Paper paper everywhere...

It only took 3 tries to get this layout right. Talk about frustrating! I've wanted to scrap this photo for a while and finally got around to scanning and copying it. Thumbing through the MME Wild Asparagus Stack, I knew there had to be a piece of paper in there---somewhere---to go with this photo. I ended up pulling out 3 sheets, all vintage-y, but totally different in color, pattern, warmth. I decided to go with the last paper. It was more feminine than the others but still had the antique-y quality I was looking for. I like keeping the heritage LOs simple and light so I try not to "overdo-it" with tons of embellishments. Anyhoo, here t'is:

These "vintage babes" are my grandmother, Geneva (in the carriage) and her aunt Irene, who was all of 8 yrs old at the time. I'm not sure if my great great-grandparents planned on having a fifth child, but I'm sure they saw her as a blessing. Irene's mother, Mary, was 43 when she gave birth in 1901 and her last child, Lena, had been born in 1888. Sadly, Lena died in 1907 at the age of 19 from influenza. Even though they were aunt and niece, I think my grandmother and Irene enjoyed a big sister/little sister type of relationship. Meme talked often of Irene and always looked forward to her visits. Hard to imagine, but these two lived to be old ladies! Irene died in 1986 and my grandmother in 1993.

I love everything about this picture: the plank sidewalk, the rocking chair in the background, Irene's hairstyle and bow, my grandmother's sweet little face, the crocheted trim on the pillow that propped her up, their dresses, and Irene's sort-of half-smile. It's a just glimpse of an uncomplicated, simple time!

I had a nightmare the other night...

in the middle of my usual six hours of broken sleep. All this cold air is affecting my brain. I woke up and I was 100% positive that when I turned on the WeatherChannel, our local temp would read -39 degrees. Yes, that's right -39 degrees. I expected the pipes to burst any minute. I also figured that the rabbit (in the basement) would have succumbed to the cold. Fortunately, when I checked the news at 5:30 am, it was only -25 degrees. The pipes and rabbit were not harmed.

Our plans to do a quick local hike were dashed since breathing in cold air like that not fun. And the Blazer wouldn't turn over. Bummer. I guess it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps Monaday will be a better day. It should warm up to the mid 20's...woohoo! A heat wave!

Score card: Jack Frost: 1, Us: O

Greetings from Wright Peak!

My first official winter High Peak...finally! The weather conditions were perfect---when we left the Loj, it was about 15 degrees and the snow finally tapered off. Nothing but blue skies and fresh air!

We hiked with a new "old" friend on this trip to Wright---Pete V. accompanied us. He and his wife went to Africa last April on a safari. We found out that Pete climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro---wow wow wow! He is also a 46er, so between him and Brian, I was in good company.

Anyways, I was shuffling along at my usual snail's pace. I had my Jimmy Dean breakfast and oj in the car on the way up. It's not something I would normally eat, but I thought the 19 grams of fat would give me sufficient fuel to begin the hike. I did okay starting out, but I think I pulled a groin muscle on Saturday's snowshoeing mini-hike. After about 1.5 miles, my right groin area was so sore. I took a few Ibuprofen and kept chugging away.

I don't know what time it was when we made it to the junction, but we had our lunch, took a pee break, and suited up. We had passed a hiker about 45 minutes before this. He said we would probably want to wear crampons to the summit and that it was really windy. He had done it in snowshoes, but recommended crampons. Anyhoo, after getting the crampons on, we hung our bags on the tree and headed up. It was nice not having that extra weight and made that .4 of a mile a pleasure.

Brian and Pete took the lead. As usual, I took a couple of breathers on the way up. I managed to get a little bit of a second wind as we headed to the rocky part of the summit. It was surreal being up there because we were in the clouds. I thought it would be like Algonquin, bone chilling cold and very gusty. Wright was different. It was a little calmer, not as cold and certainly worth the effort. Brian got some terrific pics of Iroquois and Algonquin in the background and the close up of the snowflakes on a branch.

The trip out was uneventful. I did stop a few times...ok several times. My toe warmers had stopped working, making it very uncomfortable to step. It felt like I had pieces of slate under the balls of my feet! We made it back to the parking lot...safe, sound and sore--->me, not them, LOL!