They Groomed to Trinity

For all of you snowmobilers who have waited to ride out to Trinity because it hadn't been groomed can now take the ride you've been waiting to make, they groomed all the way out last night. There is probably 10-12" of new snow on top of the grooming but that just makes it more fun. For those that aren't used to riding in very dry Pow I would suggest staying on the road, you can get stuck very easily, Power is your friend and most of all enjoy the ride.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

New Year's Eve @ Trinity 2008

Well it seems 2008 is trying hard to go out with a Bang, well maybe not a bang but lots of snow. Even though we just started getting snow that stayed on Dec 11th which is very late for Trinity it's been trying hard to catch up since then. Last night we got another 10.25" of POW but it was windblown. We've finally started seeing some snowmobilers making it up here after Christmas and even though they haven't groomed out here yet people are still making it out here, just having to break new trails each day and avoiding a few downed trees, they still love to get out and ride. We've had a few friends come visit and are looking for more the rest of the holiday weekend, actually some we just met last year that jumped in to help someone they didn't know when someone got lost on the way here and at the time we had almost 10' of snow with over 6' of new since they had groomed last which made it very challenging to say the least. It will be nice seeing them again this year. The last couple of days we have some very strong winds blowing the snow to whiteout conditions worse than anything I ever have seen here but it doesn't even phase the dogs, they just want to play as the photos show. Phelps Creek is almost completely covered in 3-4' of ice & snow this year already and we only have almost 5' on our gauge because of settling.
This is the time of year that most people make new resolutions that sound good but they never really plan to keep them it seems, I just plan to make each day the best that I can, to share Love & Peace with all I come in contact with, it makes my life better, an adventure in the making.

I hope each and everyone of you have a great celebration knowing that everyday is a new day and doesn't have to be controlled by past events because they are over, future events aren't here so enjoy today making it the best you can because it is all you have.
Peace, Lillie, Bear Love, Gizmo the Cat, and I wish you all the very best life has to offer. Take the time to enjoy the moment not be so rushed you pass your blessings by.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

From POWder to WET Snow

This morning when we got up we had 17.5" of very wet snow on top of all fothe very dry Pow we've been getting for the last couple of weeks. To be very honest it should make it easier to pack being as wet as it is and what is even crazier is the fact that since Dec 10 yesterday & last night were the warmest temps we have had by almost 25 degrees. I mentioned that I had my first snowmobile visitors yesterday and they told me they had to work to get here through the deep POW but that it was fun, they also told me that towards Fish Lake it was raining part of the way here then they got into the snow the closer to Trinity the got. Last night the owners came in around 11pm and at that time it was still over 30 and snowing but very wet snow, the wet snow started to slide off the roofs leaving lots of very wet snow between the houses and when it fell it rattled both houses, they said it rained the first 14 miles in or so, then the snow started. Getting wet snow has some advantages in that it packs nicely but if it is too wet then it makes snowballs when dragging and if it freezes like that makes it hard to get around but it's better than lots of very deep POW that has no bottom, this might make a nice base and much easier to get around. One comment that has been made by everyone that has made it to Trinity the last 2 days have all made the same comment when they got here, "There isn't enough snow are we sure we're at Trinnity" because normally by this time of year we have to step down to our porches but right now we are still climbing stairs might just be 4 or 5 steps but that is alot last year we had 250" of snow just in Dec and this year just a little over 90" at the same time. It's nice to come out of the deep freeze we were in and yet Wenatchee & Leavenworth have actually been colder the last few days than it has been here which is definitely different. Everyone that has a tractor and snowblower are working overtime just trying to clear driveways even Don the man that keeps our drive cleared at the garage has been working all day and was still at it when the owners arrived at the gargage. It seems the snow is starting to slack off which means it's a good time for me to go and drag the trails and paths I try to keep open all winter making it much easier to get in & out not only for me but the dogs too. Well hope all are recovering from the snow & rain and haven't let it ruin your holidays, it is things like this that make it easy to stay in today because it is all we really have, make the best of it always. Peace
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

First Snowmobile Visitors of the Season

Today after eating lunch and taking the dogs out for a walk I was just settling in and the dogs all jumped up and went to the door very excited. I let Peace & Bear out and the immediately headed out towards the gate and then I saw the yellow jacket at the gate, so I quickly got dressed again and headed out and there were Brent, Rolf & Jude neighbors from out on the road, they had come up for the holidays from the west side. They said there was lots of snow on the road and there were some single tracks coming this way but they widened things up a bit. It was nice to see them they even brough ice cream & cokes. They said the trail didn't have any trees down just deep snow without much base, for those from the west side it could cause some problems because this is very dry POWder out here. After a nice visit they decided to head back before it gets too dark, the dogs did good and Gizmo even got some much wanted attention, nice to have friends show up at Paradise, especially those that enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. This will probably be the beginning of visits from snowmobiler's for the rest of winter.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too. Peace and Happy Holidays from Paradise.

Crazy Winter Weather

This has been the craziest winter I have experienced in the 5 winter's I've lived here. Even though we got early snow Oct 17th and Nov 6th and very small amounts after that we also had lots of rain to melt the snow we had here. Then on Dec 11th this extreme cold and snow started which shut down the plant for 6 days and now we have been back up for 6 days but we've gotten over 73" in that time and the temps stayed below 6 for 8 of those days and then it started warming up Christmas eve, it's been up to 19 for a couple of days and today we already hit 26 which can cause some slides but should help the snow to settle a bit, or it should.
I have to admit that this has been the quietest holiday season as far as sledder's go, we haven't seen not one snowmobiler, not sure if it is because of the bad weather on the West side or the economy or just what it is. Today while I was dragging the trails here at Trinity and out to the road we did see that someone had come up yesterday afternoon because we had gone out around 2:30 and no one had been up by that time. I do know that we had gotten about 3-4' of snow since Pacific Mountain Services last groomed so people are possibly staying on the groomed trails which are usually closer to Fish Lake. The creek is still covered in ice & snow except for where it's cut it's channels and now the water is a couple of feet below the level of the ice bridges. Well if any snowmobiler's happen to come out this far if you would give me a shout just so I can find out what the trail conditions are like coming out here and I will gladly pass along what I find out. These photos are of the creek as of yesterday just to show the difference from the earlier photos when everything was frozen. We hope that everyone has been safe and enjoying the snowy Christmas holidays, spending time with family & friends and spreading Love & Peace to everyone you meet, that is something we can all do no matter what is happening.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste & Peace

Big Iciciles

These are the iciciles hanging off my roof from these extreme cold temps once I got my power back on. The next photo is of our hot tub and it being buried in this snow, it shows how much snow we have gotten so far. Last shot just shows how hard it's snowing today, Christmas eve and there aren't many sledders that have been out this way so far this year, been pretty quiet but imagine that will change if the weather warms just a bit. We're just happy to be here and at home.

We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

There is a Silver Lining

After this past week and being without power for 6 days eating things that didn't require cooking like Tuna and Peanut butter and crackers, I've enjoyed being able to cook which is something I usually don't like to do just for myself but Thanksgiving day a friend of mine Brad had given me some elk meat he got this past hunting season. What was nice was I actually got 2 days of meals from one pkg of meat and it tasted so good, if you've never eaten elk you really don't know what you are missing. There are only a couple of other meats that taste better and are good for you one being Axis deer which is considered the best meat in the world and Blackbuck antelope both of which are from India, but as far as what is native to the US Elk is #1. To me cooking for one person just isn't worth it but on these last 2 days it was very worth it and I appreciated being able to go to the freezer and breaking it out, it was fantastic. Thanks again Brad for sharing this wonderful meat with me, I enjoyed it very much. Now if the Fish & game dept would bring them back into this area and let them establish a herd here would make things just right and reintroduce them to an area that they would have more food and cover to bring wildlife that used to roam here naturally until they allowed them to be killed out, they belong here and I would love to see them here again, to bring back the balance of nature to a pristine area suited for them.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Winter has Arrived with a Vengence

Happy holidays to everyone from Trinity. I've had several people ask why I haven't been posting to the blog and so here I am again. These past few months well since August I have been recovering slowly from total knee replacement surgery, spent about 8 weeks at the farm, doing therapy and trying to get ready for this wonderful time of year. Recovery has been slow but steady and some days more painful than before the surgery.
We came home in October hoping to see snow which we did as early as Oct 16th but then it melted and we saw it again on Nov 6 we got around 10" but then it warmed up and started raining and it melted and that seemed to be the pattern through November. We went out Dec 8 to see my Dr before I couldn't and came home on the 9 to a little snow but the promise of more on the way and come it did Friday night we got 18" which was a very dry POWder but not too deep to get around and over the next couple of day we got another5-8" but the temps dropped into single digits which froze everything up at the dam and shut us down, so Sun I went to clear the dam and ran for a while but after spending about 4 hours to clear the snow & ice it only ran for about 3 hours so we spent the night without power and built a fire to stay warm, on Monday 12th I went back to the dam and found worse conditions than the day before, spent almost 5 hours clearing the ice and snow but it froze up faster than I could clear it, I did get enough water to bring the plant back up and while I was doing that had a visit from friends Grant, Ivan & General who drove in which was surprising since I figured they had already groomed part of the way here meaning it is a sno-park for the rest of winter. HAd a good visit and they found out I was say and helped me get the generator so I would at least have some power if the plant went down again. Well they had been gone about 45 min when the plant dropped again and with it snowing pretty good and the temps dropping figured I'd wait and see if it would warm up enough to help thaw some of the ice. It just got colder and I spent most of my days just trying to get the snow here knocked down and trails made which make it easier to get around and keeping the fire going. The temp were the coldest I have ever experienced here by 15 degrees and as low as -8 and hovering around 0 for several days. On Sunday I decided to see if I could get the plant back online and after using a torch to thaw out the wheel so I could increase the water flow and spin the wheels, I got it back up but not knowing how long it would last based on previous trips to dam and not as cold I figured I should sent out messages to everyone I know that snowmobiles and comes up this way especially during the Christmas holidays to know I might need help. Well I'm happy to say that the channels cut by the creek must have formed correctly and giving us enough water flow we have been running since then without even a fluctuation.
The dogs are enjoying playing in the snow and disappear quite ofter especially Bear but then he pops out of the snow looking white and they have a blast. The snow being so cold is not so fun for their feet though and you see them constantly shifting to 3 feet stances. I've included a couple of photos of what the creek looks like and the progression of the ice dams. Well since I know friends read this blog I'll do better at keeping up with writing and telling you what's happening here. Stay safe & warm this holiday season and we'll be sharing our adventures, Peace & Love/
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Urgent need in WA Wolfdogs need homes

Today I received an email from a friend of mine in OR and she told me that there are 14 wolfdogs and doggies that are in need of foster homes or forever homes immediately. If you love wolfdogs and wolves like I do and are in a position to give some love to one of the most beautiful animals that can teach you so much I urge you to get in touch with me @ trinity5.peace@yahoo.com or you can contact Kim her website is http://www.myspace.com/wolfangelrescue. These animals will need containment and someone that is willing to make them part of their life. Many of you had the opportunity to meet Kaia & Nashaba my last 2 woofers who lived more like wolves here at Trinity yet they were very loving and everyone who was blessed by being around them know just how special they are. I'm having my knee replaced on the 12th so will not be very mobile and won't be home lots for the next couple of months or I would take a couple even just to foster for while to give them the chance they deserve you will be blessed more than you know. This is very important as they are living on chains right now. Thanks in advance to everyone that can and will help. Namaste'
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too and please help these guys out you won't be disappointed.

What July 4 Means to Me

Today is Independence Day and I believe many of us have forgotten just what that means, it was when we as a new country declared our independence from British rule because we didn't agree with their rules and taxes, but look where we are now. We have a government that is run by Big Corporations that have paid excuse me given donations to politicians that are supposed to work for us. The rights that were given to us by our forefathers have been systematically been taken away by our government and they have done everything to instill fear in to the population. I believe we need to stand up for those rights now more so than we have because if not those rights will disappear if left to those politicians in office, they have forgotten their job and are more interested in giving support to business over the welfare of the people.
Our Preamble states " We the People of the United States in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice and insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense & promote general welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America. It seems to me that we have done just the opposite in the last 50 years laws are changed to benefit big business but the people get left out and it's time to say enough. We are the wealthiest country and yet we have more people without proper medical coverage again because politicians are owned by the Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, defense contractors none of which benefit the people of this country. In the 60's we protested the war in Viet Nam and when we saw things that were wrong to let the government know we were not satisfied with what was happening and change happened but now we have become complacent while more people are suffering.
I've come to realize that if I don't speak up I have no right to complain because I am responsible for myself and holding those politicians responsible. I've written letters to Doc Hastings and have never spoken to such a close minded individual especially when presented with medical facts and studies concerning medical cannabis and will do everything in my power to see that he and many like him are removed from those positions of trust. We have to take back our government, when politicians give themselves raises before tackling anything else something is wrong with that. They should be paid on what they do for the whole not just those that can buy them. This is what today means to me not just fireworks, picnics and baseball, but to make our politicians accountable, to see that everyone has medical care, that those finding help with medical cannabis are no longer arrested and convicted just because they were following a Dr's recommendation because our government has their War on Patients going on and fear is the motivator. If we ran our households like the government is run we would all be in jail yet they get raises and lifetime benefits just because they were in Washington DC, what is wrong with that picture.
Take a stand with action continue to be bullied the choice is yours.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Just Saw Sicko

I just watched "Sicko" a Michael Moore film and if you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it. If this doesn't open your eyes check your heart. Get in touch with your congressman to support HR 676 remind them they work for you and if they want to keep that job they need to listen or we can put someone in that will. It is time for empty words to be replaced with action, and caring & compassion to extreme profits.
When I hurt my knee in '99 I went to the VA one of the benefits of serving in the Navy or that is what we are told, I have never experienced treatment like that but I did learn a valuable lesson and that is if you don't speak up it won't change. I was a guinea pig for their medical trials with negative results and suffering unbearable pain. Drugs like Vioxx & Celebrex that didn't help but messed up my stomach and with pain so intense making it hard to do anything. I left the VA when I couldn't get proper care and instead of them caring about the patients welfare they were there for a paycheck and retirement once hired it was almost impossible to get fired, li.ke most government jobs, they take care of themselves first , we were an after thought. So you think you have medical insurance, and trust them to do what they say, think again. A change has to happen and it starts with me. Find out what is being done in Washington and get involved, don't let this madness continue. I realize this is a change from what I normally write but I'm fed up with the lack of positive action concerning health care and access to medical cannabis without concern of going to jail even though it is legal with a Dr's recommendation and because of it I have a life not wasted with narcotics that were prescribed for pain because I wasn't old enough to have my knees replaced because they only wanted to replace them more than once, more concerned about feeding narcotics for pain instead of giving quality of life by doing the knee replacement 8 years ago. Become aware stand up and be counted tell our government to get out of the war and into caring and to truly be one nation, that cares follow the examples that are working because it is broke and needs to be fixed.
We found our Paradise, hope you find yours too.

Freemont Fair & Soltice Parade

Last weekend we went to Marysville to stay with Bob & Peggy just to visit and go to the "1" event I really enjoy going to on the westside, that is the Freemont Fair & Soltice Parade to welcome Summer. It is the one day where anyting goes in Freemont (the Center of the Known Universe), at noon there is a parade welcoming Summer and the unofficial start of the parade this year were around 350 nude & bodypainted bicycle riders which is a very fun part of the parade. There were dancers, clowns, belly dancers, a group giving hugs to anyone that wanted it, bands on trailers and marching bands, each with their own theme, many colors and just a great celebration. At the fair there were booths with anything you can imagine, everything you wanted to know about eating and living healthy, a nudist group looking for new members, lots of great music, several beer gardens and people having a good time. When we got to Bob & Peggy's I called a few friends and made plans to meet them at Freemont as you can see from the photos we got together. The top 2 photos are of Misha & July a couple of friends I met early on in Seattle.
The 2 bottom photos are of new friends I just met that day they are Fari & Mark (Wickeddread) with Culture Yard.
After the parade I & Peace, Bear & Lillie walked around checking out the music and booths but was really looking for my friend Erik an artist who was the first person I met in Seattle when I moved here from Texas I hadn't been here 24 hours at that time and we've continued to have a reat friendship since and he had told me that he was taking some of his artwork and just setting up on the street but when we couldn't find him I called him and he told me where he was and we made arrangements to meet on 35th & 1st ave street sign. He said he was a friends house and it was the only house in the area surrounded by businesses and warehouses in the area with music blasting in the yard and jerk chicken on the grill we were introduced to Pappy, Mark, Kevin & Fari and treated to great hospitality. they have Culture Yard, great reggae music production and anything reggae related. Jah is good as he provided a wonderful place to hang out and take a break from walking around the fair and wonderful music, it was an answer to prayer as on the way there Bob & I talked about wanting to have a place to go hang, which we had had for a couple of years before but it was still a good 8 block walk to get there, this was right in the middle of everything so it was much better than I thought it would be.


Mark was the cook for the day and kept the jerk chicken and roasted corn coming and throughout the day we were constantly meeting new people as they came and went and then the main group started arriving around 7-8pm. This was the place to be for sure, the wonderful sweet fragrance of food , herb was wonderful and it was like being on the island, can't wait until next year. This is the way the world should be everyday with Love & Peace as the main ingredients and everyone getting along, so I take it with me everywhere I go it makes life Great. Much Love & Respect to Mark, Fari, & Pappy for welcoming us.
We've found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

Hinchey-Rohrabacher MMJ ammendment

The link below is MPP's email they just sent out about the ammendment Congressman Hinchey will introduce, and below is the letter they are sending with my personalized addition to it, anyone that personally knows me knows this is something very close to my heart and many of you have seen the changes since I have used medical cannabis. Please check out the website and sign the letter and send it to your respective congressman to get these laws changed and quit seeing a war declared on seriously ill patients and caregivers who use cannabis as medication. This is the opportunity to have our voices heard and end one of the worst WARS ever.

Marijuana Policy Project:

This summer, during consideration of the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-Calif.) will introduce the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment. I'm writing you today to ask for your support on this legislation.

Earlier this year, the American College of Physicians called on the federal government to change its policy towards medical marijuana. In a landmark position paper issued Feb. 14 and available online at http://www.acponline.org/acp_news/medmarinews.htm, this organization of 124,000 physicians, including specialists in treating cancer, heart disease and neurological diseases, called for the federal government to stop arresting medical marijuana patients.

Congressman Hinchey's amendment would prohibit the federal government from interfering in state medical marijuana laws, by arresting seriously ill patients who are using medical marijuana on the advice of their doctors and in compliance with state law. This bill could tremendously improve the lives of people suffering from serious illness the 12 states with medical marijuana laws.

I have been using Medical cannabis since 2004 because after trying every other medication available for nausea & vomiting that didn't work it was suggested by the head of the UW Pain Clinic to ease the nausea and increase appetite I lost over 120# due to not being able to keep anything I ate down. Since using medical cannabis I've been able to reduce the amount of narcotic necessary to control by 75% and believe I could cut it out completely if cannabis was always available especially since the DEA still says we are criminals, I don't speed I don't drink I don't get into fights and am respected in my community and just want to be able to have medical cannabis available as are any other medications I take. Having this medication available to me the last 4 years has given me a quality of life that I had missed for the previous years since being injured in 1999, please help me and many others enjoy the quality of life we deserve just as you do, cannabis is an herb with many healing & medicinal qualities with many medical reports and studies available to support these realities.

I urge you to support the Hinchey-Rohrabacher medical marijuana amendment. Your vote of support will benefit tens of thousands of patients, and I will be immensely grateful. Thank you.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste' & Peace

Leavenworth Video/ Tri-House Coffee

The last time I made it to Leavenworth I took my computer along as usual but when I went to the 76 store to plug in to the Wi-Fi it wasn't there, making it difficult to see what was happening at Trinity, especially during this time of year. Fortunately for me and many others Leavenworth Video/ TriHouse Coffee House stepped up and recently installed Wi-Fi along with many other great changes from what was here a year ago. The person behind it all is Charlie Voorhis who is celebrating with a 1 year anniversary party week starting the Sunday before July 1 and will end the following Sunday. If you haven't been in to see him check it out and bring your computer and enjoy quick connections, he's got a great selection of videos & DVD's new and pre-viewed. A very pleasant place to use your computer and have a great coffee while doing so, what a great place for Leavenworth to have available to us especially appreciate having it available to me when I am not at home.
We found our Paradise hope you find your's too. Namaste'

Deer & Hummer Return

Well this morning when the dogs got up to go outside I looked towards the salt block and to my excitement was Big Red along with several does & yearlings, but what surprised me the most was that he already had velvety antlers outside of his ears with 3 pts on each side it's only May 25th. As the day went on other came in which is nothing new but several were the other bucks that stay here with Big Red and they too had velvet outside of their ears, the rest are does & yearlings, they look very healthy. his is when I say spring is at Trinity because wildlife reappears after it being white since Nov. It won't be long before there are as many as 3-400 deer per day out back, in 4 days they have already licked half of the block away.

The hummers on the other hand came in slowly and were about a week later than usual, but hey are making up for it now as you can see in the photos, it's flying room only with a slight wait. The feeder in the photo holds 48oz and it took only 5 days for the humers to empty it, they are very hungry and busy, most of the time getting along but then other times they come in looking like anti-aircraft guns at the ready and will challenge anyone that comes near, even me and my camera. I've learned that unless I want to get swarmed by them not to wear red when taking photos of them.






The snow is almost completely gone from here yet there is still anywhere from no snow to about 3.5' of snow still on the road in places making for a very difficult travel in & out so I haven't done much of either but plan to go out tomorrow and survey everything, see how much the river has changed this year, it's alive and constantly changing as do the creeks and anything affected by lots of water.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

It's Melting Now!!!

Well the snow is over now after dumping 515.25" of snow this past season and we even got snow 2 weeks ago Sat in flurries, and the creeks were starting to come up slightly but this past week the creeks have come up almost 1.5' and the snow has dropped to less than 2' when it was over 6' May1. Not only the creek but the Chiwawa River is also coming up and it is now filling the pond in back but not so much that there isn't still water in most of the pond. It is getting very difficult to try to walk in the snow because places that were firm in the morning are very soft and you can posthold very easy which isn't so good on the knees for me, even the dogs find it more difficult geting around once it is soft because the nose dive because of sinking in the snow, they are still constantly hunting anything that they see running across the snow or flying around. If we get the warm temps that are being forecast it could become very sloppy very fast, this is one of my busiest times of the year because with allof the snow melting and water coming up there is lots of debris in the water that tends to clog up the screen at the dam which can shut the plant down so I stay close during this time of year, not only that but with this fast warming there can be some slide action which could block roads going in oad out so it will be interesting to see what happens. This is just the beginning of the water coming up even though it is cloudy it isn't dirty which it will become very soon.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

What a Difference 50 miles makes

Well I'm finally back on the air after replacing my computer made it easy I lost all of my photos and music which really sucked. Oh well back to taking lots of photos and maybe this time I'll put them on an external drive, it happens.
As you can see in the top photo that I was getting snowed on April 29&30 while down the road at Gibb's Farm they are working wildly too get things ready in the garden and orchard and I'm still watching the snow melt and not so productive outside right now especially once the sun has been up for a while it is very hard walking around without punching through the snow. This past winter was a very strange winter with big snow dumps when you didn't expect it and then much later snows this year than since I've been here.
I guess that is what makesliving here so special for me I can go snowmobile in my backyard area in morning and go to town and wear shorts & tank top in Leavenworth that afternoon, gotta love it.

The farm has some new help this year Allison & Matt are interns helping and they are a great addition to the farm helping Danielle and Grant get it looking great ready for Farmer's Market. The bull calf is the latest addition to the cow herd and has some great markings, last but not least is Danielle with baby on board driving the tractor getting rows ready for planting. The farm is alive with activity and you definitely know it is spring there while back here at Trinity except for the warmer temperatures and the creeks and river's coming up still looks like winter just harder to walk on the snow without postholing.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too. Namaste'

We have to Speak Up

Most of you know that this blog has been mostly about the adventures we have here, and even though I don't watch the news or read newspapers there are some things you just can't ignore. Many people are talking about the upcoming election and what changes they hope to see come about after the election but the only way changes are going to happen is when the people stand up and speak out. We've been lied to so often and the only people who benefit normally are those making the laws or the companies who support those lawmaker's with special interest money, what happened to "of the People, by the People for the People?"
Many of you who know me know that I'm a caretaker, but I'm also disabled and have been since '99 because of my knees and the pain related to them and my shoulders which continues to get worse all the time, my knees need to be replaced is what i was told in November. It took a long time but 4 years ago I received a doctors recommendation for medical cannabis because for 3 years prior I was nauseated and lost over 120# was very weak and in constant severe pain that the narcotics didn't help much with and it was difficult to do much, life was painful. Once I started using medical cannabis I started eating and holding the food down for the first time in years, and within 3 months I had reduced my narcotic medication by 75% and have been able to have a somewhat normal life now and thankfully Washington is one of 12 states with medical cannabis laws but unfortunately the federal government still looks at us as criminals and throw us in jail for using medication recommended by our physician and have closed many dispensaries down and arrested patients for using medical cannabis, they have declared war or the people they are supposed help, War is not the solution.
It's taken 36 years since the National Comm on Marijuana & Drug Abuse suggested to then President Nixon to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, but it never happened but the war was stepped up against cannabis smoker's and has been only lately in some states and cities been a little more relaxed yet there are many people still in jail for small amounts of marijuana while killer's and rapist and other violent offender's get out after a few short years, where is the justice in that.
With all of that being said kudos go out to Congressmen Barney Frank & Ron Paul last month introduced to congress " The Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008" which would eliminate the threat of arrest & prison for less than 3.5 oz, and or the not for profit transfer of up to 1 oz. This doesn't do anything for the medical cannabis laws in states with them but it might if passed encourage states to change their laws accordingly, it is the first official step in the right direction and now it is your turn to step up and contact you congressman or contact Marijuana Policy Project @ www.mpp.org and you can do that through their website, it is time to SPEAK UP and tell your congressman to support this wonderful bill which is the first step to end the WAR on Drug's that is more of a war against patients trying to have a somewhat normal lifestyle, I'm a patient who lives daily with pain so severe that without medical cannabis I couldn't function because of the pain but with cannabis I have the pain but it is tolerable and has made the quality of my life so much better and I appreciate my Dr. for being open enough to stand up for what works, Thanks.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

Not giving up just yet

Well if you enjoyed the sunshine and warm temps in Feb and early Mar and were thinking it was spring, surprise, surprise, surprise, Mother Nature had other ideas. I can't say I'm surprised or unhappy about it, I can still snowmobile and play in the snow and the dogs love it too. Today is starting off just like Sunday did and we ended up getting 13" that day so who knows. Lately the pattern has been sunshine then snow, then sunshi9ne again and has been since last week when it started doing that. It took a long time to go over 480" and now heading closly to 500" for the season, not bad for being at 2800'. The dogs are loving the new snow and are really getting into hunting mode they've ben chasing the marten's trails and also found river otter in the river, now I know why they are gone for the long runs they take, once Peace gets on a trail she goes into auto mode and won't stop and her ears don't hear until she finds the source of what she smells. Life is great, enjoy every minute and you will never have regrets.
We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

!st Weekend of Spring @ Trinity

After waiting for a month to get some new snow and wanting to break the 480" mark for the season it finally happened the 1st day of spring with a whopping 2" making it 481" in 2007/2008 season.
Friday I met Ivan & Grant at the sno-park around 1pm and after getting loaded up we headed out to Trinity for a play weekend but we didn't make it far before the first challenge came up. After working on the sled and hopefully getting it in top shape it only made it about a mile so we reloaded what we had and left the sled on the side and headed on up, getting here around 4pm. Got unpacked and tok Ivan up to the settling tank so he could ski the pipeline a couple of times, then we went and played in the meadow on the sleds for a bit. Played some cribbage ate well and planned on getting across the river to ski Ice Cream on Sat morning. After a good breakfast Ivan & Grant and all of the dogs headed up the mountain to get in some skiing and as far as I know they are the first to ski where they did. That afternoon after having to go back up and look for one of Grant's bindings Ivan also found a new run Ice Cream scoop close to Ice Cream but better he said. They had a good time but then I towed Ivan up on Phelps Creek TH rd and he skied it a couple of times between him and grant they each got in several good runs each day along with playing on the sleds being able to go anywhere you want perfect spring conditions. We got up Sunday morning and planned to head up the James Creek draw and it started snowing around 6:30 very fine snow but that kept geting bigger and bigger and by 9:30 we already had gotten 3" of new snow and so after getting Grants ski fixed and me on snowshoes headed across the river again and over to James Creek where we found the waterfall and some beautiful runs here are a few photos of Ivan, Grant & myself on 3 Dog Run in James Creek. This was one of the best times here at Trinity with great friends and loads of fun, skiing, snowmobiling and cribbage along with great food.

While Ivan & grant skied on Ice Cream I had another visit from Rolph & his wife and the Wildfun gang, showed them the Bowling alley and settling tank and some beautiful scenery we ate hotdogs at the bowling alley then they headed back, it was great seeing them and they brought me a wonderful BD present, for which I'm very greatful. It seems that most people are giving up on snomobiling after this weekend and we ended up with 13" of beautiful POWder, what more could you ask for on the 1st weekend of spring.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.

New Transplant to Trinity Gang

I want to introduce everyone to Lovely Lillie the latest transplant to Trinity, by way of Gibbs Farm. Peace and Bear have known Lillie since they were little because everytime we go to town that is our home away from home and we are very grateful for having a place to stay where they can run and they know the farm as well as they do Trinity. Since the farm raise chickens for eggs it is part of their income and Lillie discovered she liked eggs not the chickens just the eggs and so instead of her ending up in not so good a place and because she already fit it with the kids I agreed to bring her out here and after some delays Danielle brought her to the snowpark to meet me 3 weeks ago and everything was fine put her in the hauler and thought she was in it but when I got to Trinity to let her out surprise there was no Lillie. I turned around and rode back out to Chikamin Creek but never saw any tracks but the snow was frozen solid couldn't even see my snowmobile tracks and running low on gas turned around and sent a few emails to friends at the other end of the road and close to Fish Lake to be on the lookout for her. I've been in and out a few times and never saw here and had heard nothing about her but knew she was OK. Last Wednesday Ivan & Don snowmobiled out here and we played for a few hours riding around areas that hadn't been touched by anyone but me and the dogs it was a blast. They left around 5 that afternoon and not long after they left I got an email with a couple of photos and there was Lillie looking tired and hungry but safe. She showed up at Dave &Suzanne Neir's place on Fish Lake and they took great care of her until I could get out Fri to get her. Planned to do it Thur but after the riding we did I was very sore and could hardly raise my arm's but it was so much fun. Friday after our morning visit from Rob, Mike &Jon I went out to get her. She is fitting in well and stays close to me right now but everyday she's exploring more and staying with Peace & Bear, they have become a good hunting team and love chasing squirrels and birds.

We found our Paradise, hope you find your's too.