Hubbs and I got to take off for the day yesterday and enjoy another day of snow wheeling. We headed off and meet up with some other club members and a few other friends for a day on Iron Mountain. The snow wasn't as great as it was last Monday but it was still a great day in the snow.

Hubbs and good friend Jason's Rigs. When I jumped out the snow was up to my thighs.

Pretty snow covered Bush. The snow looked like it was decoration for Christmas.

Pretty snow covered trees.

Hubbs was having a good time.

And then we got stuck. It was off camber and I have to admit that I got scared and had to get out. I'm really scared of the truck rolling over so when it gets off camber I get out.

I tried to ride Marlon's snow shovel down the hill since no one remembered to bring a sled for the kids (i.e. me).

The views were, of course, amazing.

And at the end of the day it was all topped off with a little lasagna, some garlic bread and some white wine.

It was a great day and I would have loved to stay out longer but as usual work got in the way. We had to come home and great ready for work today.

I'm still working on reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. I never seem to get more then 10 pages read before I drop off to sleep each night. I'm going to start taking the book to work with me so I can read it on the train in the morning and afternoon and also on my lunch breaks. Hopefully I can get a little further into the story. So far it's a great one. I'm not even 100 pages into it and all ready there has been a great escape by one of the main characters, Eliza. The other slaves and the lady of the farm are helping her escape by keeping the man that is looking for her off the roads by delaying his departure from the farm. Some of the hi jinks that the other slaves do to keep him from leaving is pretty funny. Seems like even though people at that time thought that slaves were stupid and unable to learn, these slaves are smarter then the slave hunter. They pull some pretty good practical jokes on him. Can't wait to see how it's going to turn out.

There has been knitting. I've finished up one sock and am about half way through the second sock. I'm sure I'll be posting up pictures of the 18th pair of socks that I've done this year.

Right now I'm also working on a list of things that I'd like to accomplish for the next year. The list is pretty short right now, but I'm hoping to have at least 5 things on the list before new years. I don't normally do new years resolutions but I think it's good for me to have a list of goals that I want to accomplish every year. Most of them are just for my personal betterment and are meant to challenge me. I never vow to lose weight (but it's always a goal) or to donate time or money. These are things I'd like to do but I need smaller goals. I like to think my list is also open ended. I can add goals as I go or decide that one isn't something that I want to pursue. I'll be sure to post my goals here. It helps keep me on track and honest about it, even though the only person I have to be honest about it with is myself.

Hubbs and I decided to take an extra day off yesterday and headed up to the first snow of the season. We had a major storm roll in on Sunday and the area has been totally blanketed in snow. We had a few fat flakes here at our house that stuck for a while but is wasn't substantial. We're at about 23 feet above sea level here so we knew it wasn't going to be much. But it was enough for us to decide to play hooky from work and head for the mountains. This is the road in front of our friends house in Shingle Springs. Their house looked like a Christmas cottage with all the snow. I almost expected Mrs. Claus to greet me at the door with cookies and cocoa.

Winter Wonderland but there were trees down all over the place. There was so much snow in so short a time that it cracked huge trees, sending limbs and whole trees all over the place.

So pretty.

On the Second dam. The snow was just powder and up to my knees.

In my brand new jacket that we just bought on Saturday on a whim. Thank goodness we did, it was perfect.

Hubbs had a great time.

Nick found a huge mud hole under all that snow. Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive.

A bunch of rigs all lined up to help recover a vehicle that went off the road, rolled twice and landed (on its wheels) at the bottom of a 40 foot ravine.

Some blue sky that last for a bout 5 min's before it started to dump more snow on us.

Our rig.

I convinced Hubbs to shake a tree he was standing under. It resulted in a huge "avalanche" of snow off the tree that coated Hubbs and left him with a white goatee. It was too funny. I couldn't believe he went for it. I have to thank Nick for his participation in egging Hubbs to shake the tree. I don't think he would have done it if it had just been me.

Huge granite bolders covered in snow.

The sun setting behind a very snow tree.

It was a really great day. Totally worth staying home from work for. Tonight we're headed off to the Metallica concert. It's my first rock concert and I'm so excited for it. I just need to get in a nap this morning and then run some errands before Hubbs gets home at 4pm.