Big Snow

2012 started off with big snow in Moscow, which fell in fat white crystals for the last five days, draping the trees, lawns and sidewalks with a thick coat of pure natural beauty. I did my best to capture it before temperatures rose and plows pushed through. These first three pix were taken from my bedroom window about 7 a.m.

 The pix below were taken a few hours later near the Admin Building.

This afternoon, I stood knee-deep in snow scraping at least 20 inches of ice and snow from the truck. It took about 25 minutes and a lot of muscle to remove it all. Good thing John's in hot and muggy Vietnam or I would have made him do it!

Winter Skies

After a great visit with family over the holidays, we headed north again to spend the winter-spring semester in Idaho. Instead of heading up I-5, we drove inland on the eastern side of the Sierras, through Nevada, southeastern Oregon and then north from Nampa/Boise along the Salmon River to Moscow. It was warm and sunny, and we saw some beautiful skies along the way.

Tucson for Xmas

Two thousand miles from Moscow, Idaho, in Tucson, Arizona for a holiday week with the family. Enjoying good food, stimulating company, fitness classes and relaxing spa treatments at Canyon Ranch. Today, in the crisp sunshine, John and I walked Sabino Canyon. Here are some pix.

 Happy holidays, everyone!

 This is one of nine stone bridges that cross the canyon creek. 

The bridges were a WPA project.

 All of the water running in the canyon comes from melting snow or rain.

 Gneiss rock formations in the streambed.

Waking to Snow

It's been snowing all night. Waking up to a beautiful winter wonderland outside my bedroom window:

Plows began their work on the sidewalks as soon as the sun was up...

But the trees remain like sugar-coated candy against the sky.

Walking Home from Class

So pretty in Moscow on an early November afternoon. No snow yet.

Fall Afternoon at the Arboretum

Latah Trail

Moscow is on a 22-mile paved bike trail that runs between Pullman, Washington, and Troy, Idaho, through wheat fields and low forests. John rides the trail regularly, but it's also a great place to walk. Here are a few pix from a recent outing.

Fall Color in Moscow

Birthday Trip to Montana

We spent a partly rainy but otherwise wonderful two days in Montana this weekend to celebrate my birthday. It began on Friday with a drive via Coeur d'Alene, where we stopped for a delicious lunch at Scratch (the most amazing tomato bisque!) Friday night was spent in Missoula with Jere, Jodi and Rob, seeing Jere's production of Elephant Man at the university, preceded and followed by lots of wining and dining. Jere's a great host, and we had a blast!

On Saturday, we drove through some breathtaking country in the Bitterroot Mountain Range.

We drove along an empty road north of I-90 along the North Fork River, where we hope to return to do some trout fishing.

Here's John at Quinn's Hot Springs. These are natural hot sulfur pools that feel great at 106 degrees when the air temp is closer to 50. 

En route, we stopped alongside the road to greet the oncoming freight train and the conductor gave us a whistle as the engine passed by.

Can't wait to go back and explore more of this part of the country.

Idaho Barn in Sunshine

Stuffed peppers for lunch!

Look what happens when John stops going to North Dakota. In addition to working on his dissertation, he becomes a gourmet!

Spring Valley Reservoir

The closest fishing hole to Moscow, about a 20 minutes drive east of here.

Another sunny Saturday morning in Moscow

John is here now, and we spent a lazy Saturday morning in downtown Moscow, buying fresh local fruits and veggies, bread, cheese and wine. We sat in the sunshine and listened to a local bluegrass band, chatted with UI friends and perused the Wine Company for a zesty Zinfandel. After an awesome yet challenging week of hard work on Dora, it was great to take some time to enjoy the outdoors (and each other).

Saturday at Moscow Farmers' Market

Downtown Moscow is the place to be on Saturday mornings for the Moscow Farmers' Market, which features an abundance of locally grown fruits and vegetables, locally made ceramics, wood crafts, textiles, soaps and lotions, and artisan foods, such as hand-crafted breads, cheeses and ice cream. Also to be found there on this sunny August morning: music, families, dogs, people, strollers, bikes, backpacks, gossip, and, today, me.

Kamiak Butte, the Palouse and Lentilfest in Pullman

Today was yet another busy day here on the Palouse trying to keep up with Hannah's energetic spirit. Here we are hiking up Kamiak Butte. She doesn't even look tired.

People are asking, "What is the Palouse?" Apparently the land was shaped after the last Ice Age when the sediment left by melting glaciers and massive amounts of water were blown by local winds to form rolling hills that are rich in nutrients and perfect for farming. As you can see below, we had a great view of the Palouse from the crestline of the butte. The golden fields are wheat, and the green-yellow fields are garbanzo beans.

Pullman, Washington, just across the state line and eight miles from Moscow, is also a farming region, known for its production of lentils. Lentils first were introduced to the region in 1916 by a Seventh Day Adventist farmer to promote the health benefits of eating legumes. In the year 2000, the Palouse produced 98 percent of the nation's lentils.

To end our day today, we attended the annual National Lentilfest in Pullman, where the locals served 350 gallons of free lentil chili from a giant vat.

Tomorrow, it's off to Main Street Moscow for the Saturday Farmer's Market!

Hells Canyon Outing

So much fun today! Drove to Lewiston/Clarkston area (yes, named after Lewis and Clark). The first part of the ride is through hundreds of beautiful, wheat-covered hills on the Palouse. Then we dropped down into Lewis/Clark Canyon, which is essentially a giant river gorge created by the Snake and Clearwater rivers (something to do with glaciers, too).

Drove about 30 miles downriver to see stunning rock formations and 4,500-year-old petroglyphs at Buffalo Eddy.

And then to cool off, a climb down the banks of the Snake River for a refreshing swim and snack on the beach.

Finished the day with dinner at Black Cypress in Pullman.