A walk by Payette lake in McCall.
Our friend Todd, who used to live in McCall and is now in Oregon, came to stay at our condo and visit for a few days. So good to see him and catch up! We went for long walks with him.
Always a great walk to the river to watch the fish swimming.
On this walk with Todd, we saw some huge and ornate ice crystal formations by the river.
The following day we walked on the rail trail.
The Christmas tree in downtown got upgraded, brighter Christmas lights.
Even though the snow fell, we had some more bonfires on our property. This time we were also burning left over project wood that was in storage. Once we moved from our condo to our town home, Dave emptied our storage unit while I was at work and then we burnt the superfluous wood.
This particular fire was spectacular! We realized that we could burn larger quantities in the winter without having to worry about the fire hazard.
Especially beautiful at dusk.
Our new neighbors at the town home put up a Christmas tree in the courtyard and added lights and some decor. We added some ornaments as well.
View from Rotary Park.
Mountain Ash berries in town on the walk along the river.
Colin's Birthday! We came back from work, brought pizza from Boise and joined our friends for an outdoor get together at their home on Farm to Market road.
View of the lake and Whitetail Resort from Rotary Park.
We rode our bikes in Riggins along the Salmon river with our friends Colin & Delta to get away from the snow for a bit.
The bighorn sheep above got spooked and kicked a landslide of rocks down at us. So cool to see wild animals that close.
We went snowshoeing with Colin & Delta at Ponderosa State Park.
Absolutely love how long the mountain ash berries last into the winter!
Dave and I also tried biking the groomed trails a couple times this winter on the McCall golf course.
This is the marsh near my parents house. I went there straight from work in January.
A walk by the marsh. (Happy to say all 3 of us are now fully vaccinated!)
Always love seeing the birds and bunnies here.
Dad and I walked in downtown while we waited for Mom, who was in the hospital for a procedure.
Night heron on the river in downtown Reno. These are pretty rare to see; my 2nd one ever.
Mom with get well flowers and balloons. So great to see them and it had been so long!
Back in McCall, we went for a snowshoe in Ponderosa State Park by the lake.
Dave with giant, old growth aspen trees in Ponderosa State Park.
This is Payette River in town from the sheep bridge.
Winter Carnival was cancelled because of the pandemic. But two businesses still had snow sculptures out front. Snow sculptures are always a pleasure to see! They remind me of Breckenridge!
Stacey Cakes is owned by the wife of the head chef I used to work for at Tamarack Resort at Morels. Her savory treats are delicious and it's a great pleasure to see that her business is doing so well.
We worked hard to prep for my birthday bonfire near the top of our property, where the last store of our firewood remained. We shoveled out a socially distanced area and tramped down a snowshoe trail from the parking lot for our friends. It took multiple trips to prepare the area, but in the end a bonfire with friends is always worth every effort. It was a fun day!
Our friends Colin, Delta and Sean came (Em was in Antarctica). We grilled appetizers and they brought whiskey. We had beers. And it was the best way to spend a birthday.
The following day on a walk to the lake.
Baby deer below our new porch.
I went to Reno for Mom's surgery.
Dad and I walked near the the pond everyday. It was great to see them both and be able to help them as I could.
This was Mom walking a whole city block the day we came back from the hospital; incredible! She's incredibly strong!
Dave bought me a gorgeous bouquet for my name day.
We went to Riggins for warmer temperatures and a hike. The trillium (this pic) and buttercups were already in blossom there!
So great to be able to stretch our legs and go for a scenic hike.
After our hike, we sat and relaxed by the Salmon River. So awesome!
We visited our property and took a brief snowshoe after the winter rains.
Payette Lake in McCall. And below, a beach day at Rotary Park.
Winter always seems long, but it's always photogenic. In reviewing pictures, I see that we did a lot of work moving into our new town home, laboring separately as we weren't on the same work schedule yet. Dave moved us out of our storage unit. I visited my parents in Reno twice, in January and February to help. And we cooked a lot of fun dishes. We went to Riggins a few times for the warmer temperatures. We were blessed to spend time with our dear friends (outside always). Busy times, moving to and getting adjusted to our new place. I'll send pictures of that separately. Love you!
