Posts from the ‘Misc’ category

Snowshoe Surgery

I love snowshoeing. I love the quiet, being out with Karl, being able to go up, down and around things.

About 12 years ago, I rented a pair of snowshoes to go on a group excursion to cut Christmas Trees. The snow was deep and powdery. I fell in love with snowshoeing and found my first pair, Tubbs, slightly used, at the Army-Navy store in Whitefish. I bought a second pair of Tubbs in a short length for use on packed trails and ice – the crampons and general stability from the larger footprint is wonderful on ice.

10 years ago, I bought another pair – Salomon’s – out of a catalog…because I thought they looked cool.

I LOVE the Salomon’s (top 2 photos – Tubbs orginal in the bottom photo). I only use the others when I am trying to convert someone to snowshoeing. I give them the Salomons which are easy to adjust to different boot sizes and have the most wonderful binding system. In addition, that toe piece allows for a more natural stride as well as giving a bit more stability.

I have never seen the Salomons again in a catalog. I’ve never seen them in a shop. So far, I can’t find a U.S. store that sells them online. I spent a good part of last evening and again this morning looking…

…because yesterday, after slightly over 10 years of use, one broke. When I first got this pair, I wondered about the hard plastic bottoms as well as the plastic ratchet bindings. But, 10 years later, they have stood up. I can get in and out of these with gloved hands. In the past weeks with snow, ice and frozen snow, I have them on and off 6-7 times a day – I don’t even walk to the garage without them because of the ice.

The Tubbs, they work fine in the snow. They are a huge pain to get into and out of. The binding systems on snowshoes are one of the main complaints as you read reviews of different models and brands. I have no idea why the Salomons did not catch on in the U.S.

I will keep looking, but in the meantime – repair has been attempted:

Now, we wait…

We love our woodstove

By “we”, I mean Bob and I…Karl would be happy if the thing stayed stone cold and the heat off… I didn’t always appreciate a woodstove. When I as a young teen, my dad decided to put a woodstove in our basement to provide supplemental heat. Being a mechanical engineer, the project was exhaustingly researched, the stove acquired and installed and then the fun began – getting wood. It was fun the first few times…

After spending 13 years in sunny California, when I moved to Montana and back to a four season climate, one of the things that I wanted was a woodstove in my house. All my houses have had woodstoves or converted fireplaces. And even though it is messy and work getting wood – I don’t cut, but I do split, stack and move it around – I do love both the heat and cheeriness of a woodstove going.

In this house, the stove is a Vermont Castings Vigilante, circa 1977.

It is fairly small but in this little house, I have to be careful I don’t get it running too hot. All stoves have their idiosyncracies and outside/inside temp affect how they will burn. The first year, the first time I closed it up to burn hot through the night, I woke sweating -the entire house over 80 degrees. I have since learned how to (mostly) manage it to keep it comfortable, but occasionally it gets away from me…

When the cat is “sunning” himself in front of the woodstove, particularly when it is from a distance on the ottoman, it is a good sign that maybe it is time to let the fire die back a bit…

Karl prefers the coldest spot in the house, right in front of the slider with all that nice frigid air seeping in.

Bob and I, we love our woodstove.

The lights

Not the Christmas tree lights…I did go back to the village this evening, but I was not having much luck getting the lights – there was lots of car traffic, street spots – it seemed like it was one of those “you have to be there” kind of things and/or beyond my current photography skills to capture.

So…you will need to use your imagination…Bigfork Village is a pretty little town of one long block of shops and art galleries, tucked between Swan Hill, Swan River and Bigfork Bay of Flathead Lake. Every level of every storefront is draped with garland made from local pine boughs. Trees decorated with red ribbons are attached to anything that stands upright. Boughs, bushes, fences…are strung with colored lights. Store windows are lit with their wares as well as Christmas lights, pine cones, and other festive decorations.

It is now a Christmas village and on this night (and afternoon after the decorating) the merchants offer snacks and drinks. Visitors and residents stroll the main street along to the sound of Christmas music broadcast in the street.

Main street in Bigfork is Electric Avenue – named for the electric plant on the Swan River at the base of the Wild Mile – situated above the bridge that leads into the village from the south.

The lights – they were beautiful and the night above is clear and filled with stars. It is the start of the holiday season and here in Bigfork, Montana, it is colorful and full of light.

Bigfork, Montana – Call to Arms!

D Day (Decoration Day) 2008 – Bigfork Elves turned out this morning in response to the Secretary of Decorating’s Call to Active Duty!

The Village was decorated from top to bottom – everything upright gets a beribboned tree attached to it.

All hands – large and small – man the machines…

The Village entrances are guarded from normal traffic…

Friends meet… – my friend and last year’s house and Bob caretaker, Sara and her friend Bill

Work and talk, talk and work…

The “Beverage Babes” dispense beverages to hard working elves…

Left is Gretchen Gates of Eva Gates Preserves and right is Donna Lawson of The Jug Tree Liquor Store.

…what is in the unmarked container????

At the north end of the village is the Bigfork Inn:

This morning, the Inn was host to a continental breakfast for the elves. The Inn also keeps a fire pit going so that cold elves can gather to warm up.

Next to the Inn, the Village Christmas tree is being decorated – Yes, we say CHRISTMAS here in Bigfork, MT!

Tonight, as always on Decorating Day Night, is the tree lighting ceremony and the village art walk. If I overcome my wimpiness for venturing out away from my fire, after dark, there might be photos of that…

follow up items…

Ginger Ale…I am happy to report that every last can of Vernor’s made the trip up, over and around all the mountains and mountain passes between Ohio and Montana – intact! (see comments on Goodbye Canada Dry Post). I am grateful! I had a recent comment from my brother, via Kristie, that he thought it was “scandalous” that I drank Diet Vernor’s and that he would have thrown the Canada Dry out. He-he! – well, he does a much better job maintaining his weight and I think has way more willpower regarding daily quantity consumed. Re the throwing away – WOW – see, I am definitely NOT frugal and he definitely IS…or was ??? …so that is saying quite a lot!

Speaking of weight – regarding Bob’s weight – Sara maintained the diet plan and Bob is down to 18.5 pounds. While we are still shooting for 16, .5 pound loss over the winter when he’s out less – not too bad!

Bob

Karl and his treats – this is not really a follow up thing. It is normal Karl – he “collects” a morning ration of treats from me and then buries some. Usually, he puts them here and there and later in the day I will see him go and get one. Yesterday morning, though, – maybe because I was out with him AND with the camera…

Karl

Put that thing where no one else can find it…

Karl

Hmmm – not sure that is right – dig it back up.

Karl

I think I’ll just keep an eye on it.

And today – a few of the neighbors came to say “Hey” and have some breakfast while they were at it.

Deer

There are 4 in the photo above ..hard to pick out…

Deer

They do blend in with the woods.

Deer

Deer

Friday in Iowa

I was up at just before 4 a.m. this morning, sitting quietly with Karl at my feet, when the motorhome rocked slightly…a couple of times. I lived in California for 13 years and experienced a number of earthquakes – they don’t all “feel” the same. Some were sharp jolts accompanied by a loud crack of noise. Some were a rolling sensation, not unlike being on a boat in a long swell. Some were actualy shaking that went on for some time.

So, this morning, the rocking – and no wind, it was very still – “Earthquake!”, I thought…”But I’m in Iowa???” It was an earthquake – 5.2 according to the last thing I read – centered in Illinois 3 miles underground and approximately 350 miles from where I sit parked. It never fails to astound me to think how much force, energy and movement it takes for so much of the earth and the stuff sitting on the earth to move – even slightly…a scary, awesome, incredible force of nature.

A bit anti-climatic but Karl and I took a walk shortly after, even though it was very early. Thunderstorms rolled through early last evening and Karl decided the evening walk was unnecessary. It was quiet and NOT raining at 5 a.m. The weather map and forecast looked like it wasn’t going to stay that way for long, so I coaxed Karl out with me for a walk. All was accomplished in short order and we returned just in time.

Rain

No sunrise photos today! A good day to sit and work. We roll tomorrow for Sioux Falls, South Dakota.