Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us to you! The Quantrells, Bachmeiers, and Aucutts (I couldn’t fit all the names on the picture).
The Quantrells, plus the Ginger. Who views herself as a Quantrell. 🙂
The Bachmeiers and Aucutts, plus two 4-legged family members, Bear and puppy Timber.
Next year, I will try and remember to take a tripod so everyone can be in the same photo.
Wishing you and yours a blessed and joy-filled Christmas and a happy new year!
Happy Birthday Jesus!
xoxo
Ah, the good old family tradition of going tree hunting. That’s what we like to call it here in the northwest. After purchasing forest permits, we loaded up and drove to the nearby mountains to hunt down our tree. We found this fun creation. Not sure about the purpose, but it was great for photos. And possibly, with additional brush and a campfire, it might be quite cozy!
Poor people. They just have to put up with my attempts at taking pictures! As the almost shortest member with arms just as short, selfies are often quite comical.
Dogs (3, but never in the same picture), adults, and grands had a great time. A heavy blanket of snow added Christmas cheer and plenty of opportunities for the dogs to race, roll, and rumble. Snow gear was welcome in the often up-to-my-knees snow.
The Bachmeiers and Aucutts, plus Bear and new canine member Timber, crowd into the tree shelter. I mean, look at that! The dogs are facing forward and almost everyone is looking AT the camera. It’s a Christmas miracle.
The Quantrells also get a gold star (even grinning Ginger) for faces forward, eyes on the camera. Two Christmas miracles in one day!
The senior Quantrells took their turn in the tree shelter with all the grands. All eyes on the camera! Whoohoo! In the category of who is taller than Nana, the answer is nearly 50%.
My partner in life, love, and crime. We wish you all “Happy Christmas!”
Photo by Angie Quantrell
Little Naches River area, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, WA
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the pasture.
Due to needing my Christmas photo background early, we went tree hunting this month-November. With indoor trees, this is a big no-no, but since we will keep this tree outside of the RV, it will be perfectly fine and not pose a fire risk as it dries out.
My honey drove us up along Oak Creek Road in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Ready with our tree tag and saw in hand and mud boots on feet, we settled in to search for the perfect tree.
Before we hit the area where we could cut a tree, I noticed two big red blobs out in a meadow. Judging by the size, deer. Skinless and headless, left to rot. Ugh. Poachers. While I don’t personally hunt for meat, I understand some people enjoy the outdoor activity. In our state, hunters draw tags and their hunting helps control the numbers of herds roaming the forests. But to leave two carcasses and not use the meat was totally irresponsible. Grrrr.
On the way up the mostly deserted road, we saw a trail of smoke. From an untended campfire. Hoping that hunters or hikers were just out of view, we continued on our way, though I was fuming, because despite drenching rain, the fire was still smoldering. And we are just out of a horrific forest fire disaster of a summer. Even with the rain, fire is still a problem!
After 8.5 miles of rutted dirt roads and several “That one’s pretty good,” we finally found our tree. Though I tried to get Kevin to cut me a HUGE tree (heh-heh, wouldn’t that be funny, trying to drive down the road with a tree hanging off both ends of the truck?), we had to settle for a much shorter one. Cue the Christmas Vacation music.
We secured the sweet-smelling tree and headed back down the road. The fire was still going! Mr. Firefighter to the rescue. He literally got his hands dirty (the shovel was buried beneath the tree) to make sure it was dead. Good job, honey!
And much further down the road, we drove around a bend and startled a huge gathering of carrion birds! At least three bald eagles, numerous turkey buzzards, and magpies. All of them were enjoying the feast of deer meat. Whew. Nothing goes to waste in the wild, right? They were quite happy to take care of the deer carcasses. I imagine at night other predators would be drawn in-coyotes or wild cats.
A forest full of adventures. Here she is, our beautiful tree!
Love, Laughter, and Life 