Vacations are Grand

Vacations are Grand

Horse drawn Sleigh Ride on Mt. Hood 

Chiara having a blast on the sleigh ride

Over winter break, Ben and I were able to escape the frozen taiga to the balmy lower 48 to see our families.  The moment we stepped out of the plane in Portland, we immediately rejoiced at feeling 40 ABOVE zero while being outside. I could feel my skin delightedly drinking up the moisture in the air.  It was raining and I do believe we were the only people getting off that plane incredibly excited about that fact.  We hadn’t seen a drop of rain for over 3 months, which for me, was the longest I have ever gone in my whole life.  Between growing up in Oregon and then moving to the rainforest of Southeast Alaska, rain was a constant.  We must admit, we didn’t miss the rain terribly for the first few months, but as the rain touched our skin in Portland, it felt very much like being welcomed home. 

The cruel irony of our trip to Oregon and Colorado was that while we were gone, Delta Junction experienced a heat wave.  We left with temperatures stubbornly hovering at 30 and 40 below zero.  The day after our departure, though, the warm Southern winds blew into Delta bringing above zero temperatures for the first time in a month.  We had to laugh while we were in Colorado experiencing colder weather than the current temperatures in Delta.  We found it oddly similar to trips taken out of Sitka where suddenly the rainy skies would depart and sunshine would blast the land for the duration of our time away.  Meanwhile, we were always getting rained on somewhere else in the country.  Mother Nature must be a jokester. 

Ben and I had a wonderful time with the Clark and Buck clans.  We are both so incredibly fortunate to have such amazing, loving families.  Between games, feasts, and winter outings, many memories were created that will last us until the next family get-together! Even though it didn’t seem possible, our nephews and nieces are getting cuter and more wonderful with age!  Spending time with them was definitely a highlight of the trip.  We were also able to catch up with my aunts, uncles, cousins, and cousin-in-laws as my Aunt Patty and Uncle John graciously hosted the ever growing family!  In addition to family, we were also fortunate to squeeze in time to see a few friends while down South.  Sarah, Jill, Emily, Aaron, Matt (surprise visit!), Zach, and Jess reminded us that time with good friends always goes too quickly.  We miss everyone already!

 

Hike with my parents in the Columbia Gorge



Thankfully, the warmer temperatures in Delta didn’t leave the instant we returned like we half expected.  Rather the winds continued to whip through town, making the ambient temperature much more bearable.  Unfortunately the wind chill made the weather still quite impossible to be outside in, but at least we didn’t have to worry about our cars starting. 



Lucy on Mt. Hood



Today, it is a balmy 0 degrees and dropping.  I am taking advantage of the mild weather to fill our water tank because it is supposed to plummet back down to 20 or 30 below tomorrow and continue the cold streak for at east the near future.  We are looking forward to my parents visiting in a month.  We commend them for planning a trip during the coldest month of the year!  Also, Happy Birthday to my sister, Megan!   I hope Mary and Lucy are busy making a beautiful troll birthday cake for you!

It was great to be home for Christmas!


P.S. More pictures coming soon.....