pizza

Where the snow blows

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Looks like we will have to shovel even if it’s not snowing. We only got about 4-6″ snow but then the wind blew for a couple of days and created drifts where we didn’t want them.

I may have found a new favorite pastime. I have to knock icicles off the buildings. It is very gratifying – immediately rewarding, with an accompanying tinkling sound.

Snow blows up
Sunroom

The sunroom is cozy even when it is below 0 degrees f. Passive solar plays a big role in keeping the buildings warm.

View from down the valley to the barn

Such a beautiful, dramatic setting.

The barn

We took a short walk the other day, I’m still acclimating to 8000 ft altitude, and came across places where the elk laid down.

We joined the local pool and our first swim was punctuated by many rests to catch our breath. Otherwise, I feel fine. When we went backcountry skiing in the 10th Mountain Huts outside of Leadville, CO, which is at 10,000 ft, I never acclimated and had the worst headache, despite meds, for the entire time.

High altitude baking intimidates me. My first attempt can’t count because I forgot to add the egg until a crumbcake was already baking. It turned out surprisingly well.

Last night I made a cobbler and pizza. Both were delicious.

This time, I remembered everything.

Time to make the pizza

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We took a nice walk in the woods last week to Boreas Pond. The road was washed out in the same storm that knocked out our bridge. This meant we had to walk the whole 13.5 miles round trip. It was a beautiful day, so why not?

At the pond, we were greeted by circles of ice and a zeppelin cloud floating overhead. We enjoyed lunch and napped before heading out. The ice and snow we had to contend with on the way in had melted but we were no faster leaving. Couldn’t make a pizza that night because it takes a couple of hours to get the embers just right and the oven hot enough.

It will be a beautiful place to explore by kayak next year if we don’t have to portage the 13 miles!

Last night I made pizza in the oven I built a few years ago. Nothing better. Sun sets at 4:30 so I cooked by headlamp and may have been a little giddy.

The pizza cooks in 90 seconds and is fun to watch. I used my telescope while I waited for the fire to be ready.

Actually I was making sure the whole structure didn’t burn down because flames were licking the outside of the oven. I have a laser thermometer and although the oven floor was 800 degrees f, the roof didn’t get hotter than 140.

One day I will line up things to bake: bread, pie, roast, with one fire. One day.

Finally, a winter day

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We finally got some snow today and more is expected through the night. We drove out to our CSA but were dismayed to find our favorite bakery closed for the winter holiday. It has become a tradition to stop there on our way home for “pizza night”. Dogwood Bakery makes the best pizza we have ever eaten anywhere! We made all sorts of back up plans but went to a pizza place right in town that was surprisingly good. We didn’t want to wait for our pizza so took home one to “take and bake”.