So, apparently the hill my house was built on used to be a popular spot for people who live in the area to head over to on a snowy day to go sledding, tubing or whatever. It’s been awhile since they had this much snow here (long before the house was built), and so there are a number of people who stopped by and asked if they could sled on the hill (and the neighbor kids from next door have been using it for a few days along with some others from nearby).

So, long-story-short, my house has become a minor winter park for the township of Deer Island, Oregon. Actually, I don’t know if it’s even a township, but that’s beside the point. For a few days this year, I am Disneyland. Or at least my front yard is. And I am meeting a bunch of people who live around the area, too. People have actually called their friends and family around here to tell them the hill is open. Hehehe...

It’s Sunday morning now, and it got much colder (like 19 degrees) late last night, and the sun came out for a brief little while this morning, but it’s still well below freezing. It doesn’t look like the snow will come back today – probably tomorrow (assuming those weather people are right this time). So, it should be a nice day to get outside for a while.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday’s sessions at DisneyNorthWest (And for the record and those who can’t figure it out, Disney is a registered trademark of a really big and nice company that I have absolutely nothing to do with, it just sounds cool. Don’t get confused )…

It won’t stop snowing! Interestingly, family and friends don’t seem to care too much about technology or anything interesting (heheheh), they just want to see snow pictures and hear about how I am snowed in. Sheez.

I will take more pictures and post them this weekend so everyone can see what a huge mess it can get to be when you live just 1000 feet above the rest of the world around you. And how much fun it is around the neighborhood.

And the forecast is for more and more winter weather, with temperatures dropping drastically over the next few days. Right now, heowever, it's just clody and foggy - but it's suposed to get very cold tonight. Just as long as the power stays on we are ok (It’s a very real concern here and was out for like 6 hours the other night). A generator is in my future, let me tell ya.

Meanwhile, here’s a few pics and one video (550KB, uses Windows Media player)…

It's been pretty gray out recently and the trees have a lot of wet snow on them - more than they are used to. All day long you hear a periodic CRACK! when a branch breaks from the load. The dark days when the fog sets in (and there's a lot of fog up here this time of year) are quiet and calm. It's great.

Some of the trees are huge. Luckilly, I think these ones have been around long enough to survive this kind of snow. Locals (I have only lived here a year and a half) say the last time this much snow ended up on the ground was 3 years aso, and it was like a decade before that the previous time. Kids and adults from all over the area are out enjoying it. More on that in another post, once I get the rest of the pictures ready.

My neighbors' car is prety well buried. We live at the end of a pretty darn long (like a quarter mile or so) gravel drive. Their car is stuck, probably for a while!

It doesn't look like it in the picture, but that's a big freakin' bird house - It's pretty much as tall as I am (ok, ok - no short jokes, please ). I wanted to try to point out that there was around 18 inches of snow on the ground, and it's wet snow now, so that's after it's compacted down a bit. It's heavy, too - I know, since I shoveled a whole bunch of it this morning. I had to, in order to get my 4WD vehicle into my driveway. The wet snow had been compacted over the past few days and had become slushy, then got snowed on more. The end result was a real mess, and no vehicle could drive up the hill. The only way to solve the proble was the old-fashioned way: Back-breaking shovel work. Luckilly I found a great snow shovel at Home Depot - it has two handles and make the work MUCH easier on the back - almost enjoyable if you can believe that!

Pathetic eh? Hey, the original nose was a pear, since I had no carrots (sorry Dad ). But we swapped noses the next day. This is what it looks like when you build a snowman in the front yard during a blizzard in the dark at 9:00 at night, and then it snow again. He's not the only one up to his knees in snow right now.

In the “hey that’s interesting,” or maybe the “I tested that one” department:

Bink.nu’s list of Microsoft product code names

I personally have tested a number of these (officially). Interesting to remember all the names. I noticed there's a few not on there that are currently underway though.

I’ve been using the new Acer c300 Tablet PC for a few weeks now, and am ready to make some educated comments. First of all:

Seriously, I am using this computer much more than my old notebook, and it beats the snot out of the old Compaq tablet we picked up a year ago. Tablet PC hardware has matured into a viable set of devices that can compete with other computers on the market. It behaves like a decent business notebook, but converts quickly to slate mode when needed. I am authoring this entry completely with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition’s handwriting recognition - no keyboard - and no wires thanks to the Centrino chipset. Cool stuff, and on top of that I’ve been sitting here using the computer on battery and wireless network for a few hours and still have plenty of battery life left to go.

Of course it also needs to be practical and useful, and I have found myself tending to take better notes when I need them. I am also taking notes at times and places I never did before.

The Acer is well-built, with a larger than typical screen/slate (about 14 inches compared to the more common 10 to 12). The digitizer is fast and works very well. I was pleasantly surprised when the unit arrived to find it ships with a built-in smart card slot and two cards. Without a valid card the computer will not start. Of course, you can do all the other Windows tricks with the smartcard, as well.

The case is sturdy, the wireless is fast and reliable (802.11b) and I can’t find anything to complain about. The pen stows neatly in the screen frame, and the unit has a built-in DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, which is very nice if you are looking to completely replace a laptop computer (that’s my goal). We will be doing some application performance testing over the next week or two, and that will determine if this unit is ready for prime time. I think it will do well.

The more thing: When Gateway announced price drops for its tablet machine a couple of weeks ago, Acer followed suit and knocked something like $400 off the list price, so the cost for the tablet is now comparable to that of a similarly equipped standard notebook. That makes it much more reasonable to consider the Tablet PC for business purchase.

I want one…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=26432&item=2450501898

Two things happened today that amazed me. I was not present for either one. Where I live, it snowed a whole bunch. My 4-wheel-drive truck allowed me to leave my house today and work my way down into the valley to go to work, but without that capability – no way man.

The first things that happened was that I heard from my neighbor that the UPS guy stopped his truck at the end of the driveway, by the road, and WALKED a package through the snow up and down two long hills, a quarter mile to the neighbor’s house, because his truck could not make the drive. Wow. That’s dedication and service!

Then later I heard that Cora, the nice lady I have come to my house every couple week to clean things (Before you start, remember I’m a bachelor *and* a work-a-holic, so give me a break…), also hiked from the road to my house, CARRYING THE CLEANING STUFF THE WHOLE WAY. Apparently the neighbors saw them climbing the hill, but they were already half-way here by that time, so they did not have the heart to suggest they turn back and come back when the drive was passable. When I called Cora and thanked her, she laughed and said, “Well, I was already there, and my helper said she wanted to get out and play in the snow anyhow, so I thought oh, what the heck.” Uhhh, that’s more than I would ever ask for, and someone’s going to get a big tip. Way above and beyond!

These things simply would not happen in the city. There’s something about small-town and country life that is different. People watch out for each other, and they care about people and things.

Now I remember why I moved out here.