3rd annual yurt trip

Last weekend Jon and I headed to the Gunflint Trail with our good friends Leah and Jere for our 3rd annual yurt trip. For those of you who aren't familiar with yurts - they have long been the traditional nomadic home for Mongolians and many other Central Asians. They are easily deconstructed and moved so that nomadic people can follow their animals to different pastures. Jon and I stayed in many yurts when we were in Mongolia in 2002. This was our 3rd trip to Minnesota's version of a yurt. We go there to ski, drink beer, relax, and enjoy the solitude of the Northwoods. We accomplished that again this year with lots of skiing, several bulldogs (as evidenced by the picture of Jere) and many laughs. Thanks for kicking my butt in hearts and for the late night skis with only 3 headlights (Jon had to stumble along between us). For those of you looking for a similiar experience, look up Boundary Country Trekking and tell Ted that you are interested in the Tall Pines Yurt. Its a blast!

Lutsen at 22 degrees BELOW zero

Cold weather didn't keep this group from getting outside. Our fabulous friends, Julie and Alison, and their little boy Benjamin invited us to their Lutsen cabin on the shore of Lake Superior. Even though the mercury hovered around -20F, we had lots of adventures. Benjamin showed us his x-country skiing skills and we all took a hike to Lake Agnes on the Superior Hiking Trail. Its amazing how well 3 layers of socks kept Ben's little toes warm. We had lots of fun telling stories, dancing to Abba, building castles, digging snow tunnels, soaking in the hot tub, and freezing our faces on long downhill sections on the skis. Thank you for the great friendship and for all the laughs. You're the best!

Its official!

Well now that hunting season is over Aspen has been looking for something to fill the dark, cold days of winter. What is there to do in Red Wing in January for an energetic little creature? She tried chasing the Eagles down by the river, but that annoyed the photographers (Jon included) and the nature enthusiasts trying to enjoy the birds. So she decided to visit old people in the nursing home instead. I've posted her official badge at the Red Wing Ebenezer home. Each Tuesday evening we attach the badge to her collar and she bolts from room to room, looking for left-over food scraps, a scratch behind the ear, and a treat or two. Most of the residents adore her visits. However, a few have asked me to "get that thing out of my room". They give her lots of attention and in return she sits next to their beds and wheelchairs and provides a little bit of companionship.

Felicity update

Here's my niece over the holidays. At her age, sleeping and pooping is more exciting than Christmas presents. But who can resist that smile?

Doggie scrabble

Scrabble with Aspen can be challenging. After all, her vocabulary is pretty much limited to "treats", "kisses", "snuggle with mama", and "bad dog". Somehow Jon was hoping she would learn "stay", "whoa", "sit", "fetch", and other useful hunting phrases. Nonetheless, I have had an impact on her. So trying to form words with a limited vocabulary and 7 measly letters can be fruitless. She certainly wasn't the one who came up with "safer sex" (see the lower right corner of the board). At least I don't think that's in her vocabulary...

Let it snow...

Jon and I spent New Year's Eve in the winter wonderland of Duluth. Our friends Leah and Jere joined us for a 23km ski on the Sugarbush Trails. We were all spent! We'll have to double that distance to complete the Sibley Ski Tour in March. Our tired bodies needed nourishment after all that work...colorado bulldogs and pizza revived us. Aspen had herself a good New Year's as well. She managed to eat an entire venison steak (raw) while Jon and I were busy with other things. Her New Year's resolution is to eat her own dinner! As for Jon and I, we heard a great New Year's resolution on the radio. This was suggested by a man married 50 years. He said the secret to his marriage was doing one nice thing for his spouse each morning before he left for work. His spouse in turn, did a nice deed for him. Sometimes the deeds went unspoken but he said it started the day off on the right foot. We agreed and decided to try it too. We'll see if we make it past this week.
Happy New Year's to you all!

90 and still going strong

Christmas Eve marked the 90th birthday of Jon's grandmother Edith Coschignano. This amazing (and stubborn) Danish woman has lived on the Iron Range her whole life. She still lives alone in the home where she raised her two children. She is still as sharp as ever and we celebrated her birthday with gifts and dinner at Grandma's Restaurant in Hibbing. She recounted a funny story to us about her son Pat, who surprised her by flying in for her birthday from Colorado. Apparently he went out and bought a 6" bunt cake and then managed to cram 90 candles onto it and get all of them lit. Grandma said he had all the smoke detectors in the house going off. Still, she was proud to tell us that she blew out all 90 candles. Here's a toast to Edith...may 2008 be healthy and happy for her!