Snow Time!

We took a trip out Sawmill Road and spent a few hours playing in the snow.  A fun time for all.

Lydia is just a baby (almost 12 weeks old) so she would get tired and needed a nap.  She would settle right down in her crate and snore while we played.

 

Snow Shoe - Evergreen Rd

During a break in the storms, we went out for a snowshoe hike out Evergreen Rd.  A gal I worked with was renting a place here so she jumped in with us -- with her dog, Phoebe!  We had to stop on the way down Evergreen Rd to put chains on a car for a family that had NO business being out on a snowy icy road.  They had no idea how to put on chains, or any idea where they were.

We plowed out way thru the snow breaking a new trail.  We stopped for a break overlooking a meadow and then headed back to the trucks for a snack.

On our way out we found two other groups who were making good use of our trail.

The whole crew!

 Me, Claire and Phoebe.

Cabin Time

The day after xmas had us hightailing to the cabin because there was snow!  Lots of snow!  We had all kinds of fun.   The day we got there, we ran up to Rush Creek, where G met up with some coworkers and we had a drink and snack.  Then we hiked in the snow up Hardin Flat Rd.

The first full day, everyone went skiing at Dodge while I stayed home with the pups!  We played in the snow all day tiring out the puppy.

We squeezed in a few games of Schitt's Creek Monopoly and The Office Clue!

 

Christmas 2021 - SJ

Christmas 2021 started with an early morning of me having puppy duty with Lydia but that allowed for some training sessions and pictures to be taken!

Drew and Kaylene came over for brunch and gift opening while G and Jim went to get Grandma Anna.  Unfortunately, Grandpa Roy was in the hospital but was lucky to get released at lunchtime so he came over just in time to play Clue (The Office version) and Rumikub.  He had been in the hospital after falling 3 days before and breaking his nose.  

The gifts this year were on point, including G's waders and Drew's new Traeger smoker, which we used on Xmas day to cook a prime rib.

We played games all afternoon, had a big dinner of prime rib, baked potatoes, corn casserole, candied carrots and salad.  Lydia was a good girl all day - even though we were constantly pulling stuff out of her mouth!

Snow time

We got snow at the cabin so Lydia got to play in it on the deck.   I love these pics - bright eyed followed by snowflakes in her eyes!

 

Taking a snooze

 Lydia, 2 1/2 months old, taking a nap in her toy box!

TNDC White Elephant 2021

With all of us vaccinated, we were so happy to be able to do our traditional TNDC White Elephant party.  As usual, it did not disappoint.

A bridesmaid dress from over 20 years ago and fashionable pink polka dotted shower caps.

Kody's gift included an "ice" that the recipient had to down when they opened it!

An old hair dryer that has to be at least 50 years old!

 The band is back together!

Drew was the lucky winner of these boobies!  Lydia was super interested in them, thinking they were nice soft dog toys.

These will be moving to Davis and being hung in G's apartment!

The box game had a twist.  Jim put white envelopes in the boxes. If you got a white envelope, you got to choose a $25 gift for Toys for Tots!

Team Training

We got some big news yesterday....Astrid is going to Team Training in January.   

They have identified a potential match (or matches) in the class so she will rotate in to see if its a good match.  If so, they will work together for 2 weeks to learn about each other and graduate on January 21!  This class is for facility dogs and skilled companions, which means she would work with one person in a facility like a hospital or a two person team to provide assistance to the team (usually a parent and child).

We are so incredibly proud of her and are crossing our fingers that she makes a perfect match.

Above is the picture that CC did for holidays.  Astrid is the only black pup in the pic!  

Surprise Weekend Day 2

On day 2 of Drew's birthday weekend, we went to Cherry and played in the snow!  There was a couple feet of snow.

Of course, it was Lydia's first time at the snow and she loved it.  But she got soooo tired that she had to take a big nap right in the middle of the day! 

We sledded, built a fire, snow shoed and had a yummy picnic lunch.

Lydia's nap spot!

Another highlight of the day was a Mike and Ike's taste test!

This was the best pic of the day.  It looks like the Charlie's Angels of dogs!

 

Surprise!

 

Drew turned 26 this week and Kaylene surprised him with a guided fishing trip...  He thought the trip was with a private guide in Yosemite on the Merced River but instead when he showed up at the cabin, we were all sitting in the dark to surprise him!  The guide was Jim and the location was Lake McClure!

We fished there quite a bit during the pandemic and have caught a lot of trout and then Jim went a few weeks ago with his buddies and they caught over 50 fish.  It did not disappoint.  We lost count but think we got over 20 to the boat and it was not unusual to have 3 on at a time.

It was also Lydia's first big adventure and she was a champ napping and playing fetch on the boat.

The weather was sunny but breezy so it was chilly but not too bad.  An amazing way to spend a winter day.

We think the boat and action lulled Lydia to sleep!