Sunday, February 28, 2021

Mosaic Monday #120: February Thrills and Chills

I chose to live in Northwestern Montana, so you won't catch me complaining about winter.  I certainly won't gripe in light of the struggles recently faced by folks in Texas, including some of my family.  In fact, most of the time, I celebrate the snow and the cold -- its singular beauty can take your breath away as much as the bitter wind could.  I might even argue that I want MORE winter, preferably in the form of regular snowfall and temperatures below freezing -- all the better to maintain ideal ski conditions!  Welcome to my February highlight post, chock full of wintery scenes and the comforts that await us when we come in from the cold!

On a clear day at Whitefish Mountain Resort, you are surrounded by a 360-degree view of Northwest Montana/Southern British Columbia.  It is easy to say you are on top of the world!

  


Whitefish Mountain Resort employs several snow reporters, who have the enviable job of rising extremely early to report on mountain conditions.  I was very amused by this recent creative missive from reporter Pat!




On one of our outings, we tried a new Whitefish restaurant, Jalisco Cantina.  Upscale Mexican, and so deliciosa!!!

Sometimes, the white stuff (snow) can present its challenges, such as the powder day that caused our normal 1-hour trip to the mountain to explode to 2.5 hours.  Of course, a couple of accidents on the mountain road didn't help!  But the sun was spotlighting the mountain along the way -- so beautiful!


Fresh snow coats everything, as if a baker spent the night shaking a massive can of powdered sugar.  It's a delicious, romantic winter scene, with the warmth of the house beckoning to me across the frozen tundra.  


Who doesn't like the aroma of fresh baked goods?  To enter the house and be embraced by a swirl of lemon or ginger?  #1 Son and I have been getting our baking mojo on!


Mid-month, we had a week of deep freeze temperatures.  One day of work on the mountain was cancelled due to wind chills in the minus 30 range, but absent that, we carried on.  I took this photo of the car temperature gauge on the way to the ski resort on February 13.


For the second time in three years, the pipe leading to our washer froze up.  (The last time was in October 2020, another frigid period.)  The only solution is to super warm the laundry room, and run hot water in the kitchen until the ice is displaced.  We have some ideas on how to prevent this from happening again.  
In the front of the house, we have chains that hang from our gutters; they are more attractive than a long down-spout, and, if ice does form on them, it melts faster than ice that is lodged in a down-spout.  Toward the end of the deep freeze, the ice on the chain was a sturdy column three inches in diameter.
While much of the Flathead Valley was cold and buried in snow, it wasn't the case in all regions round-about.  I gave Spousal Unit a sleigh ride/dinner date as a gift for Christmas, and scheduled it for February 14.  Unfortunately, the Cripple Creek Ranch had so little snow that it was a wagon ride instead.  But, what can be more romantic than snuggling under a blanket and riding along to the jingle-jingle of the sleigh bells?!?


With Lent underway, Head Chef has built more fish into the menu.  These fish tacos, with avocado and a creole aioli sauce, were out of this world.


And another day, a special treat - fondue!

Speaking of fish, the "Circle of Life" continues.  The golden eagle has not made an encore, but the bald eagles have been on camera every day.  I suspect that the photos represent more than one eagle, but I only have a couple of poor shots with parts of two eagles in the frame.  I just can't imagine that one eagle could eat such copious amounts - after I reached 12 fish consumed (in one case, four in less than 15 minutes), I stopped counting.   It was hard to pare down the photos, but I thought you deserved to see these!!! (you can click on them to enlarge)




I love the close-up on the beak in the next shot.


Below, check out the shadow on the ground to the right of the eagle.


In the next picture, the wind was kicking up snow all around the eagle.  The blurry effect is special to me.


And if you are tired of eagles, how about a wolf?  (Or it might be a coyote.  Hard to tell at this time of year.  Other shots in this sequence have additional shadowy figures in the background, most likely other canines - so I suspect wolves.)



Winter is far from over in these parts, but the days in its grip are waning.  The other day, as we left the house for work on the mountain, I realized we didn't need to turn on the porch light.  The mornings are lighter and even now, as I wrap up this post on Saturday night at 6 pm, the sun is still hovering, casting alpenglow on the hills.   Goodbye to February's chills and thrills!

Welcome to Mosaic Monday, a weekly meme where we get together to share our photo mosaics and collages.
Please include at least one photo mosaic/collage in your post.
The link will be open from 1 p.m. Sunday until 11 p.m. Tuesday (U.S. Mountain time). 
Remember to add the link to your Mosaic Monday post and not the one to your blog. 
Please link back to this post so that your readers will be able to visit and enjoy more wonderful mosaics; taking the MM blog button from my sidebar is an easy way to link back. 
As host I will visit every participant and leave a comment so that you know I stopped by. 
Please try and visit as many other blogs as you can, especially those that join in later, so that everyone's creativity can be appreciated fully. 
Thank you for joining in today and sharing your mosaics with us. 


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39 comments:

  1. ...February looked like a fun filled month, I hope the March brings more of the same.

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  2. Hi, when it comes to weather it all depends on what you are prepared for. If you are not prepared for snow it is a hazard and hard to go through. The same can be said about hot and drought. For people living like you or me we are used to both and can cope with it. As far as it is not tooo much of it.
    Love your horse-wagon ride. I have not done that since I was a kid. And that was not yesteday.
    Oh, to me your night visitor looks like a wolf.
    Take care!

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  3. I think snow is a lovely thing, too. Lemon squares! I just pulled out my recipe the other day - looks very similar to yours. Those gingerbread bars look good, too. And fondue! Hard to go wrong with either melted cheese or melted chocolate. :-) Love your outdoor pics.

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  4. What great photos! Look at those eagles. I am loving all this snow too. Like you I chose to live here so no whining about winter from me. Enjoy your days and stay safe. Kit

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  5. I love eagles and your trail cam photos!
    Yummy fondue and awwww a Valentine's carriage/wagon ride. How sweet!
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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  6. No thank you... we hope for springtime. It's enough snow, cold temperatures and so on. We want the green nature, blooms in the garden and of course no more woolen pullovers.

    ...the scenes with the eagle are fantastic again. And I love fondue too!

    Happy MosaicMonday

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  7. Your area is so beautiful and we can see why you choose to live them. Your food looks delicious too!

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  8. February flew by didn't it? We had much of the same snowy weather and I'm glad for it. I loved seeing the photos of the eagle fishing!

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  9. Happy March, Warm Wishes

    much love...

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  10. Luv your hand drawn hearts

    Much💗love

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  11. Your snow pictures are absolutely stunning. Your hand drawn cards always tempt me to go straight to Amazon to order colored pencils and ....(but I can’t order talent). The snow chains instead of downspouts make art out of a necessity. What a good idea. And I must add that I certainly would not mind making those Lenten sacrifices in the food department ))).

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  12. Hello Angie.
    Happy month of March! I love the views of the park and mountains. The fish tacos and fondue sound yummy! We have had a snowy February, so I am looking forward the the big melt down and seeing some Spring blooms. Have a happy day and a great new week!

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  13. I am with you, Angie, Winter is a lovely season and if it snows it's even better. Your photos and food look delightful as usual. Loved the eagle and the wolf!

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  14. I like the hand-drawn hearts too, Angie. Thanks for hosting!

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  15. The Eagle photos are amazing and I love the way you've put them into mosaics! Perfect! How wonderful to live in a place you enjoy so much! I believe in finding all the good things wherever you live and enjoying life to the fullest! Happy MM!

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  16. Winter is a time to experiment with food a little. We tend to try new recipes more frequently when we are inside, rather than in nice weather when we are outdoors most of the time, and it is easy to throw together a salad with some chicken or shrimp, rather than embark on something more elaborate. I have to say that fish tacos sound very appealing.

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  17. Hello, Angie! Living in the place where snowfall is a gift from heaven once or twice a season, your breathtaking snow-scape is really fun to see. Wagon ride reminded me of two people sharing and snuggling under a blanket and doing sight-seeing on a rickshaw in Nara Park.. I love cheese fondue. There are various hot pot dishes called “nabemono” in my country, too. The Eagles are thrilling to see. Enjoy snow to your heart’s content while it lasts.

    Yoko

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  18. Lots of snow, scrumptious looking food, and amazing eagle photos! What a week!

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  19. I've been watching an eagle nest cam here in Florida. Winter is my nemisis! Melted snow is O.K. though. Happy trails!

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  20. Those views are amazing. On top of the world for sure. I'm happy that you go out there and treat us with the views. Love all those eagle captures, too. Looks like fun times in your kitchen! The baked goods and those fish tacos look great! Woohoo! Happy March to you.

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  21. I liked Pat's prose and also enjoyed your writings. You have a gift for making wintry sights that so often are aloof and cold feel cozy.

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  22. He looks like a wolf to me. That's so cool to co-exist with wolves and eagles. Thanks for sharing the photos, Angie. They made my day. I'm imagining myself eating lemon squares right now. :-)

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  23. having never lived anywhere near snow, I enjoyed reading your post and the trials and pleasures of snow. Entering a house where there has been baking on a cold day would be absolutely delicious! Take care on those icy roads and stay warm and safe. Have a great week. Welcome March! and thank you again for the link up.

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  24. I love the eagles and the horses!

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  25. Golly, fondue---haven't heard that word for at least 100 yrs. Well maybe not that much but it looks good. Might have to try it again. Those snowy and cold pics sure look COLD!
    Thanks for the comments on my post/ The app is called Prisma. Easy and fun and I have not explored it very much.
    MB

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  26. Your February was packed with glorious wintry scenes. The light hours here are lessening. Wish I could get enthused about winter.

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  27. It looks pretty, but I am not a fan of the cold so I think I'd be hibernating like a bear in those conditions. I'm guessing the eagles must stuff themselves when food is available, especially during winter since it's not every day that fish are so easily accessible. Happy March!

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  28. So very beautiful! And a wolf - how amazing!

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  29. Bald Eagle searching for food, and Wolf there too. Snow, just everywhere.

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  30. Your food is amazing. I cannot serve anything with eggs, dairy or yeast. I find it limits my motivation.
    Those eagle shots are amazing. Just amazing. I'm not good with US geography, so seeing B.C. helped pinpoint you on the map for me! Well done.
    We don't mind the snow, either. We're not skiers, but it is good to get out in nature. cheers!

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  31. I'm sat with my feet on the radiator but suddenly I feel very cold! You're welcome to all that snow but I have to admit that it makes for great photos. Now where's that sun we were promised?

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  32. Wonderful post, I guess if you live where you live then you dress for the weather don't you. The photos of the eagles are stunning. Love the snow photos.

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  33. A lovely post although it had me saying brrr !
    I did enjoy seeing all of your photographs.
    Fish tacos, with avocado and a creole aioli sauce does sound wonderful :)

    Wishing you a happy March.

    All the best Jan

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  34. Spectacular trail cam shots of the eagles and the wolf or coyote!!
    My parents didn't mind the extreme cold when they lived in southeast Idaho. You dress for it and the houses are more robust I think than what is typical in Oklahoma. When I visited them in the winter it always took me a day or two to get used to it and then it didn't seem like that big a deal.

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  35. Fabulous February, you had a great month Your baking looks really delicious especially the lemon squares. Great captures with your cam, the bald eagle feasting on a fish, his big shadow and the wolf. Amazing to see. Off to creating your March memories, have fun!

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  36. I always enjoy your photos, but the ones this week of the eagle are just amazing! Thank you!! Have a wonderful weekend!

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  37. poor texas is right, how can we ever complain about anything!! your snow images are so very beautiful, i have always wanted to ski, but never learned how. it may be too late for me now!! i think one of those food items from the mexican restaurant is mac & cheese, it looks amazing...all of the food does!!

    the images of the bald eagle are stunning. they are so regal and very special!!

    what a great series of pictures, they all made me feel happy!!!

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  38. Fabulous photos and storytelling :-)

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