Snowshoeing?

On President's Day we decided to go snowshoeing with our friends Kati and Jeff. I'm not sure why we thought that we would even NEED snowshoes considering the way this winter has gone. After trecking over mud patches and packed snow, walking like those people at the pool who think they are snorkling in Hawaii and so wear flippers, we finally stashed our rented snowshoes safely in a bush.

We saw mossicles...

 Crossed bridges (which in showshoes is harder than it looks)

 Enjoyed mountain vistas

Found the biggest icicle ever

Listened to the babbling, icy brook

 And felt that it was, afterall, a great day off.

What's Its Story?

This old truck has been on the Ranch for as long as I can remember. It moves from place to place, a little more orange paint showing under the green from year to year. And I wonder. What's its story?  I like to imagine that it has had numerous adventures  bumping over dusty roads in some far-off place, carrying a truckload of weary road workers maybe, or being drafted and painted army green.

 The windshield wipers, almost invisible among the icicles, are manual. From inside you wipe them back and forth, back and forth. I'd hate to get stuck in a rain or snowstorm...

Whatever the story, this old truck, just like "Lazarus" the old tractor, will always surface somewhere in my memories of the Ranch. The rust and the peeling paint add such character to the old thing. I almost expect it to smile with buck teeth and say, "Hey, I'm Mater. You know, like Tow Mater?"