Well...turns out this is a record snowfall year here in SW Idaho...more than 15" of snow on the ground and it's been on the ground since December 15th!
When we did our research and found this area of Idaho, called the Treasure Valley, the weather reports were "mild winters". Here's what city-data.com said about the area...
Located in the heart of Idaho's Treasure Valley, or "Banana Belt," Nampa enjoys a mild climate year-round. Its high desert location is bordered to the north by the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains and to the south by the Owyhee Mountains. Winter lows average 20.2° F. Nampa's winters are mild, with minimal snowfall. Blizzards are rare, and snow that does fall rarely stays on the ground for more than a few days.
Average Temperatures:January, 20.2° F; July, 92.0° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 21.4 inches of snow
However, it's gotten insanely cold and LOTS of snow that is not going away. Fortunately, our coach has great insulation so it's nice 70 degrees inside.
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| Minus 13 below ! |
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| Top of the coach BEFORE shoveling |
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| half-way done shoveling |
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| RV park picnic tables |
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| Every morning...need to scrape and brush |
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| ...even had to buy a snow shovel |
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| Some lovely photos available though |
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| Our RV Park |
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| Could not see the road....white-out...so I got stuck...in the RV park ! |
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| Look at the icicle going down the pole ! |
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| SNOW ! |
Of course, Christmas came during this time but we played it low-key....we're already spending a lot of money on the new house...but we still got some presents in and some gorgeous local lights.
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| One of Kim's presents |
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| my traditional Christmas underwear! |
The local town, Caldwell, does a wonderful light show downtown. It is about 6 blocks along the creek that you can walk....that is, if you bundle up.
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| Katie loved all the lights |
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| We decided to do mac-n-cheese for Christmas this year. Katie approved. |
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| Yummy ! |
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| This is BEFORE the big snowstorm! |
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| The happy family |
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| Making...or trying to make...a snow angel |
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| We bought a heated hose so our water never freezes but you can see how it's all melted around it. |
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| One of our 4 daily walks. |
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| Katie doesn't mind the snow at all. |
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| Look who's inside nice and warm and toasty ! |
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| Katie is anxiously waiting for Mom to return |
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| This is her favorite place to lay when we're watching TV. |
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| Isn't this the cutest dog in the world !!?? |
The house update:
The cold weather is making it so that everything outside is on hold. The brick work got started but then they had to stop. We got our well dug...down 525 feet !....but cannot get the trench dug to the house for the water pipe because the ground is frozen 22 inches down.
But, inside work is gaining momentum. The interior painting has been done and the carpentry and trim work has been completed. We got our cabinets in last week but, when they came out, they could not get down our street because it had not been plowed. The company had to send out a snow plow!
Next week, we get our quartz counter tops, the shower and master bathroom tile will be done. Then, the plumber, the HVAC and the appliance go in. We're getting close !
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| The large space in the middle is for the frig, the pantry entrance to the right and the entrance from the garage is to the far left. |
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| We have two kitchen islands for food and cooking |
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| Kim's 12'x12' pantry ! |
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| Here's our current pantry ! |
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| Master bathroom tile floor |
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| Master bathroom shower tile |
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| Outside brick work....the pattern is called "Georgetown" |
The outside painting is done. We have a tan bottom and "champagne" color for the scallops above and Hunter Green for the trim. The brick for the posts out front will be done when the weather warms up. The roof is pretty much done as well.
We had a few nights to do some puzzles....We like 500 large pieces.
All of you Florida people are having a great time I bet ! 75 degrees !!!!
Hopefully we'll be posting our next entry from INSIDE our nice, new warm house.
Keep in touch.
steve/kim/katie
