Trillium Lake snow adventure

We drove up to Mt. Hood on Sunday to play in the snow and tromp around Trillium Lake. It was a gorgeous day -- warm, clear blue sky, plenty of snow on the ground, plenty of space to ride sleds and play. It felt pretty magical to get out and have an adventure together. Sebastian remarked that it felt really normal, almost pre-Covid, and that was one of the best parts.

We made it to Trillium Lake and got to see Mt. Hood across the water, which was frozen solid (we did not go out to test it).

And then we were kind of tired out, so we ate some food and hiked back to the car to drive home.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving as a family, and were so grateful to have each other and our cozy home and so much delicious food. I shopped on Tuesday (Coquine came through with amazing gravy, stock, rolls, and fresh chestnuts!); baked on Wednesday (apple pie and cranberry bread); and then the whole family collaborated on the turkey dinner. Seb helped make the mashed potatoes; Liesl made cranberry sauce, set the table, and helped with the potatoes, brussels sprouts, and carrots; Steve cooked the turkey and made some terrific stuffing. We had so much food and it was all delicious.

The turkey trot at the Zoo - the 4-mile run we've done the last 2-3 years - was obviously cancelled, so we went out this morning on our own family trot. Seb and Steve ran our usual trail loop, 3.5 miles of very hilly hills. Liesl and I ran down to the pond, looped around, and came back uphill to the school field - 2 miles.

 

I think we had enough food.

Steve's plate.

adventures of Seb

On Friday, Sebastian and Cason took on a science project that involved baking something and writing about it. (That's all I know, not having seen the prompt or rubric.) I gave them four easy recipes to choose from, and they picked chocolate cupcakes. Watching the two of them muddle their way around the kitchen, trying to decipher what it meant to sift the dry ingredients, asking when the timer was supposed to start, confusing the tsp and Tbs measurements, and generally having a grand time, was hysterical. But in the end, the cupcakes were delicious, and everyone was happy.

And then in the evening, we set up a Zoom call with my mom and dad. They're bored and stuck inside by themselves, so we arranged some unusual entertainment. Seb hooked up his Fortnite, and we positioned the screen just so, and mom and dad got an explanation of and tour of Seb's video world. Obviously no one is expecting them to become gamers, but I think it was fun to listen to Seb talk and explain and point out all of options and choices on the map.