a weekend in the woods

I just got home from a fantastic weekend in the woods. It was Julie's B-I-G 4-0 and her family treated her to a cabin in the woods for the weekend. I was a very lucky girl to get the invite! The cabin itself was right on the river and rush of the water made for the best background noise ever! I only wish I could attach the fresh smell of spring to these pictures!

I was VERY happy to get a healthy dose of Vitamin D!
The cabin was full of eclectic collectibles and family effects that kept my camera very busy. Above is a picture of Betty posing as the 'jackelope'.
Here is the Birthday Girl! If you look in the bottom right hand corner of the photo, you can see how close the water was to the back deck of the cabin. It was dreamy!
I was tending to the wood stove. There was also a roaring fireplace, giving the cabin a super cozy feel.
Angela and Julie are actually sitting on a foot bridge that was suspended above the living room. The pictures do not do this cabin justice.
Julie right before her Birthday dinner!
Coconut Cake! Uhm...  Yummy!
A night time picture from outside. I need a tripod so I can take more of these. I actually placed the camera on top of the hot tub to get this still shot.
I love this photo. Betty was drifting in and out of consciousness in front of the fire. 
The cozy fireplace...
There was a picture on the mantle of one of the original builders of the cabin- back in the day. The cabin itself is a registered historical cabin in the area. 
a view over the footbridge into the room where I slept.
Today we hiked around Trillium Lake. It was so warm and the views- amazing....
The ladies refueling with meat and cheese.
I couldn't resist. I had to take a picture of Mama Hood in Betty's sunglasses.
Posing for a pic...
I finally made it up to Timberline lodge on the way home! Usually I am snowboarding and too tired to make the drive up to this ski resort (my pass is for Mt. Hood Meadows not Timberline). The lodge was truly amazing. 
This was a painting of the man that worked hard over several decades to restore the lodge to what it is today. There is a story behind the dog too, but I'm too tired to research that tonight. 

The lodge was beautiful, but the terrain at Meadows is much better. What did catch my attention was all the climbers who were starting their trip up to the top of Mama Hood from the lodge. I'm VERY intrigued by the idea that you can climb to the tippy top of the mountain and snowboard down. Sounds heavenly... I think I just found a new goal.

Much Thanks to Miss J for including me in her b-day extravaganza. It was a blast! That's enough for now. It is sleepy time.