The Snowshoe Crew

After just over an hour spin on the bike this morning (a very good ride) it was off to Oxbow Park for a trek through about a foot of powdery snow on a beautiful February day. Though windy outside the woods, it was just perfect in the shelter of the trees and hills.

There was a very good turnout: Wendy O'Leary, Ann, Mike and Aaron Nepstad, Dave and Elaine Eide, Roger and Joyce Heil, Tod and Meg Bellrichard, Adam Walters and myself. Right out of the gate, we went up quite the hill. We had a couple of river crossings. Little did Mike know how apropos this sign would turn out to be.

< Christina Aguilera just muffed up the National Anthem. Ouch. Not good. That's going to get some press. >

We crossed the river a couple of times ... "over the river and through the woods" as they say. :-)

Attempting the last crossing, between two patches of open water, Mike Nepstad went through the ice.

He only went in up to his thigh, but it made me very scared. Thin ice is nothing to mess with. He bent a pole in the process but luckily wasn't hurt and with the relatively mild temps and us close to the end of the trek, he came through it OK. After returning to the parking lot, it was off to The Den where we met up with Tom O' and heard about his "situation" at home with electricity and the basement remodeling project.

I managed to set my purse down on the edge of a couple trays of popcorn and fill my purse AND the table. I get the dipstick award for the afternoon.

Then it was off to Trader Joe's for some veggies (arugula, sugar snap peas, tomatoes) and bread. And flowers for the table tomorrow. (I also ran a mile, just because I'm running at least a mile every day this year. Mileage for last week: roughly ... 75.)

I'm having my Cooking Light group here for dinner. On the menu:

Diane: Wine
Pam: Date, Walnut and Blue Cheese Ball
Mary: Cheese and Chive Challah
Renee: Maple-Glazed Chicken with Apple-Brussels Sprout Slaw
Barbara: Broccoli Slaw with Oranges and Crunchy Noodles
Kathryn: Rosemary Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Shallots
Margo: Pecan Spice Cake with Maple Frosting
Laura: Vanilla Cake with Italian Meringue Frosting

I think it sounds pretty delicious!!

Today: Happy Birthday, Tom Woo. :-)

This is not a good picture, and sorry for the messy yucky garage floor, but I've got some bike rollers (Bike Nashbar brand) that are up for grabs. If you're interested, give me a shout. They're way to scary for my taste.

Lace-Up Against Breast Cancer news and notes:

1) We could use some help making a balloon arch at Mayo H.S. (inside!) on Saturday afternoon. If you can help out, give me a shout. THANKS.
2) We could use some baked goods for the silent auction. They are needed by Friday. If you'd like to donate some cookies, quick breads, yeast breads, etc. give me a shout. THANKS.
3) We would love it if you would run!! There'a 2-mile, a 5K and a half marathon. Registration info is on the website.
4) I'm baking treats for the volunteers.

I got a very fun anonymous comment on my blog regarding the Penzey's Oatmeal Pancake recipe I posted, but hadn't tried yet. Here it is: "I don't know you and you don't know me, but i made the penzey's oatmeal pancakes 2 weeks ago from their new catalog and they were terrific. Everyone in the family including my 2year old keeps talking about them. Didn't find recipe at penzey's site and truly appreciate you for posting it. Hope you enjoy them as much as my family. I'm off to pancake mountain in the am, thanks to you. Thank you!"

Tuesday is the monthly social gathering at Beetles at 6 PM (or after). I'm sure there will be some heading over to the track first. I'm running speedwork Tuesday morning instead, when it opens at 6 AM. In any case, hope to see you at the track and/or Beetles!!

Back to baking for Lace-Up (oatmeal Craisin cookies ... delish!). Good night.