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It looks like our first non-white Christmas since moving to North Idaho.

As I had said the last post, while winter is here now, it just isn't here!

Two hours north, in the Cranbrook, Canada region, cold and snow. About two-hours east, in the Kalispell, Montana area, winter is there too with cold and snow!
This area, more like late fall continued with overcast and cloudy with temps in the low 30s at night and high 30s in the daytime. Maybe some rain in the next day or so or a trace of snow overnight to melt away with the "high" temps for what used to be normal for this time of the year.
Last week if the temps had not gone into the 40s with heavy rain by Saturday we would have some snow but the temps and the rain washed it all away.

I checked with my records from last year and on December 23rd we had gotten 4-inches of snow. Not much but still a white Christmas. Christmas Day we had heavy snow showers but not much new accumulation. This morning the low was 33 degrees with a high expected to be 36 degrees.
Sad face! I like the winters here! Stacy, not so much and the locals I've talked to are happy with the winter, lite, as it has been so far.

I know it is somewhat crazy to feel that way as I never grew up with any white Christmas, not growing up in Southern California. I guess that my Christmas brainwash of years of snow and white Christmas's are supposed to be that way is the root of the issue!
My very first white Christmas was way back in 1989 when Stacy and I went to her parent's property in Oregon near Medford and there was a lot of snow that Christmas.

Oh well, it is what it is here and the apparent new normal thanks to our climate change.

As I said last week, below is a random selection of photos taken over the year.
Starting with Christmas, 2018.



After generally lite snow most of the winter, January above, another big snowfall in February, below, of about 2-feet overnight.



Aerial via my quadcopter of the area of the main street where our offices are after the snowfall in February, 2019.  




Above, March 3rd and 5-below zero that morning!!


My hand showing the scale of Turkey tracks from an area flock that was staying nearby for a couple of months. Turkeys, the modern-day size of the Dinosaur, Velociraptor! 
Below, more tracks.



April, we decided to clear an area for a possible small house build. Above; an area picked out and below, the area cleared in early preparations. 



Above; a summer sunset in North Idaho.
Below; An early stop in Washington and on the way to Oregon on our summer trip in July 2019.




Above: Stacy sees a celebrity at the KOA along the north coast in Oregon
Below: photos from our Oregon adventures from the 2019 trip. 



A stop at the old jailhouse famous from the movie "The Goonies."



Where we stayed near Newport, Oregon above, and below, the nearby bridge of the101 Highway. 





We went to Crater lake for a couple of days too!



Then it was back to the Portland area for the last few days of the trip with day trips like this one to Multnomah Falls. 







Above: in late August we helped a friend stock up with hay for his cows. 

Below: a late summer look at our part of the area from above.





Above and below: in September we took our small two sleeper trailer for a week of conferences in the Boise area. It is ALWAYS much nicer to have your own stuff and your own room on a trip!


Below: Around Columbas Day is usually wood splitting and stacking weekend in preparation for winter.



Above: we all made a 'spooky stop' at the building we work out of for Halloween candy.


Below: and lastly, the weekend before Thanksgiving day we went to see the new edition show of the Trans Siberian Orchestra. It was again, a great experience! Just bring your earplugs!!!




Until next time! Tad

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