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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Winter at Home + Snow Dog Bliss

I feel like I blinked and suddenly we went from December to halfway through February! I know winter seems to drag on and on for most folks, and it used to for me, too. But in an effort to make the most of winter and have a reason to enjoy it, I joined ski patrol 7 years ago. Winter has flown by for me ever since!

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I feel like when I left off posting photos of Taiga, she was about this big

This year's winter has been the most winter-y we've had in the past 7 years. The temperatures were finally seasonal, even if the snowfall was sub-par. The snow we received from December to the present would last and remain and build up for weeks before a warm spell would melt it all.

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Snow dog in a snow storm

Taiga has been LOVING it. It's been so fun watching her grow up in a real winter wonderland the majority of the time.

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"Mouse?!" Taiga, probably

It seems we're back to unseasonably warm weather for the foreseeable future though. Our mountain top has no snow on it for the first time in months!

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Nice shot for size comparison back in December at the vet's. Kenai was cocking his head because there
was a pig out of his line of sight

Taiga is adjusting just fine to this though, fully accepting her new role of digging-dog instead of snow-playing dog.

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The flat ridge along the right fading to center of the photo is where I live! My house is out of view though.

All the same, I thought it would be fun to share a huge dump of winter photos of Taiga, Kenai, and our winter wonderland. I've been wanting to share some of these for ages, but - beyond Instagram - I've been pretty lazy with all things social media. #sorrynotsorry

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Bold as brass on the ski lift...back before we had snow lol

Enjoy a peak into our little slice of paradise.

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Getting some spring water as we climb 3-mile to Bald Knob
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Water?
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Smiles for days with this guy <3
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Dave shredding it up coming down Weiss Knob
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As Jan's husband noted, it looks like someone erased half of my dog
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The detail a cell phone camera can capture these days amazes me
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NYE with these ladies! Lyra and her mini me. Austen and I pre-margaritas, post-egg nog
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Kenai and Lyra do not want to be associate with us. Taiga is too young to know better...
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But the older dogs are much happier when the young one is being embarrassed!
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Lyra would. not. look. at. me. Cheeky bitch.
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But like. Seriously. This. This is my backyard.
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Weeee!
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It was SO cold the morning we went to take these. I think it was -8°F before windchill...
and that was warm!
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The happiest guy <3
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So casual
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Queen of her kingdom - her breeder LOVED this photo
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Wandering back to the house because we couldn't feel our fingers any more
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This is what it looks like after your brother mauls you into a snow bank
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Yeehaw!
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Temperature? -3°F Windchill? -29°F Balmy!
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Hikes up the mountain
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He was posed so perfectly FACING me between these birches, but no, couldn't hold that pose
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Dave sent me this one morning <3
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Mount Porte Crayon vista from our ridgetop
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My redbud tree in her winter best
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Rime ice is my favorite <3
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The side eye is strong with this one
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So demure
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Kenai surveying his kingdom (and Taiga, he doesn't have two tails lol)
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The number of photos I'll have of this field by the time I die will be infinite. I just love it.
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Playing. Forever playing.
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She is beauty!
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She is grace?
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This sunset was freaking phenomenal.
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Training weekend #1
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A coworker's shot of the training - I'm the one with the blue hood turned facing the camera.
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My endurance mentor's friends came to ski for a weekend, so I showed them around all day on their second day of skiing
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Taiga helping me close the mountain one evening
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"Can we run more now?"
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Kenai had a lot of fungal baths during the month of January to help us try to
figure out what is going on with his hair. Taiga stood by as moral support.
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Still the most handsome
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And he knows it
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Blep.
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Bounding after big brother
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Like so.
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On a mission.
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A serious mission
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I love these big maple trees <3
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The wreath I made at the end of November is hanging in there!
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"Woman, let me in." Kenai, definitely.
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A Taiga Loaf!
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Her favorite thing to do at the barn is root around in the mud.
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Training weekend #2 with my favorite patrol mentor. He's in front in these shots and I'm behind.
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We had so much fun
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Look at those smiles. Even if I couldn't see a damn thing (fogged up goggles on my forehead and eyes closed in this shot)
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Tongue out happiness
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In her kingdom
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More rime ice
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One of the hawthorne groves
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In amongst the hawthornes
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Spy Taiga?
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My favorite shot of them this winter <3
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Pastels thrown by the light of the setting sun
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Purple mountain's majesty.
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Home <3 If you look closely you can see big snowflakes in the winter my mom made us a couple years ago!
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The field. And rime ice trees. Again.
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Back porch view
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Beautiful golden hour lighting. Everything turns a beautiful peachy shade.

32 comments:

  1. Just... damn. Wow.
    Your photos, your dogs, all of it. Love.

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  2. OMG so beautiful. I love dog media dumps and is there anything more majestic than a husky in wintertime?? Thanks for sharing! There were lots I hadn't seen on Instagram!

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    Replies
    1. I didn't want to overwhelm instagram haha

      There are so many more that I didn't even share here!

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  3. Taiga <3! She's getting so big...so much fun to see her grow up and mature. It looks like she's getting darker as she gets older?

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    Replies
    1. Guard hairs are certainly darker than they were! Huskies can vary slightly in coloring from winter to summer, so I'm interested to see what she'll be. She was born black and white then faded to a dove grey, but we knew her adult coat would be different...somehow. She seems to have settled on grey and white and thus has been registered as such! Can't wait to see how she evolves.

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  4. 😍😍😍😍 I just. Wow. I could maybe be persuaded to like winter if I lived where you are haha. Although my dachshunds would never enjoy it like Kenai and Taiga 😉

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    Replies
    1. My neighbor's dachshunds burrow! It's hilarious.

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    2. When they were younger they had more fun in the snow. Now they're mostly grumpy old guys and you have to kind of push them out the door to go potty in inclement weather 😂

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  5. Taiga looks more and more like Lyra every day, and I love it! Can't wait to get those two queens together again (well, and to see you as well of course 😉)!

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    Replies
    1. Psh, I know how it is, HI KENAI! HI TAIGA! HI GRIFFIN! HI Q! HI STAN! Oh, Hi Liz. lmao And I don't expect any less!

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  6. I could've scrolled through those all day. Gorgeous.

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  7. Gorgeous. When we moved to WI we embraced it and learned to snow shoe (not hard to learn) so we could not be miserable. Winter has so much beauty to it.

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    Replies
    1. It really, really does. The limited color scheme dominated by white is just so striking.

      I've been snowshoeing for the first time ever this winter. It's so fun!!

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  8. I do not like cold nor ice nor snow but I do love all your photos and the happiness that pours out of them!! :) Your dogs are so photogenic!! Great photos. thank you for sharing!! it made my day on a shitty work day where people be batshit crazy :) HA!

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    Replies
    1. Oh no! Tell those people to go home until they can be normal! Boo on them.

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  9. You live in the most beautiful place in the world!! Love these photo posts <3

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  10. soooo much puppy fun!!!!!! and snowwww!!!!

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    Replies
    1. So much snow! Well, until it rained inches and inches.

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  11. I think that was the longest photo post ever and I LOVED every one of them! You do such a great job, maybe without even realizing it, showing people the beauty that is WEST VIRGINIA! Way I'm so happy the world is working in your favor these days. Seeing my friends happy brings me great joy as well.

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    Replies
    1. Hard not to want to show off this state when I live where I do!

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  12. Thank you for sharing the beauty that surrounds you! I can never get enough of these photos.

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