The Seneca Series

Our German shepherd's Comprehensive Guide to Simply Sensational Snowplay:

Got it?  OK, now go try it on your own!

Snow Monsters

I wasn't the only one enthralled with the snow - we ALL enjoyed it!

 Seneca & Ouray = snow plows.

 Scratty, let loose to explore this new white world on her terms.

 Intrepid.

 Scratty ostriching in search of meeses.  Look!  Her tail's an upside down exclamation point!  (or question mark?)

 Love the toe spread - so nice to be born with snowshoes (well, not much webbing there, but she's trying anyways).

 OK, she's getting pretty comfortable with this now.  An old pro.  Wintery princess.

 And that ol' wheelbarrow gets even cuter!

 Dad and daughter.

 Aaaaaw...  Must be love, love, love

 Tractor's not quite as sure about this white stuff.

 But he looks good in it anyways!

 "Well, that was interesting," he says,...

"but enough!"  Tracky decides it's time to go back into his warm, comfy, heated yurt!!  Time to go sit by the fire and thaw out.

Another Snow Day!

Overnight, it continued to snow.  So much, in fact, that I kept sweeping off our porches.  The dry, powdery stuff was coming down so steadily, and piling up outside our doors so high, I was afraid that in the morning we might have trouble opening our doors (which all open outwards)!  And indeed, this was the first storm that had me SHOVELING snow!!!

 Is this Colorado?  Are we in New England?  Could be, right?  NINE inches of snow!!  In San Diego County, at only the 4000 ft level?!  Yes, it happens - but not often!  In fact, we don't remember ever seeing that much snow at the yurt before.  Very cool!!!  

I know this is an everyday occurrence in so many places, and a pain in the butt for much of the year for so many people, but for us here, where it's a total novelty and VERY temporary - it's miraculous and mind-boggling!  This is not the San Diego most of us know!

 With this storm, there was no need for me to drive anywhere to get to the snow!  And good thing - because it might've been a bit challenging to get out!  Not only because of the snow - and then the mud - but because of a giant chunk of tree and branches that came down right across our driveway!  When I finally did leave the yurt a few days later (were running out of groceries!), I not only found our downed tree but saw county workers clearing the road of countless other fallen trees and branches.  

Yurt in Winter Wonderland. 

 Hee-hee.  What a cute wheelbarrow!

 Looking towards San Jacinto.  But can't see it for the clouds.  Was true for all the surrounding hills that morning.  And by the time the clouds burned off enough to see the peaks, most of the snow was already gone (either that or they didn't get as much snow to begin with?!).  I was shocked at how fast the snow disappeared!

 Before the sun came out full-blast, some scenes had a nice, soft, foggy look with the low-hanging clouds.

Looking down at Lake Henshaw (or Pond Henshaw, since there's hardly any water in it this winter!).  Can't hardly see the lake for the trees though!

A dirt road out in the Henshaw Valley.  This is probably at around the 3000 ft level and the first to lose its snow once the sun emerged.  It's very rare to see any snow down at that level!

WE INTERRUPT THIS BROADCAST FOR...

SNOW!!!!!!!!!

Hope this doesn't confuse everyone too much, but let's flashforward to Feb. 27, 2012!  As you may have heard, the San Diego mountains got snow!  And even at our yurt, at only 4000 feet, we got about 9 inches of snow!!!!!!!!!!!  That's more than Bill and I remember ever getting (while we were present at least) here!  Snow started falling in the late afternoon...

 Here's Ouraydog doing his usual outdoor routine.  We let him out one door to "do his thing," and he messes around a bit but always ends by walking around the yurt to the other door to be let back in.  You can see there's only a bit of snow so far - Ouray's paw prints go right through to the mud.

 And wa-la!  Here he is at that other door, ready to be let back in!

 But I make him stay out and play!  He still loves the snow, but it's so much tougher for his old body to get around now - playing is more a state of mind...

 Senny loves the snow too (enormously!!!) - although you might not be able to tell from this dejected doggy photo!

 The doggies help Dad with starting the generator.  Mom claps to get her nearly deaf dog's attention, and he obliges.

 Confused by the extended outdoor stay and comings and goings with Mom and Dad and all, Ouray heads back to the "out" door.

 Normally, this is all the snow we get!  And only once or twice during the season.  But just wait till you see how much we ended up with - those of you familiar with San Diego County won't recognize it!!!  Check out all the green grass still sticking up through the snow at the base of the tree in this photo.

 Looking down our driveway.  Isn't that little pine tree perfect-looking?  It's a grandchild.  Of the giant pine trees we used to have just above this juvenile, on the berm behind it and to the left.  They died with the drought many moons ago (and it was very sad to lose them - sure changed the look of things).  But they left us this baby, who is quickly growing tall and strong, as they once did.

Snowy, snowy night...