Happy New Year

What happened to 2010?! I can't believe how quickly it flew by. I'd like to say that it is because Adam and I have been so busy, but I can't ignore the fact that years do seem to pass more quickly as we grow older.

To be honest, New Years has never really been that big of a deal for either of us. We don't go to New Years Eve parties, we have no "Bringing in the New Year" rituals, we don't make New Years resolutions and we have a hard time staying awake until midnight. Actually, I suppose that is only partially true. Adam once made a resolution to never make a resolution, and so far, he's kept it! The most significant impact New Years has on me is that fact that it takes me until March to remember to write the correct date in my check book.

Nevertheless, I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful 2011. May your year be mosquito, gnat and weed free. May it be filled with stunning, refreshing, summer thunderstorms, lush, plentiful gardens and amazing home-made, shell station chowder. May your commute be clear of rocks, ice, deer and late-to-work crazies and may we all take the time to enjoy the beauty around us that we so easily take for granted.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

If you're a performing musician or are married to one, you'll understand what I mean when I say that December is the crazy-busiest month of the year. After singing and playing in numerous concerts and directing school programs for my students, vacation has begun and I feel like I can finally slow down. I'm ready to kick back and start enjoying time with family and friends; exchanging gifts and eating too much food; watching movies and sleeping in. 

A very warm Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope that you also have the opportunity to relax and enjoy this season. 

Mocking the Townies

I absolutely love the snow, so Saturday's big snowstorm made me giddy! I grew a little concerned, though, as the snow piled higher and higher, wondering if I was going to make it to church in the morning. On any other weekend, I probably would have just hunkered down and stayed home, but Sunday was our big Christmas program and I was singing a solo! The weather reports stated that in Wenatchee the snow would turn to freezing rain over night causing extremely slick conditions and the snow in Waterville, which had already completely buried our Jeep, didn't appear to be slowing. A friend of mine who lives up the Colockum called with similar concerns and we agreed to keep in contact with each other in case we heard anything from the church.

Sunday morning, I hadn't heard anything, but the roads in town were being plowed and I knew that Pine Canyon was probably being plowed as well, so I resolved to make the trek down the hill. Unfortunately, Adam was sick, so I was going to have to go by myself. He used what little energy he had to shovel a path and disentomb the Jeep while I was getting ready and I set off early, driving slowly, hoping I wouldn't collect any impatient drivers behind me.

Thankfully, I was able to follow a snowplow down the canyon. It was extremely slick, as I expected, but by the time I reached Orondo, the roads were bare and wet! I easily made it to church in time for our final rehearsal as did my Colockum buddy! She told me that her drive was quite scary because she and her little Subaru Forester had to literally plow their own path for miles through two feet of snow before they reached the main road below. Another friend managed to arrive on time after driving all the way from Tall Timbers in Lake Wenatchee, which apparently has about seven feet of snow! Amazingly, several of the musicians who live in town arrived late due to the weather, which, as you can imagine, prompted a hearty mocking from us out-of-towners.

Snowmobiles

Nothing says winter like the sound of snowmobiles whizzing up and down the streets of Waterville in the evening. We were told before we moved here, that snowmobiles were an essential mode of transportation in the winter. This is our fourth winter here, and so far that hasn't exactly proven to be true. The only snowmobilers I have noticed are teenagers taking advantage of tall snowplow piles and the wide-open wheat fields. I've never snowmobiled myself but being a motorcycle rider, I can just imagine how much fun it must be to open'er up and fly through acres of untouched snow.

I often wondered, as I looked at their crisscrossing tracks... Do they ask permission before carving their paths through the farmers' wheat fields? I always assumed that they must. I couldn't imagine that anyone would recreate on someone else's property without asking first. That is until Adam and I came home to a tell-tale track right through the middle of our yard! We were not amused to say the least, though we were thankful that the culprit didn't ride over our water spigot. I guess, perhaps, we're going to need to invest in a fence.

Living Above the Clouds

The other day I was reminded just how gorgeous Waterville can be in the winter. During our drive home, I noticed a small window of sky peaking through the clouds to the northeast. As we ascended Pine Canyon, the clouds thinned, and we emerged from dark, dreary, cloudiness into blindingly sunny, blue skies shining on clean, sparkly snow-covered fields. After spending a day wrapped up in a Wenatchee winter inversion it is really a breathtaking experience. I love to pull over at the top of the canyon and look down at the clouds to see how they fill every crack and crevice below, covering the valley like a huge white blanket. It's amazing the difference a couple thousand feet can make!