NEW YEARS EVE SKIING

Had some more powder to ski today and we were able to get up to the ski resort on time today.  Did not have to come back to get anything!  Connie demoed a pair of powder skis and she really liked them.  I have been trying to get her to do that and finally she did.  There are some pictures of them below.  Will be checking out the best buys on them on the internet.  Skied all day with Ike and Brenda.  Did some skiing out of bounds in some really nice powder so everyone was happy!

Connie excited about powder skis.

My skis on the left, hers on the right.

A close up so you can see they are girl skis from the design!

Headed up chair 3.

SKIING A LITTLE POWDER

We were pretty excited yesterday when the local resort said they had 10 inches of new snow over night.  So it was hurry up and head up there - I could visualize first tracks down thunder and lightning runs with powder flying - and I do love putting the first tracks on untracked powder!  We left the house and only drove a couple hundred yards when I remembered I did not have my wallet.  So turned around and quickly came back, got it, and headed out again.  When we got down to the paved road, we saw the garbage cans had blown over in the strong winds the night before so had to set them back up and pick up garbage.  Then just as we were getting into Hamilton, Connie said she forgot her coat so it was turn around and head back home.  So we did not get first tracks, but did make a few powder turns in some pretty heavy wind blown powder.  It was consistent snow though so the skiing was good.  But it got crowded really fast.  The ski resort up in Missoula had just gotten rain so many of those folks who saw the 10 inches of powder on the ski report from our resort headed up here.  The resort could not open chair 4 because of high winds and that chair services over a third of the area so other lifts had long lines - bummer.

Connie at the bottom of Lightning on our first run - still a little untracked on the edges.

CHRISTMAS PARTY AND SKIING

Well we survived the Christmas Holiday pretty darn well.  Had a great time down at my brother's place Christmas Eve for the gift exchange and the always fun steal - a - gift!  I think the adults have as much fun as the kids.  And they have great grand children enjoying it now.  Also did our annual Christmas day of skiing at our little resort with Ike and Brenda.  Been doing this with them for a number of years now.  Skied for a while then came in for a little wine with some snacks around noon with Jim and Elisabeth.  Then out for some more skiing.  Then it was back to our place for a grand meal of Grama Ramaselee's lasagna.  I ate way to much and was miserable trying to sleep afterwards.  But had a great day.

Click a photo to enlarge.

Headed down to feed the horses with Carl and Deb's kids - Elaina and Andrew (when enlarged you can see some turkeys in the background).

Morgan and her daughter Payton.

Rita the Rocket with her steal a gift sled.

Lots of family.

Brenda, Connie, and Ike at the lodge getting ready to go ski.

Just about to get on the lift.

Brenda's new skis.

Connie and Brenda skiing a few bumps with tree tops sticking up.  We need more snow.

Skiing video.

COLD SKI DAY

Our little resort got a little snow (4 to 6 inches depending on who you talk to) so we went up and did some skiing.  But it was cold and the wind was blowing pretty good.  Part of the resort was in the clouds that were drifting in from the Idaho side and part of it was sunny.  But not warm.  We made only 2 runs over on chair 4 because it was just to cold to ride up the lift in the wind.  Was good to get out of the house though.  We have been busy with Christmas things so the break was deserved.  The snow was actually pretty good but mostly tracked out as the snow was a day old.  Both of us commented on how out of shape we are right now. 

To the north it is pretty clear.

You can see the fog rolling in from Idaho.

And that is what the valleys in Idaho look like, foggy with an inversion.

A LITTLE SNOW AND LOTS OF BIRDS

We had a little snow today which we really need.  We might even go skiing tomorrow depending on how much snow they got at the resort.  And we had lots of birds hanging around our place today.  The big birds showed up in mass today.  Don't know if there were 80 turkeys out there, but it was pretty close.  They were all over.  Lots of pine grosbeaks around today also.

We made Christmas goodies today and worked on presents.  I think we are just about ready for the big day.

I see you.

Bah Humbug!

These guys actually were taking a nap.

Lots of turkeys in the yard and out in the corrals.  They were all over.

A COUPLE MORE VIDEOS

When Connie and I fed this morning the elk were basically in the same place below Gary's as yesterday.

Gary's garage with the blue roof.

They are not to scared of us down there feeding below them.

This is a video from my walk around our place yesterday afternoon.  There were 80 turkeys in this bunch - the most I have ever seen all together on our place.  And I have learned that a bunch of turkeys is called a "rafter" although a "gang" is also used.

NICE DAY IN THE BITTERROOT

We had some spring like weather here in the Bitterroot today.  It was 51 degrees this afternoon, sunny with a light wind.  We have been busy in the "Santa's workshop" (read our shop) for the last few days and today I just had to get out and take a walk in the nice afternoon sunshine.  Did not need an earflapper hat nor gloves - great!!  Even let the fire go out in our stove this afternoon and evening.

Below are a few pictures from the last few days and a video of feeding this morning.

Another great sunrise on our walk the other day.

And a moon that is about to set.

A deer checking out the garden for a few tidbits.

Elk just below Gary's place while feeding this morning.

The elk headed up the road as Gary and I drive back to our place.

A video of starting to feed this morning.

UPDATE 10 DECEMBER 2011

Busy around here the last few days.  We are trying to get ready for Christmas and keep saying we need to start earlier next year - same thing we said last year.  Connie has always had a non-traditional tree from sagebrush to a paper birch to willow branches to a stick tree and now a saguaro made out of horseshoes.  Used ones I might add.  It took me a couple of days to get it all welded up, but it really turned out pretty good.  We are going to put it out in the rock garden next year as yard art. 

Got up early to watch the lunar eclipse this morning.  It was worth it.  I enjoy these kind of things.  It was cold and clear so the views were pretty good. 

Horses all doing well.  Have not seen any elk in two days.  We are hoping they went over to the game range and will stay over there for the winter.  We will see.  I miss seeing them, but I don't miss having to keep checking the fences.  No new snow so have not been skiing since the opening day. 

A few pictures.

This is the start of the eclipse.  Don't know where that other blue moon came from, but thought it was cool.

And there is that blue moon.  I was taking some shots in different settings and this was in the program mode.  

The last of the eclipse.

The horseshoe saguaro Christmas Tree.

Our little valley on one of my afternoon walks to the east of our place.

A LITTLE SNOW THIS MORNING

We woke up to snow falling this morning.  I quickly jumped out of bed and logged on the the ski resort web page to see how much they had received.  Only 2 inches so went down stairs and made tea and coffee.  Not going skiing with only 2 inches of new snow!

The snow only lasted just a little after daylight and we ended up with just about 3 inches.  A cold wind blew almost all day so we pretty well stayed inside and worked on some Christmas presents.  Went for a nice walk in the afternoon and watched a little football.  Lazy day.

Our morning dog walk was in the snow today.

The horses were hungry this morning.

The driver and her helper.

The pine grosbeaks were out in force by our bird feeder today.

The male in the background was getting seeds out of the pine cone behind him and eating them.

FIRST DAY OF SKIING IN THE 2011-2012 SEASON

Our little resort opened today and the conditions were great for an opening day.  Some pretty light powder and not very many people there.  Got to see a lot of old friends who we only see during the skiing season.  It was great catching up on some of the news in their lives.  The owner of the resort spends his summers in Southeast Alaska and said the fishing was just great this summer.  Of course that made Connie and I a little jealous!  Met Ike and Brenda up there around 1030 as Brenda had to teach her exercise class early in the morning.  We made some good runs with them - all a little tired in the middle of the afternoon so called it a day.  A very good day.

Connie making some turns - notice how crowded it was!  Forgive my video recording capabilities.  I have a hard time finding the subject on the screen in bright conditions.  And am still trying to learn the new camera.

On our way out to the pavement this morning we saw our local herd of elk in the hayfield below Gary's house.

Connie making her first turns with her new knees!

A nice sunny day on the slopes.

HAPPY HORSES

Since hunting season is over, we turned out the horses so they could go down to the meadow.  They were really happy to get out of the corrals that they have been in for over 5 weeks.  Connie took a little video of them coming out of the corral, and it shows they are expressing their delight by running and bucking - well all of them except her horse Baylee the yellowish buckskin!  This is the first video we have posted on the blog.  We have a new little point and shoot camera that takes much better videos and pictures than our old one.

I also worked on a little bit more fence in the horse pasture where I happened upon a large pileated woodpecker working on finding something to eat in some old dead pondarosa pines.   I have only seen a few of these around here.

Happy horses

Sunrise this morning.

The woodpecker.

Caymay getting a little drink in the mud/utility room with new flooring.