Even though we take our dogs out on a walk every day, we’ve had so much snow lately that we haven’t been able to take many pictures. (Camera + precipitation is not a good thing.)

On March 3, it stopped snowing long enough to take some pictures. I told a few people about how the snow is so deep that Fiona has to “swim” through it. These photos show you what I meant.

Fiona toddling along her snow tunnel.

And running back toward me.

James, Kaylee, and Fi on the trail.

Fi “swimming” through virgin snow (and eating a lot of it).

Resting after the big swim.

Playtime in the snow. (Kaylee is sitting on Fi, who is getting trounced)

More trouncing.

Fi is less than pleased about being stomped.

But her good humor is restored.

After playtime, it’s time to head back onto the forest trail.

Heading back to the house, Fi plays Queen of the Hill.

When you spend a lot of time using computers, sometimes you need a “reality break” (to coin a term from Dano at SoulBuilders.net).

That's why my hobbies have nothing to do with computers. They are all real-world activities.
One of the best things about living here is that I have been able to create a huge organic veggie garden.

In the late summer/fall, we  do a lot of canning and "putting up" of food from the garden. (This year 44+ pints of tomato sauce, for example.)

Also I sew/quilt. Sometimes I even use my 85-year old treadle machine. It works great and is about as anti-virtual as you can get ;-)

When we’re not working, James also spends a lot of time in his woodshop or out in the forest, making trails.

Getting away from computers is important. It’s easier if you live in a place where the “real world” is up close and personal. Trees are real. Concrete, not so much.

If you’ve been feeling stressed out and unhappy, maybe you just need to take the time to replenish your creativity with a reality break. You’ll be glad you did ;-)

Yesterday, we took the young dogs out on a hike on Gold Hill Trail #3. It’s one of the many National Forest trails around here, so you can bring dogs. More info about the trail is on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests site, but the trail is 3.7 miles up and it has a 1,200 foot elevation gain. Yes, there’s a lot of up; we were tired by the time we got back to the car. But the view at the top is worth it.

Here are a few pics from the journey (click for larger versions):

Me pouring water for the furry team.

Fiona enjoying some liquid refreshment. (The “bowl” is an old margarine container that I strap to my pack.)

Enjoying a rest at the first bench.

On the trail.

Note that Fiona’s tail is actually down. It’s only down when she’s tired (which is not often).

The crew has noticed that I have pretzels.

Fiona would really like to find out more about the pretzels.

Fi being a bit of a pest. (She is cuddly though.)

James and the crew at the overlook.

James trying not to get tangled in leashes.

Kaylee resting up for the return journey.

Fiona has restored her energy (tail is up).

The view.

Me and the team enjoying the view.

James and a smiling Fi with Sandpoint and the Long Bridge in the background.

Lupine and the Long Bridge.

When you work from home, no one really knows when (or if) you’re working. When you work from home and your home is located in the middle of 40 acres of forest, nobody even knows if you’re home.

When it’s springtime and beautiful outside, it’s best to take advantage of the fine weather and do something fun. After all, a long winter will arrive all too soon.

So here are 10 reasons to quit early and enjoy the day.

10. The dog is giving you that look that means “if you don’t take me out, you’ll be sorry.”

9. You’re the boss. “Because I said so” is good enough.

8. You have to walk to the mailbox to pick up the Netflix. If your mailbox is a half-mile away like ours is, you may as well just quit for the day.

7. Garden produce needs to be harvested. (You don’t want it to go to waste, do you?)

6.  Your writing muse has flown the coop because of the sun streaming through your window.

5.  The lake level is up. Kayaks call.

4. Mother Nature is fickle. It could rain for the rest of the summer. Or even snow. Carpe diem.

3.  Getting outside helps you think up new business ideas. (Really!) Think of it as a mini-business retreat.

2.  People come here for vacation. You live here. Go pretend you’re on vacation, just because you can.

1. And finally our favorite: we moved here in order to enjoy the area. The work we do makes it possible to continue living here, but there is more to life than work. So there’s nothing wrong with going out enjoying the world outside beyond our office windows.

I’m going to experiment with posting some pictures that previously were only on Facebook. Since one of the reasons we live here is to spend time outside hiking, it seems appropriate to post them on this blog.

The photos are from a trip we took to Roman Nose Lakes on 9/13/09. The lakes are located in the Selkirk Mountains in Northern Idaho. On this particular day, the huckleberry picking was mighty fine!

The view from the drive way up. All those reddish leaves are huckleberry plants. They were STILL loaded with berries!

Me on the path to the first lake.

Meadow view.

James and a lake.

Me clambering up rocks.

Looking out over the lake.

James on the trail.

The view of the trail lined with huckleberries. We gorged ourselves on MANY berries.

On the trail to the Upper Lake.

The Upper Lake.

The sky reflected in the Upper Lake.

Me pondering the lake. I needed to wash off the newfie/lab dog drool from my hands. (Quite a few people brought very friendly dogs up to the lakes who we encountered on the trail.)

Upper lake.

Upper lake and rocks through the trees

Walking back from the lake.

Me on the trail heading back from the lake.

For years we tried to come up with a term that describes the lifestyle we adopted when we moved away from suburban Southern California to rural North Idaho. Technology made it possible, as we use the Internet to work with clients all over the United States from our bedroom offices in our log home in the woods.

As long-time subscribers to Mother Earth News, we had become accustomed to thinking of ourselves as homesteaders, using the modern interpretation of the term: we live in a rural area and do a lot of things to make ourselves more self-sufficient, such as gardening and preserving our own food.

So, this is the story of a determined couple who got the ultimate "tree fix" by trading in the big city and Cubicle Hell for a quiet home with a 40-acre back yard.

We are the TechnoHomesteaders!