A Doggone Christmas

Gretta

Bailey- the obsessive retriever

Shuksan

Bruno- Rosie the Border Collie in the background

Jarred's sister, Jenese and I are suckers for dogs. I'll take a dog over a baby any day and Jenese is the first to admit that she will too, even though she has her own pink bundle of joy. Jenese has two BIG dogs- Bruno, a German Shephard and Bailey, a Newfoundland mix. Gretta spent some time with Bruno when Jenese and David first got him, as his social skills were less than desirable and Gretta will play with just about anyone. Jenese and I like to get the dogs toys at Christmas. This Christmas I found a big box of sturdy rope toys at Costco and Jenese brought an equally large bag of flavored bones. The bones were a hit but caused a bit of a ruckus as no one wanted to share their bone and most wanted to bury their bone for safe keeping. They rope toys were more of a hit and everyone except Bruno and Rosie spent some quality time attempting to destroy the toys. I think the 10 people and three kids were a bit much for Bruno and Rosie spent her day circling the living room making sure that we were all herded into the right location.

Christmas 2010

Randy Sieg (Jarred's brother-in-law) having fun, really.

Jenny Sieg (Jarred's sister), working her way to a sore butt.

Whenever we see sledders on some sort if mini-hill with barely enough snow to cover the ground, Jarred and I scoff. We say to each other, "Don't these people have anything better to do?" or "That looks fun, I've always wanted to sled on grass." So when Jarred's sister told us to bring snow clothes to her house for Christmas because we were going sledding, we were skeptical but complied anyway.

True to sledding tradition, there was just enough snow on the ground to sled. We headed out to the Sand Dunes by Moses Lake which serve as an established ATV area in the summers. The dunes are by no means tall, but they do provide some good sledding hills and much to our dismay we had a great time. I think watching adults sled is more fun than watching kids sled. Kids seem to know what to expect when on a sled as they are perpetually propelling themselves down hills on various plastic vehicles. Adults have forgotten this feeling and sledding is a good reminder of how fun being a kid can be. As we got further into the spirit of sledding, our adolescence kicked in and we tried standing on the sleds, piling onto the sleds, bashing into each other while on the sleds. Needless to say, we were all a little sore the next day, a little reminder that none of us are seven anymore.

Christmas Cookies

My sister typically works over Christmas so she came down the week before the big day to hang out and do what Americans do best, eat. We made cookies laid around and read (well she read, I graded essays) and walked dogs in the rain. I also made chocolate mousse, which was probably the best dessert I've ever made despite the fact that it contained 6 eggs and two cups of heavy cream.

THIS PLACE IS MAGICAL

I was just reading a post from Sarah and noticed that she commented on how much she loves where we live. I think this is worthy of note as she and I seem to be constantly on the move, literally. We haven't lived in one house for more than 2 years since we've been together (10 years!) and we have just now lived in SW Washington for just over 4 years, definitely a record for us. So I think it's worth mentioning that this area is amazing. I don't mean Vancouver and all it's big box store crustiness. I mean the Columbia River Gorge and all that surrounds it. I've been kayaking on some new rivers in OR lately and have been amazed by the beauty of the canyons! Each time I drive home through the Gorge after being elsewhere I'm reminded of how unique this area is and how magical it seems to me. I don't buy into nymphs and all that hoopla, but if there's a spirit out there somewhere enlivening the Earth and the living beings on it, that spirit most assuredly spends part of the year in the area surrounding the Columbia River Gorge. People have tried their best to ruin the Gorge with large cities around Portland, dams every 50 or so miles, power lines stretching as far as the eye can see, freeways and roads lining the lowlands, and yet it's still one of the most amazingly beautiful places I've ever seen.

If you need some time away from home come down for a visit. It's the rainy season but the mysticism is still alive, even more so in some regards as it's the rain that brings the beauty!

Take Care, hopefully you love where you live! If not, move!