snow comes to carlton

We got snowed in visiting M's family in Carlton. It was totally unexpected. We dropped M's sister, L, off at the arena in Newberg (she was visiting from out of town & wanted to go horseback riding with M's stepmom) & hit the Carlton Winemaker's Studio for a quick taste. As we sipped Pinot Noir we watched the flurries begin to swirl outside of the winery's floor-to-ceiling windows. X didn't know what to make of it as we hurried through the whirling whiteness to the car.

At M's dad's house, we hunkered down inside in the cozy warmth of the old farmhouse to wait for the blast to let up...but it never did. We decided it would be best to hold out overnight. Driving in darkness on slick, treacherous roads with precious cargo just seemed like a foolish thing to do. Plus, our hosts went all out to make us feel most at home. A dinner was improvised in no time, several bottles of fantastic valley Pinot flowed into cherished glasses & the conversation clipped along merrily.

The only sore spot was the fact that X hated the snow. Or maybe he just hated his grandfather. It is hard to say. He awoke from an afternoon nap & I carried him into the commons & held him by the window to look out upon the white expanse. Grandpa T opened the patio door, scooped up a handful of icy white, and held it out to X for his inspection. Skeptical, X eyed his grandfather nervously & laid his paw atop the chilly pile of snow, thinking, considering.... Soon enough, his lower lip poked out, he lifted his hand gingerly& his eyes welled with tears. He would have burst into sobs had I not quickly coveted him to me. Poor thing. He was probably scared of both the crazy cold & the strange wild-haired man who offered it to him. In any case, he wouldn't let either of his grandparents near him during the entirety of our stay.