Where did February Go?

The month of February was a very busy one for us! Both of us did a fair share of traveling for work and school. Andy was gone to 2 different training classes, one in Asheville, North Carolina and the other in Missoula, Montana with each for one week. Andy's training in North Carolina was a stream restoration class and field work (Oh, he made sure to mention the temps were in the 70's over there). The Montana training was about GPS surveying. At the same time, Teresa spent some time in Seattle for school and then in Pacatello, Idaho to see a friend. Teresa visited Seattle to conduct a site visit for their design of the You Tube Headquaters and get inspiration. Her visit to southern Idaho was for good friend who had the opening of Congressman Stallings' papers at ISU. So, we decided we should post some pictures of our traveling adventures for all your enjoyment.

The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC (This is where Andy got to stay!)

Collecting field data for the his training class in North Carolina. (T-shirt weather?)

The famous Seattle skyline from the ferry to Bainbridge Island

Teresa and some classmates on a construction site in Seattle (safety first!)

Something Exciting Besides the Snow

I've been saving up for awhile....

Back in December, my boss took my co-workers and I (and our spouses) went out to the fanciest dinner in Moscow - a restaurant named West of Paris. He encouraged us all to order the full French experience - an 8 course meal that takes 5 full hours to enjoy.
We had a great time, getting to know each other out of the office and trying food we'd never tasted. About halfway thru the night, the boss decided to ask questions around the table. The first was: If you could have any material thing, what would it be? cost is not a factor. The answers were very interesting - a Shetland pony farm, a trip around the world, money to build a truck (any guesses who said that?), 2 feet of fresh powder for skiing that weekend, a piano....

After that question, he gave us our bonuses...and guess what I put mine toward?


Yup! I got my wish!
It's a digital piano, so we didn't have to find 5 people to move it, someone to tune it, or a large area to set it up in the house.

Got Snow?

So....We thought we knew what a snowstorm was before! That was nothin'.

When we woke up on Thursday, we knew we wouldn't be going into town. The driveway that was clear the night before was full of 1 1/2 feet of fresh snow, and it was still coming down. Thankfully, school was canceled (a rare occasion for the University), and Andy had brought his work computer home, just in case. So, instead of the routine commute into town, we spent the morning shoveling snow. It turned into a neighborhood party with shovels, a snow blower, and a 4-wheeler going from house to house. What fun! :)

Being from the "banana belt", this has all been a new experience for Andy. He even thought shoveling snow was fun! I'm thinking that it's got to be getting old by now.....

Surviving the Winter

It is definitely wintertime here in little Viola! It snowed again this weekend, and has been pretty cold and windy! Today, the sun came out and it's a beautiful day, but the temperature isn't getting anywhere near 30 degrees this time! Unless, of course, you are talking about the temperature inside the shop....The wood stove is officially up and running! It was warmer out there than in the house yesterday (~70), so we spent most of the day cleaning and organizing the shop and doing a little work on the Buick.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is soooooo delightful!

We are not the only creatures trying to survive the winter. The bird feeder has become a main attraction on the property. All day long, little birds are flying to and from it, or hopping on the ground below - catching the leftovers. We've counted about 30 birds at one time, taking turns on the feeder.

This morning, we witnessed something new - a covey of quail cleaning up after the messy little birds! It was very cool to see! Hopefully, they come back again.

Bringing the Heat

Well, the snow shown below was mostly rained away, and we had the most beautiful weather yesterday! Clear, blue sky, just a slight breeze, and the temp. somewhere in the 40's. Andy had begun to wonder if he'd ever get the wood stove put in the shop, so he could be warm and happy working out there for the remainder of the winter. Well...this looked to be the day! So, he went over to borrow the neighbor's extension ladder, and also ended up getting the neighbor's assistance to install the pipe! (the same neighbor who plows our driveway)

The procedure went very smoothly, and was all hooked up in about 2 hour's time - just in time to go bowling with the car club that Andy was officially inducted into yesterday! They are the Knuckle Skrapers based out of Palouse, WA - a very fun group of guys. I wish I had pictures of the bowling, but my camera's batteries died! :(

I was going to take pictures of the completed stovepipe/stove project tonight, but it is currently snowing and blowing like crazy!! Goodbye beautiful blue-sky days....for awhile anyway.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

We didn't have a White Christmas on the coast, but we have had a VERY white New Year!!
Our front porch shows the outcome of a snow-and-blow storm out in the country, and the driveway lights are almost buried now in the accumulating snow.

Andy has been very busy almost every morning and evening shoveling paths thru the drifts of snow, so we can get to the shop, the garbage cans, the mailbox, and the car. We actually got stuck in the driveway one morning as we were leaving for work!
Thankfully, we have an incredibly generous neighbor who often shows up to plow our driveway
(and the rest of the neighborhood's) with his 4-wheeler.

In-between Holidays

We made the long trek back home to Idaho after Christmas, and then went down to Clarkston to spend time with the Heitmann side of the family. Andy's dad gave him a helicopter just like Ayden's (this was funny, after Andy was saying Christmas morning that he'd love to have one next year) and took it for a test flight. The box says it can go 150 feet, but we only witness about...3...?




We also went duck hunting one morning, but there was hardly a cloud in the sky, so the guys didn't have much luck. The "decoy sunrise" was beautiful as always though! (coming from a true spectator).