IDANHA - Judy Fisk never forgot

the magic of her first snowfall. Growing up

in the Los Angeles area, she'd never seen a snowflake.

She'd driven with her family to various places to play in it, but the first time she actually witnessed snow falling from the sky was while going to college at the University of Puget Sound, in Tacoma, Wash.

"I love the way snow changes the environment. It really freshens everything," she said.

Judy has a collection to freshen her own environment: a virtual blanket of snowmen for the mountain cabin in Idanha, where she and her husband, Wayne, and their 4-year-old American Eskimo, Frosty, live six months of every year.

As with snowflakes themselves, no two snowmen in the Idanha cabin are exactly alike. Judy's display includes snowman ornaments, snowman stationery, a clock with pictures of snowmen for each number, and a throw pillow that says, "Flakes Welcome."

She glued tiny snowmen to a metal forest sculpture on the wall of the master bedroom. Snowman soap dispensers beam cheerfully in the main bathroom. In the kitchen, near a plate of snowmen shortbread, are the snowman dishes that kicked off the collection in 1976.

Among her favorite decorations are a snowy bride and groom, handcrafted by a friend, who smile between the family wedding pictures atop a bureau. Another is a hand-crocheted "snow village" of lacy white thread, which brightens the mantle above the fireplace.

"When I first started collecting, they were hard to find. Mostly there were Santas," Judy said. "I liked snowmen because they were always cheerful. And they last. We put them up after the first snow here and we take them down after the last - we've had snow here in June before."

After 27 years as Albany residents, the Fisks moved to Idanha two years ago. Wayne retired in 1997 from teaching social studies at Jefferson High School and from many years of public service, including time on the Albany City Council and in the Oregon Legislature. Judy had taught at Grand Prairie, South Shore, St. Mary's and Waverly elementary schools.

The couple raised four children in Albany: Karen, Dianna, Mike and John, all of whom visit the cabin regularly, often with their own families.

Wayne and Judy both grew up in families with out-of-town refuges.

Wayne's was in the woods; Judy's, the desert.

"That was kind of in our background, that you had a place to escape to," Judy said.

Both love to fish, so water access was a must when the couple began looking for property for their own family getaway. In Idanha, the Santiam River is just a few dozen steps from their back door.

They purchased the 21/2 acres in 1989 and put in the three-bedroom, two-bathroom double-wide in 1997. Half the year is spent there, the other half in Gold Canyon, Ariz.

While in Idanha, the Fisks experience plenty of snow. Only a couple of inches usually stick around for any length of time, but it's not unusual to have a temporary layer of 2 feet or more.

Once, Judy said, Wayne was snowbound in the cabin for five days, with a tree blocking one road and an avalanche another. That year, they measured the snowfall at about 5 feet.

Experienced campers, the Fisks make sure to keep oil lamps, a camp stove and plenty of canned food on hand for just such an occasion.

They also have a generator, which comes in handy from time to time.

"Electricity was already here, but there's only one phone company this far out, and Internet service is sloooowww," Judy said, laughing. "There's no DSL, much to my husband's chagrin."

Still, the slower pace of cabin living was just what the Fisks were looking for. Here, they have time to pursue their hobbies: woodworking for Wayne, knitting, jewelry and quilting for Judy.

"It's really quiet," she said. "You sleep really well."

Family and friends drop by often, either to stay or for a brief visit on the way to Hoodoo Ski Area.

In the winter, the grandchildren like to rearrange the snowmen. In the spring, they play with Judy's other seasonal decorations: birds.

She doesn't think she has nearly as many birds as she has snowmen, but then, she's not sure just how many snowmen she has.

"The neighbor boy quit counting at 200," she said. Then she laughed.

"About four years ago."

Jennifer Moody can be reached at 812-6113 or jennifer.moody@lee.net.