I am currently visiting the Spotted Rock Cabin.
It snowed here briefly Thursday, just enough to enjoy.
Last night, the sky was clear and I pulled out the 4.5 inch telescope. I had a good look at the moon, and could very clearly see Jupiter and it's colorful stripe pattern....very interesting.
This morning it was quite warm and I was pleased to see a deer foraging within 200 feet of the cabin's front door.
Here is a photo a recent guest sent me:
Back Home Now
The week following the above post brought a winter storm that was even better. We had six inches of snow. On Wednesday evening the board of the local homeowners association ( I am the VP ) proceeded with a regular meeting. I had three of us on skype and three others phoned in via skype. It went very well. The snow storm was in full force, and originally, four of us had planned to meet in person. It would have been impossible to get together and it was far safer to all remain at our homes.
To prepare for the storm, on Monday, I relocated my car to the asphalt about a 35 minute walk down the mountain so that I would be able to leave even if the storm had kept the roads impassable. I managed to bring the car back up on Friday! The roads were barely passable after having been plowed the day before and having had a good day of warm weather to melt the snow. There were still icy, slushy sections on the road.
The only heat I used was the wood fired stove. I did not have to re-light it once in a week and a half. In the mornings, I removed excess ash, leaving a good bed of coals. I then tossed in more wood, and after about fifteen minutes, the new logs were alight. The inside temperature did not drop below 60F. Nice and cozy.