Snow in Big Sur?

Half Way to Devil's Peak in Very Bad Weather.

Weather today was bad, rain, hail, wind, so much wind. Mary and I opted not to go Snowshoeing at Kirkwood which was what we had planned. We instead opted for the easier drive to Bouchers Gap and hike up the very challenging Devil's Peak trail. To my surprise, there was considerable amount of snow on the trail not far up the hill. By the time we stopped for a very cold, wet lunch, rain was not letting up, and the snow was 6 inches deep, the trail was covered with downed trees. It took Mary and I, 2 hours to cover the three miles due to the amount of debris and snow on the trail. It was as usual beautiful but very cold. Revel had a great trip, he is very comfortable in the snow, and had a great time.

I look forward to the next trip, hopefully dry and warmer. On the way home we stopped off at Grandma's to dry out and had a surprise visit with Nathan and Tara.

January 22nd, 2008

A Nice Sunday Stroll

Elda and I had a nice walk with the dogs on Sunday. We assumed that the Patriots would win so during the second half of that game we walked Revel and Libby down to Cannery Row for some lunch at a new deli. Revel was his usual sociable self and Libby was very gracious about what little attention she gets. As usual there are a ton of pictures of Revel headed back to Japan with all the tourists.

On the way back we walked through Washington park, off leash. This is new for Revel who is gotten very good about staying with the pack leader. Libby of course is always good and helps corral him when he wonders to far. Since Libby comes when you think about calling her and Revel follows her everywhere its a very safe training process for him.


Revel and I worked in the woodshop on a fix to his bed that he chewed up. He likes the smell of sawdust.

Lake Tahoe Vacation

Lots of stuff happening on the weekend and during the week I am falling behind here. We took Edward to Zephyr Cove Lodge for a weekend of Snowmobiling. He had a wonderful time and it really shows in the pictures. He is really a great driver (yes he drives his own). The snow was fabulous the tracks were very smooth so the speeds where much faster than I remember. It was fun for all three of us. The cabins at the Lodge are wonderful, perhaps 50 yards from the lake and well appointed. It still never looks right to me to see sand on the beach covered with snow. The cabins are dog friendly if any of my readers want to take there canine family members. Edward of course will not allow Revel to join us, and it is Edwards favorite vacation.

Dorothy and I also took some time to check out the sites at Tahoe for the time share club we are considering. There are two sites and both were in nice places with wonderful views. It would appear the only downside is the sites are not right in mainstream parts of towns. The Monterey site is on the sand dunes in Marina. We checked that one out as well. Very nice with ocean views but its in Marina.

The kids are doing well, Gavin is growing and getting very very close to his first steps. He can crawl even up the steps with adult supervision. Teddy starts back to school tomorrow. Edward has discovered the downside of graduating to the working world. He doesn't get every holiday or weeks at Christmas off and his response is very much like yours and mine, IT STINKS!

Edward got a new bowling ball for Christmas which he was very very happy about. He has turned in some amazing scores since then, last week 127, 135 and this week 109 and 153. It is, I am afraid to say, very likely that he will be better than me soon. I seem to not be as good as I once was. Damn getting old stinks.

I have a lot more to put in here, some new recipes, lots of pictures but I will add more later. Keep coming back.

Butterscotch Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies with brown sugar and optional pecans, along with butterscotch chips and butter. I prefer without the nuts but the cookies are very good. This recipe would also work very well as a plain chocolate chip cookie change the chips to 2 cups of chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans, OPTIONAL
• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
3. Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
4. Stir flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Fold in pecans, butterscotch chips, and chocolate chips.
5. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place balls about 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Flatten and round each cookie (looks prettier).
6. Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool in pan for about five minutes then move to rack to cool completely.

January 1st, 2008

*** 2008 ***

I suppose it would be appropriate here to discuss resolutions for the new year. Summarize the joys and sorrows of the past year. Awe hell they're all documented in the blog you can review them if you wish. Surf ice it to say I will continue writing as many of you have requested.

There were multiple Xmas celebrations so there are too many pictures to post here. You can access the web albums at my Picasa web site. http://picasaweb.google.com/rhenricksen

The only resolution I have is to better manage our vacation time and locations, and to get Revel out in the wilderness more. Starting next week with a trip to the snow. Look for pictures toward the end of the week. I hope everyone has a very healthy, safe and prosperous 2008.