Xmas 2013

The 3 musketeers - as silly as ever, 23 years strong!

Pizza-making tradition - also still going strong!

 

Surprise birthday reunion!

A little snow at Doc Daniels' cabin

 xmas morning xcountry ski

gorgeous sunny blue skies

super cool ice crystals

Wedding at Croctuta

From one wedding straight to another... drove up to some of my most favouritest mountains and celebrated a cabin-mountain-meadow wedding in the hot California sun.

Casual, rustic, short & sweet.

Since we were in the neighbourhood, had to make a trek to Lassen Volcanic National Park and hike up Mt. Lassen.

It was bright and sunny, but the air was cool, which made for perfect hiking weather and also perfect "sunburn the crap out of yourself" weather.

This fatty chipmunk went directly from the peanut he was shoving in his mouth to the green m&m he wished he'd noticed first but was glad he discovered before any other critters got to it.

After hiking Lassen we went to check out the (extremely disappointing) cold boiling lake. Not much of the lake was "boiling"... most of it was "filled with plants".

But... 2.5 miles later, the trail did take us up into Bumpass Hell via the little-traveled back route, which made it completely worthwhile.

I went to Ottawa, watched kitties get their teeth brushed, and then I went to an awesome gay wedding in a barn in Port Hope

It's all true. In that order. Here's some photos to show off the short but fun trip!

 R soothes 18 in preparation for the procedure

mmmm... chicken flavour toothpaste!

the product

BEG brings 12 in for treatment

vampira!

center: me and the two happy grooms. clockwise from top left: km's happy mama, beet hummus, old friends from Kingston days, first dance, R being the grumpy cat (unknowingly - he'd never heard of grumpy cat before), R being his more normal self, blue grass band, really weird wine ingredients, BEG wearing the fun hat

Two derbies

Our team has a connection with the demolition derby show in Ogden, so some of us went down to exchange volunteer time (timing between car hits) for roller derby promotion. Timing cars was actually kinda fun... must remember ear plugs next time!!!

 

Check out the car that came down from British Columbia! I don't understand the penguin... but whatever...

 

Pretty setting for an ugly event.

  

This guy from Idaho liked our logo so much he painted it on his truck.

 This guy was quite the dancer across the way in the audience... I think his "vest" is made out of balloons???

And then, this weekend my old roller derby team made the drive from Bakersfield to come play my new roller derby team. It was a blast, and a lovely reunion and a good bout and we won!

Thanksgiving in Virginia

I traveled out to Virginia for American Thanksgiving this year. Besides the standard copious amounts of eating, we spent the days exploring neat sites and camping in much-colder-than-I-anticipated weather.

It's like a Waffle House... only omelets!

With an omelet guy mascot!!!

The famous old Humpback Bridge, this permutation was built in 1857. From this distance you can see the humpback, the covered-ness, and the general pretty scene - without all the graffiti.

We went and warmed up in the Jefferson Pools, which were not built by Jefferson - simply named in his honour. It was extremely enjoyable indeed!

We camped and dug up loads of goodies in Fairy Stone State Park - but I don't have any photos of that experience because a) I was busy collecting staurolite crystals and b) my hands were too cold to operate a camera because they were were exposed to the elements in order to collect staurolite crystals.

Jarfly enjoying a fur-cicle while camping. Mmmmmm.

And we also visited the awe-inspiring Falling Spring - which here looks like it really just drops off into space.

It's a spectacular tumble of cold spring and travertine deposits making creepy rock textures, pools and falls. The mosses just make it all the more fantastical.