Fresh Snow

 Last night it snowed a little, and it was so beautiful this morning. I went in search of good images for a high key photo challenge (if I understand high key right, it's a white background with blown out midtones, so the photo looks overexposed and you don't see a lot of shadows).

Our dog Henry was glad to get out and run and check out what was going on around the ranch.

It didn't look like the mountaintop got much more snow than we did, but at least it's something. We've been very dry this winter.

The red really popped on this old fire truck. It hasn't moved in awhile!

Hope you see some beautiful things in your day today!

Bowling Party

 Life has been a bit hectic lately, hence the lack of blog posts. I'm not sure it will get better real soon, but I'll try to post more regularly!

We recently went bowling to celebrate Isaac's birthday. The kids don't bowl very often, so they had to be taught a few things, like how to throw the ball and how to take turns. The scoring is automatic, so that made it easier.

Desert Girl was ready with some attitude.

She gave the old between-the-legs roll a good try. The kids' lanes had bumpers on them, so they scored well no matter how many times the ball zig-zagged down the lane.

The bowling alley had a wonderful contraption that let even the youngest kids roll the ball. It was a useful tool (and probably helped keep the floor from getting dented more than necessary).

Some of the rolls were fantastic. The reactions were even better!

The kids were good at helping each other and encouraging. That let the moms get in a game in the adjacent lane.

So much concentration!

It was a fun afternoon, and we enjoyed doing something different.

Thanks, Jenny, for organizing it! Bowling is a great winter sport. If only I could bowl as well as my grandmother did at age 89!

Moms' and Kids' Caving Trip

To celebrate #optoutside, here's a post about our pre-Thanksgiving day outside. My friend Jenny had asked about going to a nearby cave with the kids. I thought it was a great idea, so I contacted the Forest Service and got a permit and key to go to the cave. (It's only open in the winter months to protect a summer maternity colony of bats.) The kids were stoked to go with their friends. Desert Boy helped me unlock the gate.

Here's the view of the portal into the magical underground. We were all prepared with helmets, lights, kneepads, and gloves. And a guard dog.

The entrance of the cave is kind of dusty, so we were eager to get to the less dusty section. But we had to stop and take a look at the long spiderweb dangling from the amberat-encrusted flowstone.

Some of the cave passageways are such a neat shape, it's one of the things I like best about this cave. Oh yeah, and that there are lots of walking sections!

That's not to say there aren't plenty of holes. Here's Jenny going down one.

Everyone was patient and let me take a few long exposures, lighting up the more distant parts of the passageway.

Then it was on to scrambling down more holes.

Finally we reached the end of the cave. The kids sat still for a moment.

They all enjoyed signing the cave register.

One more shot of the kids. The walls of the cave are really colorful, with lots of oranges and reds.

Then it was time to head back out. It was a really fun time, and such a nice way to get some exercise even though it is so cold right now. The cave stays a constant 50 degrees or so, so it's a really pleasant environment.

Hope you're getting a chance to get outside!

Finding Mountain Lion Tracks

 One weekend we decided to go for a family hike. The kids were not thrilled, but my husband and I were so glad to get out of the house. It was chilly, but we really haven't had much snow, so we could go on trails that were higher up in elevation. Desert Boy and I were ahead, and when we left the meadow and entered the forest, we noticed some big tracks in the snow. There are only two animals that will make tracks that big around here and in that shape--big dogs and mountain lions. These tracks were all by themselves (not with a human), and there weren't any claw marks (dogs always have claw marks, cats sometimes do, but usually they are retracted), so I was pretty comfortable saying these were mountain lion tracks.

Desert Boy ran back to tell dad and Desert Girl.

We continued hiking, finding the mountain lion had also hiked on the trail. We stopped to check out the new trail signs. Hopefully there will soon be a map/kiosk at the trailhead so folks will know where these trails go.

The tracks continued along the trail, and we tried to guess when the mountain lion had walked where we were now walking.

Then we got distracted by ice on the creek. We didn't let the kids play there long, knowing the outcome would be wet, cold feet.

Eventually the mountain lion veered away and we got back to the trailhead. We still had some extra energy, so it was time to walk on the walls. And then jump across the gaps. To my surprise, Desert Boy decided to jump across a rather large gap. It had intimidated me a little, and he was much shorter. I didn't say anything, I just let him give it a try.

And he made it! With the jump and the mountain lion tracks, a pleasant hike turned into a memorable one.

Our First Sledding Trip of the 2015/16 Winter

 On Veteran's Day we went sledding. We thought that there would be plenty of snow at 7500 feet. Nope, not really!

We moved to a shadier part of Upper Lehman Campground and found a little more snow.

The afternoon light was beautiful, and we were happy to be with friends.

Desert Girl was sporting some shades, even if she couldn't quite stay on the sledding track.

Everyone who was there took a turn, even all the adults! Yippee.

 I love the expressions of fun times outdoors.

Finally it was time to go. Bummer. But we're crossing our fingers for more snow and sledding opportunities this winter, maybe with more snow and on steeper slopes.

Desert Girl figured out a way to make it snow--at least on herself!