Winter is Here!

Winter is finally here. We have had a couple snowfalls and have been "enjoying" our 100 ft long driveway and lack of a snow blower. We did invest in some cross country skis since the mountains of Wisconsin are not very impressive. Similar to West Mountain to give some comparison to those from NY. But lots of people go cross country skiing and we have been enjoying it so far.



Diana got way ahead of me. She looks tiny.

We will continue with the skiing and are looking forward to a trip out west in March to ski at Crested Butte in Colorado. Cassie also loves the snow but we haven't taken any good snow pictures with her yet. Instead here are some of her other hobby... crawling under furniture.

Cassie after crawling under the bed to get a sock.

In her classic superman position reaching for a toy under the coffee table.

I am off to Chicago for the next 4 weeks to work downtown on the River. I'll be back on the weekends but I will miss Diana and the pup. I'll be ready for our ski vacation after this stretch of field work.

Where's Winter?

So here we are in January now and we haven't seen more than 0.5 inches of snow. Out of the 9 days of January, 5 have been over 40 degrees and 7 have been above freezing. After church yesterday we went for what felt like a nice autumn walk by the lake. Hopefully winter gets here soon!

Cassie Loves Her New Extension Leash

Enjoying the Morning by the Lake

Checking out the Geese. Art Museum in the Background

Me and the Cassie Pup

Brew Day!

The first 5-gallon batch is currently fermenting in the kitchen next to the refrigerator. Brew day went well and the house smelled like a brewery for a little while. The batch should be done 5 weeks from now.

Checking the Original Specific Gravity of the Wort with the Hydrometer

The First Brew

Happy Holidays!

We are through the holiday season and had a great Christmas and New Years. We had the pleasure of hosting David, Michael, and Mom and Dad Mitsche for Christmas weekend. They arrived Christmas Eve and we had a relaxing day before going downtown for church. Cassie woke us up early Christmas morning and we went out to the tree. 

Christmas Tree and Presents

Kids and Grandpup Picture

Parents Picture

 Diana surprised me with a home brewing kit so we can make our own beer. As this hobby grows, I can always remind her that she started it. Stay tuned for brewing updates.

Let the Brewing Begin

 Cassie was very interested in these little rodent toys that moved around the floor. They are some popular toy these days but I cannot think of the name.

Attentive Cassie

 With all of the company, we had a hard time keeping Cassie on the floor. She loves hopping up on laps and lounging with people.

She Thinks She is a Lap Dog



Everyone got into the Festive Mood


 Diana cooked a great ham dinner with sweet potato and asparagus, and finished it off with a great peppermint pie.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas Dessert

 It was a great christmas and we enjoyed having company. We hope everyone had a great holiday season and has a great 2012.