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.