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Well, the bluebird days are over for a while. Woke up to 4 inches of snow and it looks like it's going to be snowing off and on for the next few days. SO excited that it is just snow and not all day, every day sub zero. The last few days of sunshine has made Steamboat feel a little bit less claustrophobic- when walking down the street, you are no longer in the labyrinth, you can see both left and right! Wish I could say that the sun melted the piles on either side of the driveway because it can be quite scary pulling out without being able to see traffic coming. Looks like a little manual labor is on its way.

We took advantage of the sun again yesterday...

E waiting patiently on the hood of the truck for Dad to finish getting his boots on and gear together. "Come on Dad, let's roll!"


I didn't take any videos or fotos while skiing yesterday, but did get this vid just after loading Gondi.




While skiing down Vagabond yesterday, Ski Patroller came along side me and said, "Nice tool Dad, never seen the use of the hand held (mirror) before." Can honestly say that no woman has ever used that word combination together while speaking to me before.

Made some Pepper Parmesan bread yesterday and the Ciabatta loaves are proofing as I write (made the biga yesterday and it was really fragrant today)- hope they are tasty. I smell Colorado Cuban Pork Sandies in the near future if this bread works out well.

Sunshine

Hadn't uploaded the birthday Goat Cheese Brownie fotos until after my last post, so they are a little late.
Not much of a dessert guy, but I made these when K's uncles were in town and they were delicious. Made with cocoa powder and so they taste like a good, strong hot chocolate, with a savory creamy hit.
Yesterday, I had all intention of taking E on a hike after her morning nap and then to the ski area after her afternoon nap. I am not upset, by any means, but E had other plans. She decided she would take a 2 hour 30 minute nap in the am, and a 2 hour and 15 minute nap in the afternoon. By the time she got up from the late nap, I only had 40 minutes before going to tutor. So we got the hike in (long loop), but weren't able to ski.


E and Kodi hanging out and waiting for Dad to shed some clothes. It was so sunny and nice yesterday that I had shed my hat and gloves within the first 10 minutes and my sweater by 25 minutes. This foto is a 25 minute walk from our home on a single track trail. Someone had been putting up course markers for what I can only imagine is going to be a snow mountain bike race. Haven't heard anything about it yet, but that's what it looked like to me. S, maybe you should bring the Pugsley out- bring Klein too?

Kodi got really spoiled yesterday. Soon after putting E down for her afternoon nap, T, D and her Brother M went for a hike with kids and dogs. They brought Kodi with them and so he got 2 hikes in one day. Last night I practically had to carry him to bed.

Here we are almost to the top of the trail. Love feeling that sun in my face, on my arms, and my bald head!


During E's morning nap today, I made dinner for tonight. We are having Pot Stickers. Pretty funny, but I bought the ground pork and ginger over the weekend with intentions of making the pot stickers, but hadn't gotten around to it before randomly catching an episode late last night of Good Eats. Yes, the episode was about making different types of dumplings. I therefore didn't just completely wing a recipe, but got some help from Alton Brown. I did add some fresh ginger, soy sauce, and a serrano chili, but it was nice to be able to mostly follow his lead. I made 38 gyosa, freezing 18 for a later time. The tablespoon of left over filling, I fried up and ate for breakfast. Oh, goood God, I can't wait for dinner!


After her morning nap, and cleaning up the food making supplies. We went to the ski area. It is another beautiful day here in Steamboat. I think E is really starting to enjoy getting suited up and loaded into the Tundra for outdoor adventures. I even think that when she sees the backpack, she gets excited. We were able to park in the Knoll lot and walk to the ski area from there. Rode the Gondi with an older woman from MN who really liked seeing and playing with E. She was also filling me in on how the poles are changing positions. Not sure where that came from, but she obviously enjoyed speaking about it. Mentioned that Greenland saw the Sun two days earlier than they ever have before during written, human history. Said the Minne climate would become temperate and Steamboat would definitely warm up- still be able to ski, but noticeably warmer. 2012?

Gondi ride up. Condoland in the background.


We took one pitch of Why Not, then one pitch of Vagabond, then finished out on Why Not?. Though Why? is not as fun for me as Vag, it takes longer to get down and since we were in the sun and it was warm, we went for it. Got numerous raspberries and several shrieks on the way down, but mostly, she was quiet.



Things were starting to cloud up to the west on our way home, but if that sunshine stays out, I plan on having K meet us for a skate out in Silver Spur. I guess it's also dependent on E deciding not to sleep for more than 3 hours this afternoon (she's all ready been out for an hour).

After the ski, its back home for POT STICKERS! Yum.

Mom's B-Day!

Slopeside!

Had a really great morning today. Got up at about 7, K had finished feeding E and I made some coffee. We brought E into the basement, K got on treadmill, I drank some sweet, black nectar, and E played with some toys and watched us. Made a delicious Mushroom, Bacon, Spinach, and Cheddar Cheese omelet and a side of sweet potato and onion hash. Sorry, no photo.

After breakfast, we put E down for a nap and then K went to Ski Haus to look for something to spend her birthday discount on (note hat with purple flower on it in later fotos). E slept for about 2 hours and then we got our ski clothes on and brought her to Grandma's house so K and I could ski. I love watching K ski. She has such a clean and classic way of tele-ing. So beautiful.


We met B on the mountain and K, her Dad, and I got to ski together for a while.

Today was what Steamboat is all about. It was a gorgeous sunny day and the snow was wonderful. After so many cold, dark, and snowy days, it was magical to be on the mountain today- adding to the magic was that I got to be with my wife on such a day. What made it even better is that after we finished skiing (we started at 12 and finished at 2:45 and K was worked after not being on the hill in 1.5 years), E got to join us for apres ski at Slopeside- lawn chairs in the snow with some beer. And if that wasn't enough... Edna, B, M, and about a dozen friends came to sit, converse, imbibe, and enjoy the day on K's day.


Just checking out Dad's cool goggles after he skied. My first apres ski and I was looking like a superstar (kind of like Elton John).


So psyched that Edna came out. "I never in my life would have imagined such a thing."- sitting in the snow at 91 drinking beer with Grand Daughter and Great Grand Daughter.


Mom just saw me wearing my sweet shades for the first time. I think she likes them.


H clan and a mini W.


Just hanging out after a morning bath- I've been pissing through my diaper lately during the night because I'm sleeping on my stomach and thrashing about like my Dad does.

Day 2

Took E out for her second day on the ski mountain. Started out great- Gondy ride with 3 retirees from San Diego. They were goo-gooing and ga-gaaing with E the whole way up. They even asked if they could take a foto of her with their camera. I said, "Sure.", that's okay right?

This is a foto they took with my camera. She has a helmet and bala clava in her backpack, just didn't put it on until we were almost to the top.


I remembered the bike mirror today so that I could see how E was doing on the way down while she's on my back. Last time, she was making some moaning and grunting sounds on the way down, but I couldn't tell if they were pleasure or pain. This time she was making raspberry sounds and grunting sounds and a few other noises that sounded questionable, but every time I looked, she was smiling and happy. Face definitely gets red, but she better get used to that, it's where she lives.





Was hoping to catch up with K's p's and K's uncles R and K (visiting from the East coast). Didn't hear back from them until I was half-way down the mountain. They were just ahead of me, so we met at the bottom of Thunderhead lift and skied to Slopeside together. Ordered some Cokes and a pie and hung out. After a bit, I went and grabbed the car at the lot and parked beneath the lot so that I could get the tired baby home quickly.

She had a blast on the mountain and also was happy at the bar/restaurant. It is so nice that the weather has warmed up a little bit and also that the sun has started to shine a bit more. I think this is the season with the least sunshine that I've experienced here in Steamboat.


E just hanging out in her pink Adidas- gift from J and C.


This morning she woke up with a sharp projectile coming through her bottom gums. Tooth number one has made an appearance. Steak Time!

Tomorrow is Mommy's Birthday. Just finished wrapping some presents. Sometimes it works out nicely that she goes to bed at 9.

300

This last storm brought with it almost 4 feet of snow. We have now broken the 300 inch mark for the season so far. It has been so cold that nothing has melted or settled and this white stuff is DEEP. Kodi may as well just walk over the fence in the back yard, but he can't really get up the bank just outside the sliding glass door- he's getting old.

Was all jazzed 2 days ago to get on Emerald mountain. When E woke up from her nap, I bundled her up, gently placed her in the Sherpani backpack, put a leash on the dog and walked out the door. Got to the street and realized I needed to change plans. Even though it looked nice outside, it wasn't. Turned out that the wind was blowing and the 12 degrees felt much colder than it was. I don't know if it was from the cold, the wind, or the backpack was just too snug, but E was making gasping type noises. Not loud, but something I hadn't heard before. I use a bike handlebar mirror to look at her while she is in the pack and she would smile at me, but I wasn't sure that going for an hour long hike was the best idea. So, we just went around the block.

You can tell by the bright red cheeks on her face when we got home that it was pretty chilly out because she was only outside for about 12 minutes.


Check out the snow on the roof and the mound right behind us. Six feet easily in the front yard.



Had to include this last one because she looks so funny. Again, the tears attest as to how cold it was.


Supposed to get up to 10 degrees today, but it looks pretty sunny. Hopefully we can go for a little walk in town. Might try to meet K at Ice Rink or Howellsen because she has an outdoor education day today.

E has been teething lately. She's got some nice, pronounced bumps on lower gums. Constantly playing with her lower jaw. She started Screeching two days ago. Not Screeching in pain, just making new, loud noises. I was with her at the grocery store yesterday and she was just wheeling around Screeching at the top of her lungs. Some people took quick glances thinking that she was being beat, but mostly just people smiling at us. First time riding in the cart. I think she had fun. She seems to thrive on the excitement in the grocery store.

Rise and Snow

Once again, it is snowing. It's like I live in Chicago! Every day, more and more snow. Unfortunately, our only shovel broke the other day when I was doing some maintenance on the roof. It gets tiring buying new shovels every few years. I remember having the same shovel my whole life until I was 23 and moved to Steamboat. I bet I've had 7 since I moved here 12 years ago. Speaking of which, it has now been 1/3 of my life living in Steamboat (12 years and I am 36). If I can get the 2 feet of snow off my truck this afternoon, maybe E and I will go get a new shovel... again.

Good thing Kodi likes to dig, because he will soon have to if he wants to get into his dog house.




E, K, and Kodi hanging out in the living room after school. I guess that the kid and the dog are both better trained at getting their fotos taken than their Mom. Eyes on the camera K!



Made two 1/2 wheat baguettes yesterday. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Went well with the Portabello/Gorgonzola and Red Pepper Raviolis from Seafood company. Simple spinach and olive oil saute with some parmesano reggiano grated on top. A few spears of asparagus for some more roughage.

Update.

Superbowl was yesterday, so, the basement was gonna be displayed one way or another. Stayed up 'til 12:30 priming and painting on Saturday evening. Cleaned and painted floor on Sunday morning. Took an hour and a half ski break. Got home and then K and I moved furniture that was spread throughout the house and garage to the basement (K was so jazzed, she had all ready moved rugs and some other things downstairs by the time I got home!).

Hooked up TV and speakers. TV is a long story [B gave it to us about a year ago and it was broken. After being stored in the old basement for that time, I brought it up and set it on top of the washer and dryer for a few days and opened her up. After lots of fidgeting with no results, I turned the the WWW. Turns out several people have had the same issue with the TV. Shortly after replacing the lamp, the TV slowly started dying. One fix said to check that all fans were working (they were) and then replace the board that connects to the lamp. Seeing as I didn't have a replacement board, I simply checked connections and tightened it a bit. Low and behold, it worked- at least for the Superbowl and hopefully until we win some equivalent sized LCD TV and movable wall mount. Yeah!], but let's just say we now have a 50 inch DLP television in the basement. Got everything hooked up just before the kickoff and, was still fidgeting with receiver and speakers when first guests arrived.




On Thursday, E had her first taste of Formula- our freezer full of breastmilk is now gone. Didn't seem to phase her. She just drank it up. This formula was given to us, this is not an advertisement for Similac, it was just free. She has begun eating a lot more volume lately too. Twice now has finished a whole banana and it seems as though every time we feed her something, we need to make more of something else to satisfy her belly (once more, it appears that she is taking after Dad).



Here is E, sucking down a bottle during the Superbowl. Her buddy Cruz is in the background.

Hiatus 2

It has been a long time, but I will hopefully be back in the regular loop soon. I am longing for the days when baking, hiking, and other more relaxing activities come back to the forefront. E is feeling much better now and seems to be growing confidence every day. She has been much more forthcoming with laughter (from tickling) and grunt talking- constantly gabbering on like Gump when he's nervous around Jenny. My intention tonight is simply to share a few fotos and video of recent E stuff and also an update on the basement, but not too much commentary. Though I am ready to do more outside, today's high was -4 and K had the day off because it hit -40 early in the am. After lows in the mid negative 30's tonight (-22 at 9:35 pm) it is supposed to get above zero tomorrow and warm up over the next few days.

K's method of lighting a fire under me on the basement was to invite people over for the Superbowl this Sunday. Monday night I worked until almost midnight to finish the final framing and hanging of drywall. We hired out the mudding, taping, and texturing and Jill showed up Tuesday. She was supposed to run the second coat today, but never showed up. She does live in Yampa and is responsible for horses out there, so maybe the cold kept her detained. Ideally, she would have been texturing tomorrow, but maybe now on Friday? Anyway, I see staining the concrete floor, finishing the electrical (outlets, switchplates), hooking up speaker boxes, and maybe throwing some primer up before moving the couch downstairs and making the place feel good before Sunday.

Quick video to get you up to date.





And now for the meager foto gallery of the past week or so.

Braved the extreme cold one day to take the dogs (we were sitting Saddie too) for a walk. Decided to walk to the coffee roasters to pick up some Cowboy Espresso. Got there and realized that they changed their hours and we missed it by 35 minutes. Instead of getting too angry, we extended the walk, crossed the James Brown, Soul Center of the Universe Bridge, and walked home along the bike path in the snow.


Here is a meal I ate four times in four days. This morning was the day after going on a date with T.P. We attended a fundraiser for Youth Hockey and it happened to be a 6 course dinner and New Belgium Beer tasting held at Sweet Water. Needless to say, this breakfast helped me feel a bit better. I actually had this same meal for dinner that night too. I must say that I am extremely happy S posted a foto of Huevos on his flickr page because it opened my world to a new meal.


Some morning sunshine a couple days ago while sitting on our kitchen counter.



A new game E has learned. It is hard to tell who enjoys it more, her, or the adults who encourage her.






After numerous attempts at uploading some fotos from my phone, I am giving up. Not sure if flickr is down or my phone is messed. Maybe later.


Made some Beef Vindaloo a few days ago. Have never done this before and was pretty pleased. The combo of toasted cinnamon, clove, and cumin smelled so good. Also made some mint, cucumber yogurt to cool things off a bit (yogurt made at home too), and some whole wheat flour chapatis for the utensils.