December Rain

2013 ended up being the driest year we have experienced in Washington State, although, neither one of us would call it a dry year (after living so long in Phoenix, how could you?).  Watching the weather portion of the news last night, they reported that Seattle received 5" under our normal for the entire year.  However, since 2012 was the 7th wettest year on record, we figure we are still at average, or above average -- generally speaking.  Lucky for us, everything is still green and lush.  Jared thinks we'll "pay" for the dry year, but Kristina thinks we already have.  :)

December followed suit for us in Woodinville.  Our rain total was 3.39" when the reported average was 5.43".  However, this did not keep the fireworks from going off last night. As is typical for the area of Woodinville that we live in, fireworks were going off until the early morning hours and the fireworks didn't seem to cause any problems with fire in the area -- a testament of how it is still pretty wet around here.

Good-bye 2013 and Welcome 2014!

Day After Christmas Hike -- Twin Falls

The day after Christmas was dry, but a bit foggy in Woodinville.  We never did escape the fog on Christmas Day, so we decided to try and find a hike where there was less fog for the day after Christmas.  Jared decided on the Twin Falls Trailhead in Ollalie State Park.  It is a very accessible trailhead (not far from Seattle at all), but we decided since it was only in the mid-30's that not many people would be hiking.  Well, there were a fair number of people and dogs on the trail after all, but it wasn't overly packed.  We definitely wouldn't want to hit it on a summer day.

Since there are waterfalls involved, a river needs to be included as well.  In this case, we got to check out the Upper Snoqualmie Watershed.  There is supposed to be some good fly fishing in this area, so we took some pictures of the map so we can check it out later in the spring.

Here was a pretty pool of clear water.  We could imagine that it might be a pretty decent swimming hole on a nice day.

We couldn't get any closer to this Fir tree, but just trust us when we say it was HUGE!  It is always amazing to see these BIG, OLD trees!

The hike to the waterfalls was actually really fast -- especially when you have a high speed dog leading the way.  The round-trip hike was only 3 miles, so we were at the top in no time whatsoever.  It was a nice view and really picturesque waterfall.  Lots of really nice pools at the bottom of each of the falls.

If you look closely, you can tell that the sun did come out, but it was mostly blocked by the mountains on this hike.  Having a dry day was more important than having full sun...while the hike was chilly in the beginning, once you start hiking up, you warm up in no time.  It was quite funny to see how many dogs on the trails had sweaters on to keep warm...

However, not our dog...she went swimming -- several times.  We took her down to the river so she could get a drink and she did a complete body immersion every time.  She made us shiver by just watching her dunk her complete body.  Neither one of us were brave enough to test the water, but since it was only 37 degrees (air temperature), you know that water was cold.  She was perfectly happy though -- it was a good day for her because she not only go to go hiking, but she went swimming!

Making Cinnamon Rolls

After we finished up opening presents, Kristina got right to work on creating some cinnamon rolls.  She had made the dough the day before, so it was just waiting for her in the refrigerator.

Here she is rolling the dough out.  Since it was in the refrigerator, it was a bit springy, but she eventually go it all rolled out into a nice rectangle.

After getting the dough rolled out, the next step is BUTTER.  To get that ooey, gooey cinnamon roll, you will need a lot of butter.  This is not a low calorie item, this is that once in a while splurge item.

Cinnamon and sugar mixture is next -- and again, you will need a lot to get the ooey, gooey cinnamon roll!

We both love raisins, so Kristina always makes at least one pan with lots of raisins for us.

Now it is time for the roll...it is a somewhat tedious job because you need to make sure it stays tight and you want to try and keep as much of your "fillings" inside the roll.  It takes a bit of patience, but the end result is one long log.

Next she sliced them up and placed them into buttered pans.  They rise a bit longer on the counter while you make the other pans, and this is how they look prior to going into the oven.  You don't want to crowd them too much otherwise they won't bake through completely and you don't want raw dough!

Here's the finished product...and boy they are good!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  We had a great Christmas morning; we had no agenda or schedule to do anything, it was just a nice day to enjoy.  Here is a shot of the Christmas tree all lit up with packages ready to go.

Here's a nice fireplace shot...we spend a lot of time in front of the fireplace enjoying the warmth and just relaxing.  We always joke about how re-doing the fireplace was the best money we ever spent.  :)

Indy's stocking was overflowing with gifts from Santa.  She woke up bright and early on Christmas morning -- just like a little kid would have done.  And as you can see from the photos below, she was ready to get things started!

There were definitely some items of interest in that stocking of hers.  She started checking it out immediately, and ultimately had that look, "Well, what are we waiting for?".

As you can see Santa spoiled Indy.  We think she had a pretty good Christmas too.  She hadn't even opened her presents from under the tree yet...and just look at that smile!

First Snow in the Lowlands of 2013

Last winter we were lucky (in our opinion), we didn't get any snow in the lowlands.  There was plenty of snow in the mountains, but as far as the general Seattle area, we had no accumulations.  That being said, we had plenty of snow our past winter seasons, so it was a nice change.

Plus, Kristina's workplace is at the top of a great big hill that is never plowed, or treated in any way.  And as far as the roads in general, since we live out in rural Woodinville, we are often the last to get roads plowed, if ever.

However, we woke up this morning, there was a decent amount of accumulation at our house.  These pictures were taken when it wasn't quite done yet.  In the end, it looked like we ended up with 2-3" of snow. The rain came in shortly afterwards and melted a lot of it.  When it was all said and done, we had about 0.9" of precipitation in our rain gauge on the back deck.

This is a hot from the back door looking over the yard.  

Our back door looking towards the pathway to the trail...you can see Indy footprints already in the snow. She doesn't at all mind the snow.

Looking at the sky, you could tell that more snow would be coming...

It also made for a slow morning.  We had to let the cars warm up a bit and brush the snow off them.  Lucky for us, there was no ice underneath and it was a pretty quick thaw.

Looking toward the mailbox in the cul de sac.  The trees always looks so wintry when it snows.  But you can tell it didn't snow too much because there are still pieces of grass poking through the snow.

By the time Kristina got home on Friday, a lot of it had melted into slush.  We weren't sure that the weather would do, so she went ahead and shoveled the entire driveway and all of the walkways!  What a wife!  By the time we woke up Saturday morning, most of the snow was gone -- only a few piles of snow remained and they were melting.

November Rain

November rain totals were 4.34" for us in Woodinville.  This was less rain than we have experienced for past Novembers in Woodinville.  Weather.com tells us that typically we receive almost 6", so our gut feeling was right.  We're not complaining though -- everything is still green, except for the trees that have lost all of their leaves.  Overall, things seem pretty lush.  Time will only tell what kind of winter we have...