Post-Thanksgiving

WOW...I sure missed all of you over Thanksgiving, though we had a fabulous time in Oregon. Alex, Colin and I traveled up to the thriving metropolis of Chiloquin, Oregon. At nearly 4500 feet, it's quite snowy and cold; the air crisp and clean.

We attempted to drive to Crater Lake, alas the snow plow had broken down and we were only able to get to the visitor center. I was sad, but the drive just to that point was amazingly beautiful.

The next day we went sledding at Annie Creek with the Campbell's (Tom,Sue,Nancy,Rowan,Maya,Alex,Colin & myself) and Clayton's (Emily,Derek,Leah,Adam,Reid). Right next to the sledding hill was a snow shelter. Actually it was more like a giant log cabin. It was equipped with a fabulous wood stove and kept us toasty while we had a Thanksgiving day hotdog cookout for lunch.

The most exciting event of our trip was that Trude (Tom & Sue's dog) was quilled by a porcupine and although Sue expertly yanked most of the quills out with needle nose pliers, Trude still had to be sedated at the vet for the last quill. Trude herself was quite a trooper! Both the dogs were sprayed by skunks and Rudy still smells to high heaven! Ugg.

The wildlife we saw on our trip was quite amazing - Elk, Antelope, Bald Eagles (Alex saw these), Porcupine (actually not seen, except for the quills), Skunk (smelled, but not seen), Egrets, and many Red Tailed Hawks.

I was blessed to spend the holidays with the Campbell/Clayton clan and Colin had the time of his life with his cousins. BUT...I missed the St.Marie clan and I'm looking forward to Christmas where we will most certainly be together.