The new year started out heavy. We just put our dog Zeek down. Then Grandma Hanks passed away. She joined my grandpa in the next phase of life. She wasn't just my grandma, she was everyone's grandma in Snake Valley. Our beloved Matriarch. I will always cherish the memories I had with her. A library of stories. Her life spoke volumes. She will be missed.
January didn't waste any time whitening up the mountains (and ranges!) with a great accumulation of powder with a strong weather system! Isaac had some fun pulling Clara and Willow around the yard in the fresh snow.....
There is such a beauty and peaceful silence in town when it snows and the streets of Baker are unplowed.
Our friends and us decided to get together and sled at the gravel pit. It was fun until Charlie hurt his hand.
It wasn't long before yet ANOTHER storm came in and once again dumped!
Bryan went out cross country skiing many times over the month. He got the vehicle stuck in the snow a couple of times. One of the times was up at Osceola. He had to leave the vehicle there that night. Meanwhile it immediately snowed again! We didn't have our 4runner for half the week until our friend, Martin, could provide assistance. Look at these pictures lol.
After that Bryan started skiing in more accessible places. This winter has been really, really cold.
Here's a pic he took lol ....
Here's a pic he took lol ....
We had a nice home renovation project. Ava and Willow got new flooring and new paint in their rooms. They picked out colors. It was hard work but fun. They love their new space :)
A green comet passed by earth this month for the first time in 50,000 years. I took some photos (at 3:00 am) of it's location in the constellation Corona Borealis.
The pictures of the comet looked like a green smudge (like a fingerprint). I was equally mesmerized by a rainbow halo. February 1st is when it's at its closest proximity to Earth. It's never a wasted moment for me looking at the cosmos.... and something like this comet that the Neanderthal perhaps gazed at too so long ago.
I had to catch up on some CEUs for my Massage Therapy license. January is a good time to do it because I feel like I'm not grasping for time. Bryan took the kids skiing with friends up to Eagle Peak.
They are all SO good on the slopes. I told them to snap some pictures for me.
Some of the EskDale High School students and their director/teacher, Lois Faber, participated in the "Utah Honor Choir." They did a big performance at Abravanel Hall in SLC, Utah. Annette took these photos (Thank You!).
A pause between storms. The basin and range looking white......
The icicles are so pretty.... a freezing evening at my office.
I've been consistent with my walks even though I trek though snow and mud on the sagebrush Discovery Trail with snow boots. It makes all the difference in my day to walk a few miles and inhale that cold air into my lungs.
I went out again to take a picture of the green comet, which was still swinging along. I planned it during a New Moon. The comet made the NE part of the sky glow green so it looked like a mini northern lights! So, that was cool. Plus I really wanted to see the sparkly blankets of snow under the sparkly sky. Also, gave me an excuse to find constellations and planets in the winter silence. But damn it was freezing! Happy Chinese Lunar New Year!
Why do the stars seem brighter in the winter? Orion was breathtaking!
Snow, Stars, and Silence.
Surprise, surprise it snowed heavily again. This time school was cancelled. Our friend, Charlie, took this photo of the school bus that got stuck in a snow bank.
My friend, Gretchen, found a pair of cross country skis at the thrift store and she gave them to me. It opened my world of winter recreation fun. Especially with all the snow we've been getting this season! A group of us got together to ski up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive in the fresh powder. It was only 7 degrees but the sun was out!
Here's a link to my YouTube of one of my cross country adventures up Baker Creek. I'm just LOVING all the heavy blankets of snow!
The green comet hue has moved. Now it's in the NW. It was neat to capture it again in addition to constellation Orion which was just over the peak of Mt. Wheeler! So grateful for a visible night sky!
Front Porch Pickers still get together on most Friday nights.
We played at the Border Inn for the annual Sheepherder Party, where there was indeed....sheep. lol
Baaaaaaaaaaaaa.
Baaaaaaaaaaaaa.
There was a get-together at the Bristlecone General Store to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. Year of the rabbit!
As it neared February, I tried once more to capture the comet in my lens. I was determined to "find" it. I took photos and began the great search. It's REALLY difficult to find in the first picture. But, when I did it was a joyful "Ah Ha!" moment! It is in the constellation Ursa Minor (Little Dipper). I'll circle it in second photo:
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Zoomed in photos..... can you make an intuitive guess?
#lastviewedinStoneAge #skyofwonder #greencomet #winterstargazing #daydreamernightdreamer
#outofthisworld #onceinalifetime
What a great way to end the month of January!
