculous snow drifts all over the place from the non-stop wind. So anyway, we got our mail at the Post office, packed it into our packs, and headed out. This time, we had the icy wind blowing straight in our faces. We made it about a mile when two more wonderful men, out picking up their trees, stopped to pick us up. Charlie and Carl actually turned around and drove a few miles out of their way to help us out. Talk about holiday spirit! Needless to say, Jeff and I got off very easy!

We are now back in the safety of our cozy cabin and are watching Dirty Jobs. Life is good.

P.S. Thanks to Pattie for the great Steelers and 49er's santa hats. Too bad the Steelers forgot how to play football. Oh, right, I'm not talking about that.

Yep

Alright, so it's been a while. Not a whole lot has been happening around here except cold, cold weather. Our low yesterday was negative 21 degrees. Jeff spent most of the day ripping out the wall behind the kitchen sink. The pipes in our kitchen were frozen. We already have two space heaters in the crawl space. Now, we have to leave all the drawers open and another space heater in the kitchen. It was a beautiful day yesterday from what I could see, but I boycotted going outside. I am simply not ready for negative double digits. I better get ready soon. So, Jeff and I built and decorated our gingerbread house that Pattie got for us. Later, I made a Christmas tree out of cardboard and construction paper. (Don't judge me. I have a lot of time on my hands.)

Luckily, so far it is positive 1 degree. Jeff is over at the hotel getting the second floor ready for painting. I am going to bake some bread and some Christmas cookies. Oh, I forgot. We saw a huge bull moose on Monday. It was right in the road, and there was a female down the hill by the river. I guess life is good after all.

Here are the pics!

And, pictures of us brewing our beer:

So Wednesday was another awesome day. Jeff worked a half day to make up for the half day he worked on Tuesday. After work we were able to try out our snowshoes for the first time. It was an incredibly beautiful day. The temperature was very low (in the teens in mid-afternoon) so all of the fresh snow was sparkling with ice crystals, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We headed up above the hotel to the Craker Lake trail. I was skeptical about snowshoes, but they really do make a difference. We were able to make pretty good time when we were moving. The trail is a hot spot for animals! We saw so many tracks. We saw moose tracks, deer tracks, snowshoe hare tracks, mountain lion, and wolf and coyote tracks. It was outrageous. That will definitely be our night hiking spot. We didn't hike the whole way to the lake. We just wanted to try out the snow shoes, but we hiked about 5 miles. On our way back to the cabin we saw the tracks of the first brave animal to cross Swiftcurrent Lake, a coyote. We could see his tracks the whole way across the lake.

Thursday, we spent a long day painting in the hotel. It was so cold in there! After work, Sumio, a Japanese photographer that we've befriended, came over to thaw out. We have seen him quite a bit out here, and this time he is camping out here for four nights. His passion is wildlife photography, and he has some amazing photos. Check out his site. www.photorocky.com
We watched the civil war game (Oregon State vs Oregon), and Sumio headed back home to his tent.

I'll put pics on here later. Jeff has the camera. Boo!

BRRR!

So, yesterday was an awesome, awesome day. It was so nice that I convinced Jeff, not that it took much work, to take a half day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky (extremely rare) and there was no wind (super duper rare). We ate some lunch then broke out our brand new cross-country skis. We skied up the road and hung out at Lake Sherburn. We saw some bighorn sheep, a deer, a clark's nutcracker, and a bald eagle. We skied about 5 1/2 miles round trip which was pretty good considering Jeff has never cross-country skied, and I haven't done it for 15 years. I will say, there is room for improvement. The wind started to pick up a little bit on the way back, but it wasn't too bad. We came back to the cabin and relaxed for a while. Then, it was time to bottle our beer. It took about an hour to sanitize the bottles and fill and cap them. We should be able to drink our beer around Christmas time or the week before. Hopefully, it's drinkable!

Today it is 5 degrees. It is also a nice day despite the cold. Jeff is working a half day today since he only worked a half day yesterday. Then, we are going to brave the cold and do something cool.

It could have been worse.

Well, the Steelers lost. But, considering our lack of experienced players on the field, they did an ok job. Dennis Dixon did all right for having only thrown one pass in the NFL prior to starting against the tough Raven's defense. So, I can't be too unhappy, in theory.

Monday was a typical day out here. Jeff went to work at 8 am and I started around 10 am. I had the lovely job of cleaning out all of the rotten food left in the Jammer dorm. Thanks a lot end of year maintenance crew. Then I headed over to the hotel for some painting. We painted all day of course and are now back in the comforts of our cabin. The weather was less than desirable today. It was 35 degrees, but the windy was blowing so hard that the snow stung our faces. I suppose it's just the beginning though.

Here are some pics that Victor took. He is an awesome photographer! If you are interested in any of the photos, I will give you his contact email.

A Tough One to Beat

So, we survived Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving. It has all of the good food and company of Christmas without all the stress of gift giving. Plus you get the Macy's Parade and lots of football. What more can you ask for?

So Friday, Victor and Allie came to visit. Let me first say we had the best time EVER, and it would be next to impossible to beat. On that note, if anyone wants to come out and visit and try to beat the good time they showed us, give it a whirl. So, we met Victor and Allie at the gate to let them in. They brought their Wii, so we had a good ole time playing. We played Wii fit forever and also some bowling, then we played Hearts. Hearts is actually a really fun game! Afterwards, we went over to the hotel to do a bit of ghost hunting and exploring. It was the perfect night. The stars were out, which is pretty rare out here. Victor got some amazing photos of the mountains and the hotel. He is such a talented photographer and has promised to share some photos, so i will post some when I get them. We spent a couple of hours in the hotel, checking out rooms and trying to scare each other. When we left, we came back to the cabin, and I started heating up leftover Thanksgiving dinner. Allie brought an awesome pumpkin pie! YUM! We played another round of Hearts in the meantime. At one point, Jeff stepped outside to glance around and heard wolves calling. So we all jumped in the car to get a bit closer. We couldn't see them because they were on the other side of the trees and up the hill a bit, but it was amazing listening to them. There was a very high pitch barking and howling, so we are not sure if it was a pup or not. I am going to look into it. It was just so cool listening to them. They were so close! When we got back, we feasted on the leftovers (finally!) and played DDR. we played DDR then Wii until 4 am!!!!!! Holy crap! Needless to day, we are a tad sleepy today.

Today we hiked up to Red Rock Falls. The falls are about halfway iced over and absolutely beautiful. It was a very nice hike, except for the cold wind in our faces. The lake on the way to the falls was even iced over, so we were able to walk on it. We led Victor and Allie out of the gate and are back at the cabin. Jeff is half asleep on the couch. Later we will eat more leftovers and more than likely call it an early night.

Happy Holidays!

Whoa, Wednesday was a busy day. I stayed at the cabin while Jeff went over to the hotel to work. I baked bread, baked dinner rolls for Thanksgiving, baked a pumpkin pie ( I know, Suzy homemaker), did a couple of loads of laundry, and readied the cabin for Victor and Allie's arrival on Friday. Jeff spent all day painting at the hotel. He didn't even come home for lunch, so he could come home early. It was a nice day, in the the lower 40's, and the sun peaked out a bit. The ice on the lake is slowly starting to melt again. I just want to be able to go fishing!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Jeff and I woke up in the morning and quickly got addicted to the show Cake Boss on TLC. I know, we're pathetic. For the record, Jeff put the show on. There was a marathon on all day, and all the football games were TERRIBLE. So, we watched A LOT of Cake Boss. It's a pretty funny show about a very Italian family who runs this ridiculous cake business. Entertaining. So, throughout the day we cooked our Thanksgiving feast and played cards. We had a feast! Here is a list of the feast: turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, butternut squash and apple bake, corn, cranberry sauce, rolls and honey butter, and pumpkin pie. And, there is only two of us! But, Victor and Allie will be here on Friday to help consume the leftovers. As a side note, why does the turkey take so much longer to cook then what the instuctions say? GRRR! After the feast we watched the Giants get their asses kicked. What is up with the Giants this year? Then at half time, we played some DDR, and then we went back to football. Shayla called, YAY!, and then we went to bed early in a turkey coma.

Today, Victor and Allie are coming!!!!!!!!!! I'm super excited to have some company. Hopefully

the weather will stay nice!

I love to paint!

Well, I am still recovering from the Steeler's loss to Kansas City. I'm sure KC fans are still in shock themselves. I'm trying to get over it, but things aren't looking so good for us Steeler fans. We have some pretty important injuries (Palamalu, Aaron Smith, and Kemoeatu) , and let's face it, Ben doesn't play so good after a concussion (this is his 4th since 2006). Hopefully Tomlin can kick those Steelers into gear for the game Sunday night! We can't lose another one. Especially since we now have the same record as Pete's Eagles.

Anywho, Monday Jeff and I went back to painting. It is miserable work. I'm not even kidding. There is absolutely nothing fun about painting. If you disagree, you can come out here and paint. I am also losing all hope that the hotel is haunted. First of all, it just isn't logical. Second of all, the more time I spend over in the hotel the more I doubt the haunting stories. The building is always making crazy noises, which yes can be spooky, but it is a very old building, and the wind blows here constantly. There is a crack or crevice in just about every wall so the wind whistles through the building quite a bit, but that's it. No ghosts, as of yet anyhow. Now this doesn't mean that I wouldn't be scared if I were alone in the dark parts of the hotel because I would be. But, that's because I am a wuss. So back to reality. Jeff and I finished our painting for the day and headed home to feast on steaks and butternut squash. Yum! The night ended quietly when our satelite went out, mid-movie of course, and we retired to our room to read our books. Seriously, what do people do without TV these days?

Tuesday began. Still no TV. This threw off Jeff's routine entirely. Here is the routine: 7:06 am -wake up. 7:08 am - turn on Live with Regis and Kelly. 7:08 am -8 am - watch Regis say stupid stuff, eat breakfast, get dressed, and go to work. (I am lucky enough not to get up until 8 am when I hear the car pull away. hehe) At 10 am I headed over to the hotel to help Jeff plug the snow holes around various doors then paint. We worked until 1 pm then came home for lunch. Still no TV. Seriously, Jeff and I don't know what to do with ourselves. So, we head back to the hotel, paint some more then come home at the end of the day. Oh yeah, Jeff got the TV fixed. Now it's official, we don't have to talk to each other anymore. Just kidding everyone. Well that is all that has happened today. Now I have to go cook dinner, so Jeff won't starve to death. Until next time...

P.S. Someone send us a postcard for crying out loud! P.O. Box 648, Babb, MT 59411 JEEZE!

Absolutely Unbelievable!

How the H%$@ did the steelers lose to Kansas City??????????????????? Unbelievable! Anyway, enough with the depressing conversation. At least we have a better record than the 49er's. For those of you who don't know, Jeff was a little cocky about his 49er's at the beginning of the season. He bet me that they would have a better record than the Steelers going into playoffs. Whoever's team has the worst record has to drill the hole for icefishing using our hand augar. Hehe. I am also happy that we have a better record than the Eagles because I know Pete would be giving me a REALLY hard time if they were doing better than my Steelers. We need you back Palamalu. You're the man! Seriously.

Well, my last blog was on Friday. The temperature topped out at 48 degrees. Damn, how the weather is so fickle here! Jeff and I got another good chunk of wood chopped. I feel like the pile is never going to end. Is anyone interested in coming out here to chop the rest of our wood for FREE? Then, Jeff taught me how to play hearts so that we can play when Victor and Allie come to visit in a week.

Saturday, the weather was cold again. The max temp was 30 degrees. YAY! Despite the cold temp, wind, and snow, I took a stroll around Swiftcurrent Lake. There was quite a bit of snow. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. The only thing I heard were the trees creaking in the wind. Then, I spent a few hours working on my blog and lesson for the third graders this week. Jeff watched some football and played video games like a man. We feasted on some chili and cornbread, watched a couple of movies, and called it a night.

Which brings me to the misery of today. Both the Steelers and the 49er's lost, so Jeff and I are quite depressed. BOO!

The Week Flew By!

Wow, this week just flew by! Tuesday was nice and warm. It reached 46 degrees. Unfortunately, it was a rainy and windy 46 degrees. I went over to the hotel in the afternoon to help Jeff. Jeff replaced some door jams, so we had to go around and putty in the holes and drill out that thingy that the doorknob clicks into. You're jealous aren't you!

Wednesday, it turned back into winter. I have only myself to blame. Tuesday, I was cursing the rain and said I would much rather have it snow. So it did! Jeff and I got some more wood chopped. I've had enough of this wood chopping thing! Jeff works four 10 hour days, so he only went in to work for a couple of hours. The rest of the day, we hung out inside. We watched a movie, then began our beer brewing task. It took a few hours to brew the beer, and now we have to let it sit for 3-5 days. Then, we have to do something else to it that I don't remember at this time. Eventually, we will bottle the beer, and it will sit for a number of days that I also don't remember at this time. Anyways, the point is that we should be drinking our beer around Christmas time. We hope. And, we hope it's drinkable! So we brewed our beer and played some cards. I finally beat Jeff! The end.

Thursday was a day from hell. Jeff began on his room list which consists of lots of PAINTING! I hate painting. I went over to help Jeff after lunch. He went around taping the places that needed painted, and I started painting. It wasn't so bad at first. Not until I got to the room with the bathroom that needed the ceiling in it painted. Have you ever painted a ceiling? It's horrible. My neck hurts, and I had to scrape paint off of my face last night. Not to mention there is an old bathtub that takes up most of the bathroom, so there I am, balancing on the edge of the bathtub, straining to paint the ceiling. Oh, and to top it off I have to go back today to do it again. One down, two hundred and some to go. YAY! Don't you wish you were me? I actually can't even complain. Look where I get to live all winter! So, after work Jeff and I tryed to scour ourselves clean. Then, Jeff made an awesome plate of nachos as a reward, and we relaxed the rest of the night.

Today, I am getting ready to head over to the hotel to help Jeff with...you guessed it...PAINTING! I'll let you know how it goes. Oh and it warmed up again. 47 DEGREES! Can't the weather gods make up their mind.

Damn, It's Windy!

Well, Jeff and I were able to escape for the weekend! We made it up to Lethbridge, Alberta Saturday. There was an international beerfest in Lethbridge Saturday night. It was not exactly what we had expected. It cost us $10 to get in and then about $2 for every TEENY sample. Nonetheless, we had an ok time. We met a couple of guys who told us about a blues band playing at an old firehouse cum restaurant/bar down town. They were kind enough to drive us so we wouldn't have to walk. First, we went to a water tower that has been made into a bar. It was a neat place for a drink and some appetizers, but it literally took us 30 minutes to get our drinks. Afterward, we headed to see the blues band. The service there was equally as terrible (is it like that everywhere in Canada?). There were four of us. Jeff ordered a bottle of wine and the poor waiter for some reason brought us 3 wine glasses. Hmm? Then, no joke, he set the bottle on the table then said, "Oh, I guess you need something to open that with." WHAT? And, this was a "nice" place or was supposed to be. He then took the bottle away, opened it behind the bar, then put the cork so far back in that Jeff had to use his teeth to get it out. WOW! Anyways, we again had a pretty ok time. Why is it that everytime you go to Canada you leave feeling like you got ripped off?

Well, sunday we left the great country of Canada and headed to Shelby, MT where we found a bar to watch the Steeler's game at. (What the hell Roethlisberger? And, when will we get rid of Jeff Reed for someone who can 1. kick the ball and 2. TACKLE the runner on a punt?) It was an awesome little local bar and by the time we left we had eight dinks bought for us. Needless to say, we will be back in the spring to cash in some chips when we break out of this place. FYI: it's called the Alibi. Then, we stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get some much desired fresh produce.

Today, the wind is insane! We are getting gusts at 60 mph. Jeff went to work like a good boy and I stayed home (hehe). I did get some stuff done though! I skyped with the kids at the elementary school in PA and wrote my blog and assignment for them for the week. I also made some french onion soup. Jeff and I have been craving french onion for a while now. And, finally I put away all the extra cans and food on the new shelves that Jeff built. Jeff is home now, so we are relaxing. We're going to watch some football and maybe play a game. I'll post some pics tomorrow. I'm not that motivated to do it now. Sorry bout that!

A Wonderful Night

Ok, I've been harrassed for not blogging enough (that's you Pattie), so here I am. I guess my life is just not intersting enough for a daily blog, yet.

So, Tuesday Jeff cut a booty load of wood, and I stacked it for him. We are officially in a mad rush to finish chopping all of our supply before we get any more snow. Monday was gorgeous with the high at 46 degrees! By tuesday, however winter came back. I haven't been back over to the boat launch to see if my fort survived, but I have high hopes. Anyway, back to tuesday... Jeff demanded that I begin pulling my own wait (only kidding), so I covered all of our windows with plastic. It SUCKS! The cabin stays so much warmer, but I can't see out the windows anymore. BOO! To finish the night off, Jeff and I played a heated game of shanghi rummy, then a heated game of sequence, then a heated pretend game of scrabble slam. We have a lot of time on our hands. P.S. Happy B-day mom and happy late B-day dad (Nov 7). Another year YOUNGER! Only 4 more treatments mom!

Wednesday, the weather was not so lovely. Oh, how the mountains hold in the clouds. I chopped wood in the morning. The stack is slowly getting smaller. After lunch, I went to the hotel to help Jeff with work. I had the pleasure of staining a bunch of wood. Fun Fun! Then, Jeff left me alone in the shop...not cool. And finally, we walked around the hotel shutting off breakers and making the hotel even more dark and scary. Oh and yes, I heard a weird noise, but Jeff, being the sensible man that he is, said it was just the building creaking in the wind. HMMM.

Today was my day to chop a booty load of wood. First of all, let me just say that I am a rock star! I chopped a ridiculous amount of wood. I started the day by baking more bread. First try, not so successful. Today, VERY successful. Didn't I just say I rock? As it turns out, being at a high elevation DOES make a differnce, a big one. While the bread was raising, I shoveled snow and chopped wood. I probably logged about 3 hrs of wood chopping. I am strong like caveman! I also did laundry, made lunch for Jeff, played DDR (apparently that's what I'm supposed to be calling Dance, Dance, Revolution), and chopped MORE wood. It was awesome today. The temp was 29 degrees but not a cloud in the sky. There were at least 20 bighorn sheep out this morning (and the males were trying to do IT with the ladies, who as it turns out, weren't interested). I had plans to fish but was too worn out after all the caveman like wood chopping. We are now watching the 49er's play the bears. FYI: Jeff is a 49er's fan, so keep your fingers crossed!

Also, keep your fingers crossed that the weather will be nice this weekend. Jeff and I are hoping to head up to Lethbridge, Alberta for their international brewfest this weekend. Please weather gods, let us go!

Go Steelers!

Winter definitely decided to rear its head this weekend. It snowed non-stop! Sunday, we drove Jimbo out of the park. There was about 18 inches of snow on the road, but Jeff's car plowed through ok. We unlocked the gate and set Jimbo free. It was beautiful out in Babb. Not a cloud in the sky. Back here in the park, however is another story. The clouds just hand in the mountains, keeping it very gray. Boo!

Today is a beautiful day. It has warmed up to 39 degrees! This morning there were probably twenty bighorn sheep in the front yard. There were three males. Every once in a while I see one but never three. John Waller, the wildlife biologist, said we should start seeing more males and that we should see them butting heads. That will be awesome! I spent an hour on the other side of the lake working on my snow fort. It's coming along well. I just hope it doesn't warm up too much and melt. It's been years since I played in the snow like that. You're never too old to build snow forts!

Tonight, the Steelers play the Broncos in Denver. It's going to be a tough game, but I have faith in the Steelers! Oh by the way, congrats Stace for staying in the pool for another week. Russ must be pissed! hehe

Thursday, John Waller, a wildlife biologist with the park came up here to talk about his research project that I will be helping him with this winter. John is mapping the wolverines in the area using genetic information he gathers from hair samples. We will start on the project sometime in January when the lakes begin to freeze over. Basically, John takes a wooden pole and screws a deer leg to the top of it. When the wolverine climbs up the pole to get at the deer leg, its hair gets caught in the brushes attached to the poles. That's where I come in. I will collect the hair from the brushes and send it to John.

Anyways, John and I went for a short hike to Lake Josephine to see some of the study sites. Before we even made it on the trail, we came across a pile of bear scat. John spent 5 minutes sorting through the poo, thinking out loud about what the bear ate. I guess thats how a wildlife biologist's mind works.

Friday, I baked my first round of bread. Man, that's a lot of work! I wouldn't call it a failure, but I wouldn't call it a complete success either. Better luck next time. Then, I played Dance, Dance Revolution for an hour. Finally, I can beat Jeff EVERY time! hehe. Jimbo showed up about 4 pm. We hung out, drank some beers, played some Dance, then Jeff and Jimbo played video games for hours, and I went to bed.

It snowed a lot last night and is still snowing today. I think Jimbo might have to stay forever. If so, we're going to run out of food by February.

Victor sent me these pics from when he came on Tuesday.

WINDY!!!

Tuesday, Victor and his mom came out here. The bighorn sheep licked Victor's car clean for almost 2 hrs straight. We walked around the lodge then headed to the other side of the lake to get a better look at a female moose over there. We got a pretty good look at her as she was feeding on plants in the lake.

Wednesday, I went for a very long drive around the east side of the park. I drove up the Going-to-the-Sun road as far as I could drive (they close it in the winter). The mountains up at the pass were beautiful. Then, I drove towards Two Medicine, where I sat at the lake for 3 hours doing some soul searching and drinking a few beers.

Today, John Waller, a wildlife biologist here in the park, is coming out to show me how I can help with his wolverine research. I'll keep you posted.

P.S. Damn you Yanks!

Go Phillies!

Ok, so I slacked last night on the blog. I was sucked in to the two awesome games that were on. Way to hang in there Phillies! Yesterday the rangers came by to go over the rules with us and to give us emergency information. I didn't realize that we will have to pass through an avalanche slide zone to get to Swiftcurrent (the other hotel we have to keep an eye on) and another to get out of the park. So, as soon as it snows Jeff and I are going to practice with our avalanche gear. We will carry locator devices, so hopefully if we are caught in an avalanche, one of us will be not be buried and will be able to dig the other person out. Fun, huh? Other than that, it was a slow day. I chopped some wood while Jeff was at work, and I attempted to get some cookware out of the lodge kitchen. However, it was dark in there, and my imagintion got the best of me. Then we settled down to watch the Phillies kick some Yankee rear. Good luck in game 6!

Victor is supposed to be bringing his mom here today, so we should be going for a hike. I will fend off my laziness and actually right a blog tonight.

Beautiful Day

Nov 1, 2009

Today was a beautiful day. The sun was shining for the first time since I've been here, and the wind was mild. Jeff chopped wood all day, and I was kind enough to stack it for him. hehe. Anyways, it has been a wonderful day of sports, sunshine, and manual labor. We saw a few visitors drive by today, but other than that, its been quiet. I think we will cap the night off with a game of Sequence and possibly another heated match of Dance, Dance Revolution.

Here's the proof of the manual labor: (The pic of Jeff was taken last week when he had the luxary of an electric chainsaw)