The inspiration behind the salmon...

Just found this while looking for another photo...the bison (there were several) were carved out of a snow bank down the street from us...it was a big snow year...

Frozen fun with Bret

These are some things Bret has created out of ice/snow in years past...including a special Pacific Northwest addition

I think this was made for the 2007 New Year's Eve party


This was the Wyoming Igloo...


And now...the Snowy Salmon! It's on the corner - in front of our house...You can't see the roe (small, red snowballs) behind the fish...but they're there!

You can take the girls out of Wyoming...

But apparently you can't take the Wyoming out of the girls...

Here's Vivian enjoying the back yard snow...


Sabine as Queen of the World...


Enjoying the igloo slide...


The Oregon Igloo (Bret says igloo building goes a lot faster when you use a picnic table and benches for the base).

People have asked...

Why we would move away from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Not that we don't miss our friends, and many things about Jackson, but to give one reason for the move...this is EASTER last year (can you call it spring if there's still that much snow on the ground?)...Granted, we all had a great time at the Harger-Hoyt family annual easter egg hunt, but really now...do down jackets belong with the big bunny?

 

May day...MAY DAY!

OK, so it's a couple of days late now, but this is what we awoke to on May 1. Good gracious.

April Showers...

All I can say is they'd better be darn good flowers. BTW, Connie, those are the infamous wind pants...

More igloo photos that didn't work before...

Are these photos working?

The igloo is done!

Here are a few night time photos...yes, that's a decorative door way...made with snow packed in the wading pool, with an ice "gargoyle" type of thing on top.

Bret took a light into the igloo...very cool glow!

Happy daddy...

...and even happier Sabine! The pile of small blocks in front of her are "supplies" because a "storm" is coming and the leopard seals (or something!) come out after the storm and will eat you if you go outside of the igloo. Consider yourself warned. BTW, the large block of snow behind Sabine is the TV. Thank goodness.

Daytime igloo fun

9 out of 10 dogs love playing in igloos with little girls...

Sabine and Birch bringing in supplies...

Birch inspecting the supplies.

Igloo building 101

This is how Bret began our igloo. Mining blocks from all the snow that's fallen off the North roof of our house.


He painstakingly set up a circle (using a stake in the ground and some rope, spray painted with surveyors' paint) and added a doorway...and began stacking blocks. While trying to figure out how to build it up, he found the following video (it's long...but extremely valuable...great music...and it's from CANADA! Hey, if anyone should know igloos, they should, right?)



Ahhhh...the magic of the upward spiral, and building in the correct direction -- apparently there's a right and a left handed version. Maybe next time...The Eskimos did their whole igloo in 1.5 hours...Bret's took...a little longer (well, it's not done yet)...he says he scratched his head for that long...just trying to figure out how to do it...

I stand corrected...

...and it's not the first time. I guess you can swing on your swingset in the middle of winter, even when there is about 2' of snow surrounding it, when you ask daddy if he could please make it so. (That's Bret climbing up into the playfort to close the door.)

Snow, snow everywhere...

These are from a few days ago...that's the bike Bret rides to the in town ski area with his skis in the makeshift burley...



The back yard swingset...no swinging for us for a while!


The front yard pile...BTW, for those of you in warmer climes, the extension cord you see in the tree is for plugging in the car at night when it gets really cold (like 20 below)...keeps the battery warm (or something...who cares, it works!)

Soup...glorious soup

I'll try to post a photo of the scene outside my door this morning, but in case that doesn't happen soon you can check out the Jackson web cams here. BRRRR!

It made me glad that Escarole and orzo soup with turkey-parmesan meatballs soup was on my menu for tonight...

I was introduced to this soup by Anne Sibley's mom (Phyllis, I think...how embarrassing, I can't completely remember her name...). Anyhow, she's a FABULOUS cook, and she made it for the musicians when Anne and Pete had their concert at the Pink Garter a few years ago. I was lucky enough to get to sing with them then...how fun!

For the recipe, scroll down to the bottom of my blog and click on the link.