Baby, it's cold outside.

Today was the coldest day of Calvin's life.  Seriously.  This fall season has been a little strange.  Halloween was uncommonly warm this year, so it's hard to believe that he experienced snow a couple of weeks earlier than that, but he did.  Thus today's snow wasn't anything new, but it was more plentiful.  It snowed all day.  Really.  All day.  It mesmerized Calvin completely (he gets that from his mother who loves this time of the year).  Of course the ground is still too warm for it to collect in any great amount, even if the air temperature was frigid beyond early November belief, but a thin cheesecloth of snow is covering the ground as far as the eye can see.  So we did what any self respecting Michigan family would do under these cirucmstances - we canceled all our evening plans, lit a fire, and ate ice cream for dessert.  Well, Calvin didn't get his ice cream directly, but he did get to enjoy the fire directly, and he found it just as fascinating as he found the snow.  He actually stood, holding onto our coffee table, and watched the flickering of the flames for a very long time (well, upwards of 2 minutes, but that's a really long time baby minutes).

Isn't it October?

Don't worry, you didn't miss out on the Halloween fun, it isn't time to go buy the turkey, and Santa isn't at the mall yet (well, actually he might be but you'll have to talk to the money grubbing retailers about that).  No, it really truly is still October, it just doesn't look (or feel) like it.  We often talk about whether or not the first snow will come by Thanksgiving.  Sometimes we've even talked about whether or not it will shower flakes before Halloween, but this is ridiculous!  We realize that it won't stick (or, at least we're hoping), but since I have to clear the snow and ice out of the dogs' feet before they come in from the yard I think it counts.  So here is Calvin's first snow.

Bear and Peacock are friends!

I know we surprised all of you with Pudu and Capybara are friends last summer (who thought the world's smallest deer would hang out with the world's largest rodent happily?), but isn't it just as surprising that bear and peacock can hang out together?  Granted that most brown bears aren't really avid carnivores, but isn't that what we come to believe from childhood on?  Not Raspberry!  This weekend was his first trip to the zoo - Detroit, of course - and he got to witness a large population of peacocks taking refuge from the biting wind in the Grizzly Bear enclosure, complete with two bears.  Maybe there really is safety in numbers - ten peacocks, two grizzlies?

It was really fun to see all of our zoo friends again, cold weather and all.  In fact, the cold weather meant that we got to see some things we never did during the heat of summer.  The arctic fox was busy and in white for the season, and there were actually four!  All summer we thought there was just one lazy guy, but today they were all up shuffling around!  We could see the tiger's breath - that's a lot of breath!  And the wolverines were all sprawled out on their backs in little sun holes they had dug, enjoying some warmth from the now nearing sun.  Raspberry loved it.  How do we know?  He was tired the rest of the day.  We can't wait to bring him back in July or August!

A winter spa break!

Well, maybe not a real spa, but where we were was at least as good. We spent the past week at Aunt Lonnie's house, Cortney's Godmother, in Harbor Springs, and what a relaxing week it was. We shopped with aunt Lonnie for baby things in the quaint shops in Petoskey; were joined by Curtis and Patty the next day and had lunch at our favorite Petoskey sub bar, The Noggin Room; Were joined by Cortney's parents the next day and drove up to Mackinaw City for fantastic fried perch at the Keyhole bar, and picked up fudge and caramel corn while we were there; opened champagne and lots of hilarious gifts on New Year's Eve; rang in the New Year with Dick Clark wannabees; built a snowman (Curtis and Jon); enjoyed burgers at Bar Harbor in Harbor Springs; and drove to Bay Harbor for window shopping and ice cream; and spent plenty of "down time" reading, napping, and playing video games. Speaking of New Year's Eve - they added a leap second this year, did anyone notice? We're still trying to get acclimated... oh wait, maybe that's just the frustration of having to return to work, chores, and other duties after a week in a winter paradise.  Yeah, I guess that's it.

 Thank you again and again to Aunt Lonnie and to Cortney's mom and dad for a wonderful place to stay, for wonderful meals over and over, and for great company.

 Happy New Year to all!

Snow, snow, and more snow...

Well, the snow started early this morning and has only just begun to taper off, and we coudln't be happier!  When we woke up this morning large, fluffy, white flakes were filling the air, and had already added substantially to the mess of snow still in the streets from last weekend and last night, so we decided to pay hookey.  It felt like a Saturday.  We got up and turned on the now decorated Christmas tree and made our favorite weekend breakfast - eggs with cheese and bacon.  Then we putzed around in our pajamas for a while before we went out for errands in the afternoon, snow still coming down!  Luckily the right people were keeping up with the road care because we had special dinner plans with family we rarely see, plans that required a forty-five minute drive to Howell.  But all went off well, including a fabulous dinner with great conversation and lots of memories, and now are safe and sound in our warm home looking at the beauty of a winter wonderland - just in time for Steve to arrive from Seattle where he really misses the snow.