ride home

Going South, we started driving at 4AM and kept at it for sixteen hours. If we were driving a truck, it would have been illegal.

Going North, saw the "World's Largest Grinding Stone."

Not so much.

Warning: British Drivers Swerving Ahead

Sequoia

Lindee and I drove up to Sequoia National Park. Chris and Nate were going to come up to the snow, but they were afraid.


We went cross country skiing up in Montecito Sequoia Lodge . There were soup and sandwiches, ping-pong, couches and a roaring fire in the lodge. They had sledding hills and sledding tubes to rent. Bet Chris and Nate would have enjoyed that. Too bad they were scared.

Foster will fetching a snowball... Chris and Nate must be afraid of snowballs, too.

We brought up a thermos of hot chocolate. Chris and Nate missed it, but I'm sure they can get drive-through McCocoa in LA.

Viewpoint on the way down to the valley floor where Chris and Nate had been all day.

Skiing with Josh

This morning I went skiing with Josh. Here he's sporting his new boards.

The snow was great. It kept coming down and the wind filled in the tracks. But lines were long because its vacation and we left around 11:30. Josh dropped me off at work.

Back in Oregon

Driving back to Oregon, as soon as we crossed the border, I found a good espresso.

NoPo

Lindee and nephew Noah Powell. Joyce realized he "NoPo" which is a fortunate riff on a good name. The toy is a walker thing from Abby's store. The photo is a little fuzzy but in Abby's style so here it is.

Ship

"Ship" by Daniel Gerwin

Dog School

Foster came to Melissa's 2nd grade classroom. He was pretty popular.

Multimedia Message

XC ski

Ben's Big Evening

1. Delicious dinner
a. Hungarian Mushroom Soup from "The Moosewood Cookbook."
b. Salad with fresh beets and walnuts.
2. Lecture by Crag Rat, Christopher Van Tilburg on his book, "Mountain Rescue Doctor."
3. Walk Foster by the marina where we we saw the Coast Guard Cutter, "Blue Bell" tied up for the night.
A man was on the dock who introduced himself as, "XO, vice-principal, really." Fifteen men and the Captain's dog cruise the Columbia and Snake rivers to maintain and move navigation buoys to keep the channel safe for shipping. They eat well (pork chops with homemade applesauce, French toast with peppered bacon) with one full time cook, and the XO really loves his work. I rarely meet someone who seems so genuinely happy and well-suited to the circumstance of his life.

copy-paste this to see a pdf about bluebell

www.uscg.mil/D13/publicaffairs/factsheets/uscgc_bluebell.pdf

4. Home to find that Losh and Leah had come by and dropped off some chocolate and a note thanking us for walking their dog, Oscar.

Peltier Fan

Andy gave us a cool fan powered by electricity generated by the heat of the stove.
It blows hot air into the room
The difference in temperature between the stovetop and the air across the thermoelectric element generates electricity to power the fan's motor.

http://www.caframo.com/ecofantech.htm

Thomas Seebeck

Coffee Frog

Juliet Brook's became a Bat Mitzvah

Juliet (left), Menorah (center) and Ari (right). She's got the skills to pay the bills.

Ric and Ben, high rollers

Abby, Ben & Jason

Bob Lewit, Jane Lewit, Lindee Lewit, Ben Lewit Abby (Lewit) Ford and Jason Ford

Hanukah at Home

Menorah night three it was a gift from Bill and Gloria.

I'm easily amused. Also, I can't get over Adam Sandler's Hanukah Song.

Lindee's Latkes on the Gerwin plate.

Lindee's pizza was crazy-delicious.

Lei Making

Lindee and I went to an evening lei making party at Holiday Spa using plumeria flown in from Hawaii.

After the Bat Mitzvah back East, it occured to me that after we met about twelve people at the lei making event and no one knows what anyone else does for a living. It seems that the standard initial questions, "What do you do?" or "Where do you work?" are not standard out here in Hood River. Is it an East Coast / West Coast thing? A Hood River thing? A lei-making thing?

Lighting the Menorah with Rabbi Moti. My sweet lid is a Stormy Kromer cap. Don't be jealous, get your own.
Menorah on night one, 25 Kislev 5768. Us Jews, like Lord Kelvin, count up from zero.

Who has the doper hat? Me or Motti?


Rabbi Motti Wilhelm wins...

Kosher Pino Grigio.

Rabbi Motti Pimped his Ride.

First Turns of the Season

I met Kevin in in town early this morning. Thats me by self-timer.

Driving up to the mountain

It was crowded at the beginning, but thinned out later. It kept snowing. My legs were all jelly and I have got to get my ski legs back.

We had an "All-you-can-eat buffet" and drove back as the snow continued to fall. The road was un-treated.

First Snow

Its snowing in town.