Ski touring and gun shooting

Beef

The freezer is full of beef once again. Somehow this happens on an annual basis. The grass-fed, home-raised, goodness piles high. So thankful for parents who so generously share the fruit of their labor.

My brother-in-law cued us in to an amazing blog and cookbook over the weekend.  Hank Shaw seems to have a simple approach to the pursuit of food; hes not a hipster agonizing about the carbon footprint of broccoli, he's just a guy who loves the idea that there are hundreds of delicious edible options in nature if you know where to look and how to harvest it. We are pretty impressed and inspired, you'll have to check it out and let us know what you think.

Sierra snow

 The Sierra crest is expected to get upwards of four feet of snow by Monday morning, which is a lot considering it didn't start snowing until last night. We went out for a little ski and enjoyed making comments about the numerous ill-fated drivers flailing in the ditches. It was snowing so hard that visibility was difficult, and by the time we skied out for an hour and came back to the truck, our skin track was completely covered. Storms like this always serve to put me in mind of the Donner Party, and I kept sizing up Denver's tasty loins in case we became stranded. Still trying to decide if this was a good idea.

Jake's Peak

 

A snorkel wood-fired hot tub

Someday we're going to have one of these off of our own back porch. A dark snowy night, steaming hot water and the sound of a crackling fire makes for the most amazing combination.

Red Lake Peak

 

A Gift

Perfect from top to bottom

  

From the knobby recycled glass vase to the understated snowy-white blossoms. I've so enjoyed watching these grow!

Castle Peak

Castle Peak is becoming our favorite choice for an icy but sunny backcountry ski day. The south facing slopes and gullies warm up just perfectly in the mid afternoon sun. Softening the ice and making for a fantastic ski descent.

 

In other news, these three and some of my favorite cousins came to visit over the weekend. It was good. As in, we woke up to our houseguests making us breakfast kind of good.

Dawn Patrol

Turned out to be far more enjoyable then we ever suspected. Best tracks on the mountain!

'tis the Season

In between ill-fated adventures and watching the rain, Denver's been working all sorts of magic in his shop. I love when this happens.

Feather River

 

Plan B

Plan A: Sell the house
Plan B: Airstream restoration



Plan A has been bittersweet experience. Bitter because it was exciting to have all of Denver's hard work pay off and that didn't happen so now we're disappointed. Sweet because we had no idea where we wanted to move and now Plan B gets to happen.

We might try listing the house again in the spring. Once the banks have a few comparison sales and the assessors aren't three months behind and we have a beautiful airstream to call home. At this point though, we'll just be thankful that we don't have to move all that crap out of the basement this weekend and try to be thankful for this good solid reminder that life isn't in our control or our time frame.

Denver found a 1978 31ft Sovereign Land Yacht on craigslist and hauled it home the day after the sale fell through. The shell is in relatively good condition, (no leaks, missing panels or large dings) and the interior needs to be completely gutted. It's estimated to take some 250 man-hours simply buffing and polishing the exterior so Denver will have plenty to keep him busy. If anyone wants to do some karate kid camp stuff you know where to find us. Maybe a little more on the wax on...wax off and less on the karate.

Dear Oregon

We will forever love your vistas and your wide open spaces. We will forever love the people who consider you home.

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We will forever wonder why your snow must always turn to rain and why it usually feels like we're skiing on a pile of glumpy, gooey, mashed potatoes.

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Much love, Denver & Chelsea

These three

 
I can't tell you how good it's been having Travis, Karen & Melody back in the country and here to celebrate the holidays! It has been far too long!

Garfield Peak

Old Man Winter

Hoping he's here to stay! We've had some of our best ski days the last two weeks, spinning laps on better snow then we experienced in the Sierras all last year. So thankful for skis and snow and face-shots. Did I just say face-shots?

Solar powered

Rain doesn't happen very often here in the desert. It's almost as if we can't remember what to do with all the moisture in the sky.

How does one behave?
Is it safe to go outside?
What should we wear?

And so we waited a while, debating our approach to this new weather situation and considering our options. Fortunately, while we debated, the sun came out for a bit in true desert fashion. Moving quickly, before our motivation disappeared behind a cloud, we trooped outside with longboards in hand and cruised the neighborhood streets.

Craftsman in the house

Surf & Turf

Three days off

Two perfect days at the beach, sunny sky and decent swell
One perfect day in the backcountry, sunny sky and fresh fluffy snow

Zero complaints

The final days. we think.

An offer on the house has been accepted. A closing day is scheduled to happen in less then 2.5 weeks. We're trying to remain calm, but we're really pretty stoked. This whole sale might fall through, and that's a fact. 

Nonetheless, if it all works out as planned, our days of peace and quiet and organization are numbered. I've been trying to live it up in this beautiful kitchen. Making grand and exotic dishes like popcorn....the one dish that really could be made over a campfire or in some random microwave. I'm convinced, however, that no microwave popcorn could taste quite the same as this batch, popped the old-fashioned way, drizzled with bittersweet chocolate and loaded with coarse salty-goodness.
 

It's beautiful outside

The fall colors this year are absolutely stunning. There is a tree around every corner that catches our attention and calls for a declaration of the "most perfect specimen of fall." Our neighborhood streets are lined with piles of crunchy dead leaves and an overhead canopy of glowing reds and golds. The scenes are a bit more rugged outside of the city but just as eye-catching.











Our mountain bikes were stolen a few months ago and we decided to wait until sometime after Christmas to buy replacements. We've largely been ok with that decision during the sweltering heat of summer when the only thing that mattered was finding a large body of water. However, it's an entirely different story now that fall officially happened. The cool air and empty trails are just begging to be enjoyed on a mountain bike. Trail running or hiking is just not the same. We've found ourselves huffing and puffing up some hill numerous times only to have a mountain biker come whizzing by, seemingly grinning from ear-to-ear.  Seriously, has anyone else noticed how happy people are while riding bikes?  Funny how we never noticed that before.

Oregon

Birthday skis

Denver really hooked me up this year! I'm a proud owner of these beautiful fatties. Or as Denver says "I'm a proud fatty on these beauties."

First snow

Loving the autumn hues and the distant snow-capped peaks

It's a good life

We put our house on the market nine days ago and have since been trying to "not live" at home. It seems like showings are spaced about an hour apart during the day...just long enough to make a mess that needs to be cleaned up before the next showing. It's a little like living in a fish bowl with all the curious drive-bys and house-circlers. Now if only all these viewers would make us a decent offer. To be honest, there's something to be said about a selling frenzy and I didn't realize how hard it would be to turn down an offer, even a low-ball one, when it came our way.We decided on a set amount that would make selling worth-our-while before putting the house on the market and we're sticking to our guns.  If the house doesn't sell in the next 21 days, we'll give it another go next spring. Stick to the plan, sister.

In the meantime, since staying home is the pits, here's to being out-of-town. We were able to spend another four days at the beach, surfing in the mornings and doing whatever-catches-our-fancy all afternoon. AND finally making happy hour at the Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz. Monday-Thursday happy hour includes half-off appetizers. I'm talking a pile of calamari, a bucket of clams, and a plate-full of salmon bites AND a drink for each of us, for under 20 bucks.

There's been enough of my tears this week to last us both a lifetime. Some stuff is sad, some stuff can't be fixed. Although the combination of waves and a surf board and half-off appetizers does make for a pretty good band-aid. We are both freshly reminded of Grace, freely given, and ridiculously expensive.

 

Fall's bounty

A friendly soul left this gift on our porch. Thank you!

Arcata & The Redwoods

My family all convened in Arcata, CA for the weekend (save Travis, Karen & Melody, far away in another land). We hiked through Fern Canyon and around Trinidad. We tide-pooled, built sand castles, ate yummy crepes, drank local brews & squeezed in a few brisk surf sessions. We admired the magical forests, towering trees and an impressively cold ocean.

Our lifestyle improves 10 fold when my parents are around, comfy warm beds, hot showers and delicious food. Dad & Mom are seriously some of the most generous people I know. Frugal with themselves and quick to share with others. While generosity doesn't come easily to my natural self, I'm trying to pick up a few tricks of the trade.