Thanksgiving

I've got the camera back and a few minutes to kill, so I wanted to share some photos from our Thanksgiving in Missouri!

Todd's mom and my dad at my parents' lake house...

Our moms on a tour of Hermann, Mo.,...

Hermanhof Winery, one of many in the Hermann area...

Do you think we just walked by?  Of course not!  We all went in and tasted...

And tasted a little more...

This is at another winery: Adam Puchtah.  This winery has been owned continuously by the same family longer than any other family-owned winery in the country...

A photo shoot at Adam Puchtah...

Up to Stone Hill winery!  Check out the view from the hill.  The Missouri River is down there as well...

I bust out laughing every time I see this photo!  Doesn't Todd look like a Lollipop Kid...?

On a cellar tour at Stone Hill...

All that wine...Yum...

We went into St. Louis one day to drive around and see the Arch.  Todd's mom had never been there!  I love the Arch...

The Robe Sisters, as they called themselves...

Todd and I did a 5K Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning.  I was pretty proud of my time...30:31.  Todd was 24:29.  He kicked my butt...

Mom and dad enjoying Thanksgiving lunch...

Todd digging in...

Even Rigby was at, I mean, under, the Thanksgiving table...

Todd and I...

My sister Kelly and I...

We went to the Tin Mill Brewery in town and had a beer...

Todd in the hall that houses all their tanks...

I GUFFAW every time I see this photo.  We're imitating the plates behind us...  LOL!

Todd and my dad giving Todd's new pistol a whirl...(I shot a couple times myself.)

ALIEN!  Oh!  It's just Todd...

Rigby is getting better around guns, but isn't completely cured...

There you have it!  Our Thanksgiving!

Welcome home

When Todd and I got home on Sunday everything looked great for a house that had been closed up for a week.

The temperature in the house, which we had turned down, was good.  The place hadn't been broken into - always a plus - and our mail had been graciously picked up by our friend Jeff.

Then we started hauling stuff downstairs.

In the laundry room something was definitely wrong.  There was a pile of dirt that looked like it had been washed in and a trail of dried dirty water to the drain.

What the h-e-double hockey sticks??

And whatever water had come in had found its way to behind one of our bedroom walls...

The best we can figure right now is: the pipe outside to our sprinkler system had burst and the water had been on.  This doesn't make any sense because Todd turned our sprinklers off several weeks ago and shut off the water.  What we can't figure out is where the water came in through the wall - in that quantity... (That repair was done before we owned the place.)

So, now we have a busted valve to fix, plus new pipe that leads to the sprinkler system, and a leaky wall that we can't figure out.

Welcome home!

A Capitol Christmas

Wyoming's little (big) tree has traveled from the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the western side of the state all the way across the country and was presented this morning to the Capitol Architect.  I SO wish I could have been there!

Have you seen that this year's U.S. Capitol Christmas tree is from Wyoming?  This was the first time a Capitol tree has ever come from Wyoming and it's been quite the pride and joy of the state!

I've been following the tree on Facebook and I just love it.  I get emotional over our little tree adorning the Capitol lawn and I love how so many other people love it too!  I love how every town it rolls in to has a special event to welcome the tree.

When I lived in D.C., the Capitol tree was my favorite.  The White House tree, surprisingly, was always a disappointment.  It was cool 'n all to walk around it every year, but it just didn't compare to the Capitol tree.

The Capitol tree was always decorated so prettily.  And it was a little less visited, so it was more enjoyable to walk around.   Also, I always considered it to truly be the "People's Tree" since it stood outside the building where every state is represented.

This guy's post on the tree's facebook page kind of sums it up.  You can't help but feel proud to be an American when you watch the videos and see the photos of the tree in each town...  

Charlie Magee: As an American living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, it has been wonderful watching your journey over the past few week from Jackson to DC! Seeing all the crouds, the childrens faces, and the public show of support, made me remember how proud I am to be an American. This trip made me long for being back home again for the holidays. Congratulations on a lifetime journey and thank you again for sharing it over Facebook for Americans worldwide to see...

The tree made several stops through Wyoming first and Todd and I went to check it out when it came through Casper.  I was hurried for time because of an engagement for work, but Todd, who was in his work uniform, stayed and then got asked to work security on the tree for a while that day!

Here's the tree in the parking lot of the Historic Trails Center...

Here's me attempting to sign it.  I say attempting because there were seemingly two markers for every 100 people and I couldn't find anything to sign it with!  Another girl tracked down a Crayola marker, but that wasn't going to cut it.  Besides, I didn't want my name washed off - I wanted it to make it to D.C.!  Being crunched for time I couldn't actually sign it myself, but Todd signed it for both he and I later...

On a side note, I always imagine that tree's chosen to be Christmas trees feel so proud!  They were picked out of all the other trees in the forest to be taken in to a family's home and get all dressed up.  I think all the trees are secretly saying, "Pick me!  Pick me!" as people in the woods are hunting for just the right one.

And to be chosen as the Capitol Christmas tree??  Wow!  That tree just got the honor of honors!  Can't you just imagine how proud and glowy that tree must feel as it stands on the Capitol lawn being admired by so many people?

Love it.

I'm baa-aaack

Yeah, I know I've been off line for a while.

There was work to be done, a week-long Thanksgiving vacation to be had, a lot (and I mean a lot) of miles to be driven, wine to be drunk, and visiting to be had...

And now, I'm back.

The real kicker is: We spent the night at some friends' house in Cheyenne on our way home (we were tired and thought it best not to push it) and I left my camera there, tucked neatly under the chair in the spare bedroom...right where it belongs!  Consequently, I have no photos of our fun trip to share until I get the camera on Tuesday when I go back to Cheyenne for work.

Ho hum.

So, how was your Thanksgiving?

Be vewy, vewy quiet...

Last week, on Veteran's Day, Todd and I went pheasant hunting.  Well, Todd did.  I didn't have a license so I just followed along.

We saw just about everything but a pheasant.

We saw a hawk feather...

And a snake skin...

And a dog pooping...  I had to include this one because look at him!  I love how his tongue's out like he's just so nonchalant...

Todd also spotted an eagle...

...flying overhead...

I liked this picture of Todd with the mountains in front of him...

Then Todd saw a rabbit.  Actually we saw several rabbits.  So, he shot them.  Rigby was totally in to the rabbits and chased down his first one. Dust and feet were flying and finally Riggs came back with the rabbit in his mouth!  Good boy...!

He thought it was his treat and didn't want to give it up to Todd...

Don't my boys look so cute??

This is a completely undoctored photo of the sun setting that day.  Gorgeous, huh?

A pic of Riggs and I by the river...

And the bowl of skinned rabbits!  This bowl posed a problem for me because I've never cooked rabbit before.  I've spent a fair amount of time researching recipes for a good one...

And it paid off...!

I found the recipe on the Food Network through a clip from that show Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.

And here's the recipe.  I made a few moderate changes to accommodate for three rabbits and not one.  I've made the changes below.

Hunter's Rabbit

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 rabbits, cut into 6 to 8 portions
• Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. medium-size mushrooms, quartered or sliced
• 2 shallots, minced (I used one onion)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Palm of dried thyme
• Palm of dried parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup less sodium beef broth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To a large warmed skillet over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Sprinkle the rabbit with garlic salt and pepper, to taste. Add the rabbit to the hot oil and brown on both sides. Remove the rabbit to a medium-size casserole dish.

In that same skillet, over medium heat, add more olive oil. Add the mushrooms, garlic and shallots and saute for about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to the casserole. Sprinkle the flour, thyme, parsley and the bay leaf over the rabbit and stir in the tomato sauce, wine, and the beef broth. You may add a pinch more of salt and pepper if you wish. Cover with foil and put in the oven to bake until the rabbit is tender, stirring every hour, about 2 to 3 hours. Rabbit meat should pull off easily from the bone with a fork. Remove from the oven and serve.