I Can't Resist

Yes, I am obsessed. This is my latest batch of jam, Earl Grey Nectarine Peach.

Frosty Morning

 Our first snow was quickly followed the next morning by our first frost.

Snow in the Mountains

The lighting was much improved for taking pictures the next morning. This was the view from my window when I woke up.

 It was so cold while we were working, many layers were required to stay warm. Coming home to nice warm pasta for lunch helped too.

It was cold, rainy, sometimes snowy, and overcast throughout the day, but the rain melted the snow pretty quickly, so by the afternoon the were only a few patches left.

 As the sun was setting, the fog came in around the snowy mountains and it was beautiful.

Party Time

 Michelle's birthday was this week, so we gathered at Dad and Mom's house to celebrate. Heather and I picked elderberries and everyone helped pull the berries off the stems.

We ended up with a lot of berries, just what we wanted for making elderberry syrup. We had a special and delicious birthday dinner for Michelle, followed by frozen chocolate peanut squares in front of the first fire of the year.

Then it was time for presents, charades, and old home videos. We had a lot of good laughs and enjoyed time together as a family. I drove back to camp that night and when I got there, it was snowing!

Please excuse the awfulness of these pictures, I had to use a flash, but of course I couldn't miss taking pictures of the first snow of the season. 

An Overcast Morning

 Some days are just perfect for making hot chocolate from a chunk of chocolate with chili powder, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Love What You Do

As requested, here are some pictures from my life on accommo. We match a lot.

Cleaning the dining room floor between groups (when all the tables are moved out) is one of our favorite things to do.

We turnover camp, cleaning up after one group leaves to prepare for the next that is coming, twice a week on Fridays and Sundays. Here I'm cleaning a bathroom in one of the Mountain View cabins.

Another favorite thing is making beds in Cedar Lodge.

Jamming

We have started putting our blackberries to good use; Rachel and I made blackberry jam.

 Of course, Josh and I couldn't resist picking more berries while they're still out there to be picked.

I also made blackberry peach jam.

Family Visits

It was a party weekend at Calvin Crest! The Nickells came up Saturday and spent the night, then Dad and Mom came up Sunday. I got off work at 3pm Saturday and met up with the Nickells and Gists. They were heading down to the lake to ride the paddle boats.

We stopped in the middle of the lake and pulled our boats together for a snack.

The next morning, Sunday, we all gathered at Jonah and Michelle's house for pancakes with the blackberry and peach syrups Josh and I made, yum!

Josh and I had to work, but we met up with everyone again for lunch. The Nickells had to leave after that, but Dad and Mom stayed and we got to visit more with them after work. We had dinner together in Oakhurst before they had to head back.

Craving

There was lemon cake served with dinner tonight that at first glance I thought was lemon bar. When I discovered it was cake, I was so disappointed. I couldn't get lemon bars out of my head, so I came home and made some from scratch.

Thorns and Spines

We had a berry picking event Thursday morning. Josh, Michelle, Rachel, Katie and I braved the thorns and waded into the brambles in search of blackberries. We picked for about an hour and a half. The end result was scraped arms, stuck fingers, and lots of delicious berries.

Josh, Katie, Michelle, and Rachel

Josh and I had another berry picking adventure this morning. We went searching for gooseberries. Not only do the plants have thorns, but the berries themselves are covered in spines. However, we quickly got a technique down that allowed us to pick them with minimal injury.

You may be wondering what we are going to do with all these berries; don't worry, you'll soon find out.