Ruffed Grouse ...

January 14, 2017

This Ruffed Grouse ... spent a few days ...

out in front of our house ...

nibbling on the buds on the Saskatoon Bush ...

We were able to watch it's activities ... from the picture window in our living room ...

Love seeing the wildlife close to the house ...

 

Forever in Our Hearts ...

 

I was surprised and touched to see these Rocky Mountain Bluebirds ...

this late in the season ... on October 13, 2016 ...

This was the first time they had stopped ... for a few days ...

at our home on their migration south ...

I felt my sister would have loved this beautiful bird ...

her favourite colour was blue ...

 

Holidays Begin ...

 

December 21, 2016

Love how the lights glisten in the quiet of the evening ...

Waking up to a beautiful sunrise early in the morning ...

watching as the day begins ...

Gazing out the window ... seeing a herd of elk ... foraging in the field ...

It just doesn't get any better than this ... how blessed we are ... !!!

 

December 22 & 23, 2016

We spent the afternoon in town ...

getting some the last minute shopping finished ...

before heading to the airport ... to pick up Rob & Cindy ...

They were spending Christmas with our family ...

We had a quiet evening ... relaxing ... watching a football game ...

As of tomorrow ... the quietness ends ...

Nathan and his family arrived around dinner time the next day ...

It took them a little longer to get here ... as it had been snowing ...

and there was a lot of traffic on the roads ...

We had a great time visiting ... playing cards ... and just chilling out ...

and wondering how much snow would be on the ground ... for all of us to play in ...

the next day ...

Craig ... James and Ella were so excited ... !!!

(so was grandma .... !!!)

 

 

 

Gluten Free Baking ...

December 13, 2016

It was going to be another busy baking day ...

hoping to get it all done today ...

This batch of gingerbread boys are going to be gluten free for Daigen ...

This flour mix is the best I have found ...

you can use any recipe as the quantity needed is cup for cup ...

The dough was prepared and put in the refrigerator to set ... for a few hours ...

Next on the agenda was going to be the Meringue cookies ...

made with chopped pecans ... chocolate chips and crushed candy canes ...

Sugar ... cream of tarter ... and vanilla were added ...

then whipped until stiff ...

All the other ingredients were folded in ...

 

A teaspoon of the mixture was placed on the cookie sheet ...

and placed in the oven at a low temperature ... baked until they were lightly browned and dry ...

This cookies melt in your mouth ... and are one of my favourites ...

It was time to take a break ... from working with cookies ...

As I was cleaning up the dishes ... looking out the window ...

I noticed that a few elk had arrived ... foraging for food ...

They have been bedding down in the field overnight night the last few days ...

The gingerbread men would still take another hour in the fridge ...

before the dough would be ready to roll out and bake ...

Thought I would finish up with writing our Christmas cards ...

to be mailed within the next few days ...

 

 

Getting Chores Done ...

September 27, 2016

This morning was spent with ... "apples" ...

thought it would be the perfect day to make applesauce ...

I like to pre-freeze the sauce in individual containers ...

then pop them out and pack them into vacuum sealer bags ... there is always room in the freezer ...

for these small packages ...

When needed ... the discs serving is enough for our meals ...

 

 

September 28, 2016

Once again ... looking out the kitchen window ...

a flock of wild turkeys were out on the grass ...

My first thought was ... "where were you turkeys?" ...

when Nathan and his buddies were here hunting for these birds ...

I did send Nathan a picture ... and he had said the same thing ...

in wondering where they were ...

They are smart these birds ... thinking they must read the hunting regulations ... !!!

It was such a beautiful day ... to head down to the garden ...

and get some fresh potatoes ... for our dinner ...

These were the red skinned potatoes ... an early variety ...

I was also pleased to see a few worms ... working the soil ...

 

September 29, 2016

There was still a tray full of plums ... to be dealt with ...

Today two batches of plum jam were made ...

one batch of sugar-free jam for Mike ...

and a traditional one for others ...

These plums were so sweet and delicious ...

a few were consumed while preparing the jam ...

The weather was supposed to be nice in the afternoon ...

so it was decided to close up the swimming pool ...

It was also time for the hot tub to be emptied and fresh water put in ...

Once the hot tub was emptied and scrubbed clean ... and the pool vacuumed ...

we proceeded to empty the pool water into the hot tub ...

That's our way of recycling the water ...

When the hut tub was full ... we drained the pool ... to the level needed for winterization ...

All the pool accessories ... ladder ... solar panels etc. were cleaned and put away ...

The winter cover was placed ... the filter cleaned and all the lines blown out ...

Ready for the next season ...

 

 

September 30, 2016

The sun was shining ...

and it was time to get a few more loads of firewood ...

into the wood shed ...

We were excited to see how our new log splitter would perform ...

It was amazing ... while Mike was cutting the logs ...

I was splitting and loading it into the truck ...

When Mike was finished cutting ...

we worked together splitting and loading ...

 

 

It didn't take us long to get a couple loads of wood ...

The nights were getting cooler ... we needed to spend some time filling up the wood shed now ...

We both had mentioned that we miss our cousins Klaus and Resi ...

who were here visiting from Austria last year ...

and helped with getting firewood and filling the woodshed early ...

We're just a little behind ... because we're out enjoying life ... travelling and fishing ...

 

 

 

Waiting For Oma ...

September 4, 2016

Mike ... Nathan and the kids were needing a break ...

It was time to jump in the pool and play ...

Ella wanted to show everyone how she could swim with her Mermaid Tail ...

After a while of swimming ...

they all jump into the hut tub to relax ...

and waiting for Oma & Joe to arrive for dinner ... 

Finally Oma and Joe made it ... Oma's request for dinner was BBQ'd steak ...

and all the fixings ...

I can tell you that no one else minded either ...

 

Another surprise for Ella ... 

Oma & Joe brought a DQ ice cream cake for her Birthday ...

Ella was also thrilled to receive some cash in her card ...

She's one lucky little girl ...

 

After spending time with Oma & Joe ... before they left for home ...

The kids wanted to have a fire in the fire pit ...

and roast some marshmallows ...

I couldn't believe that they still had any room in their tummies for more food ...!!!

  September 5, 2016

Craig had found Nathan's old battery operated toy truck with many wheels...

this crawler truck would go up and down stairs ...

and as you can see ...

it even drove over Ella ...

Nathan was enjoying having a turn playing with it ...

While Nathan and the kids were getting ready to head back home ... after a busy fun weekend ...

I was out on the back deck ...

gathering all the swimming gear ... when I approached the Mermaid Tail ...

a beautiful dragonfly was resting on it ...

Of course ... it was a perfect photo opportunity for me ... 

the kids eventually came to see the dragonfly ...

We had a great ... busy weekend ... !!!

Mike and I were so ready to sit back and relax now ...

 

 

 

Down to the Garden ...

August 7, 2016

Today we were heading down to the garden ...

I wanted to check out the potato boxes ...

to see how the potatoes were growing ... Mike opened up one of the boards ...

and there in front of us ... were a few potatoes ...

They were growing ... !!!

We picked a few and left the rest to continue growing ...

I continued working in the garden ...

so much produce to be gathered ...

Love this time of year ... !!!

This was my first time ...

growing yellow zucchini ...

They are ready to be picked ... the apples are ripening nicely ...

and the spaghetti squash are getting bigger too ...

What a difference a few hours make ...

a beautiful clear sunny morning ...

turned to a cloudy dark sky with a torrential downpour ...

washing the gravel down the road ...

leaving a large puddle at the bottom of the driveway ...

The rain had stopped ...

and the deer moved into the yard ... to munch of the moist grass ...

I enjoyed watching the fawn ... frolicking around ...

It was time to make dinner ...

tonight we were going to have bread dumplings with baked chicken legs ...

and Oma's homemade Cabbage Salad ... yummy ...!!!

It was quite a day ...

 

 

Heading Out ...

August 3, 2016

We decided to go fishing this day ...

needing a day to relax ...

I thought I would check the Robins' nest ...

only to find that the last egg did not hatch ...

It's amazing where these birds build their nests ...

It was a beautiful day out on the lake ...

plus having another successful fishing day ...

We enjoyed every moment cruising up and down the lake ...

having our picnic lunch on the boat and chillin' ...

 

 

Our Secret Adventure ...

May 29, 2016

We were so excited this day ...

Horst had an adventure day planned ... no one knew where we were going ...

He had acquired a van (mini school bus) ... to take all of us on this secret journey ...

Christian and Christine came and picked us up at Klaus's house ...

and Horst went to pick up Oma and Tante Paula ...

We all met at the house ... hopped into the bus ... and we were on our way ...

We traveled out of town ...

and crossed over the Autobahn to an area ... Aurach am Hongar ...where we could see Laakirchen ...

we were able to see the paper mill in the distance ...

then we were on our way again ...

Passing thru and capturing a picture of the Church ...

Now heading towards Shorfling ...

seeing the Kammer-Schorfling Train Station ...

This is the end of the rail tracks ... on the corner across the street ...

there is a restaurant that has a dry-docked boat sitting in the yard ...

Looks like the only way to travel now was by car or bike ...

Not sure why this boat was situated there ... !!!

 

We drove along the shores of the Attersee ... to the end of the lake ...

The area is really wonderful ... loved the colours of the lake.

We then followed a steep , narrow, winding road uphill

and arrived at Druckerhof .

"Druckerhof is a house with a past. It is situated 700 m above sea-level above the town of Unterach am Attersee. The original farmhouse is made of solid wood and is family owned since 1581.

In 1955 the road was built and the Court was expanded and rebuilt in 1962. In 1993 an addition was added to the original house The Druckerhof farm is owned by the 14th generation of the Windhager family."

Everyone out of the bus ... standing in awe ...

enjoying the view and the surroundings of this restaurant ...

Druckerhof is a wonderland area ... there a lots of trails to take a walk or hike in the area ...

One trail that will lead you to Hochmoorgebiet Egelsee ... (Moorland Lake) ...

It is a raised bog Lake from the ice age. There is also a sweet chestnut forest ...

which was planted in the Roman period or the Jubilee tree from the time of Emperor Franz Josef.

Behind the house is an enclosed area for Hirsch (Elk) ...

There is also a Petting Zoo with donkeys ... goats ... rabbits and ponies for the children ...

We enjoyed a variety of dishes ... oh my goodness ... everything was so delicious ... !!!

Thank you Christian for taking all these pictures ... !!!

We sat around having a great time ...

we were blessed to have seen two Eagles ... flying high up in the sky around us ...

for me it was a sign that Dad was near ... after all it was his birthday ...

and the only other time mom was here was with Dad many years ago ...

Oma also remembered that there was a monument on the grounds ...

honouring the mother of the Windhager family ...

 

 

 

Archery Adventure ...

May 27, 2016

A wonderful day was planned ...

Rudi and Christa came to the house to pick us up ...

to go to the Archery Club (3D BogenSchiessen) in Salzkammergut ...

to spend a few hours ... learning and shooting long bows ...

Andrea really wanted to go along and spend the afternoon with us ...

she thought it would be awesome to try it out ...

After we arrived ... and a few lessons ...

we were on our way on the trek ...

We started on this adventure ... enjoying every moment of the wilderness ...

and the challenge of hitting our targets ...

You can go to the website

Here

Translation ...

"In varied terrain, at the foot of the Grünberg at the Traunseeeastern shore, we have applied our 3D course.

A major feature is the picturesque view of the Traunsee Lake and the impressive mountain scenery.

28 stations spread out over 7 hectares on demanding and landscaped paths.

The line runs through a quaint, almost untouched forest.

Over small streams, the partly hilly terrain offers original and really firing positions.

There is a small but nice loading Court available for warming up and practicing.

Gasthof Hoisn, which connects directly to the course serves culinary delicacies from the region, and offers the possibility to stay at the same time."

After our wonderful experience ...

we went to the restaurant ... Gasthaus Hois'n wirt ...

enjoying a light lunch ...

cold plate of luncheon meat, vegetables with an oil and vinegar dressing ...

served with a variety of fresh bread and pretzels ...

Andrea decided an ice cream Sunday was a better choice for lunch ...

We had a great time playing this afternoon ...

We were driven back to Klaus and Resi's ...

to get ready for our next outing with Rudi and Christa ...