Happy Holidays

Koyuk and Cedar watching for Santa on Christmas Eve.

 Holiday pose only because I had treats.

 Vineman was frosty on Christmas morning

 Before we headed for the ski area, I let the dogs out for their morning run.

 It was a little early for Trask.

 Frosty paws Cedar.

My present this year was going to the ski area with Dave. Since 1978, every year the ski area has been open on Christmas day, we have taken up dinner for the patrol.

 Bluebird day, sixteen degrees and empty slopes.

The Register Guard photographer needed a "skiing Santa" for holiday shot. Since I was wearing my Santa hat and red coat, I got volunteered (and made the front page).

 Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top and Three Sisters

The day remained clear, cold and quiet. The only "cloud" in the sky was the fur on my hat when I looked up.

My quads definitely let me know I should have stuck to my plan of only skiing the easy runs for the first day of the season. My mind could not resist continually heading to the top for the views.

My sister Linda and brother-in-law Chuck came for Boxing Day. Again Vineman was dressed in white.

 Before they came, I cleared the road of car scratching branches and took pictures as I worked.

 The road to the ridge top and backside is under there.

Not only do we have fewer trees, but the stripping of branches make the forest much lighter.

This is my urban mushing rig, tie-out where I turn around after the paper runs with the dogs. At least the tree trunk is still standing...

but we won't be making runs any time soon. I can't get the quad up into the woods to exercise them or run them on our road until I do a lot more debris clearing. Good thing there is snow in the mountains to run the sled.

Lind and Chuck got to meet Vineman in person.  They also got to experience the joys and marvelous sounds when skipping rocks on a frozen pond.

After a wonderful dinner and gift exchange - I wonder how they knew I needed a device that would charge the phone when the power goes out (couldn't have been my whining last week), Dave and Chuck talked radios. Boxing Day for Lind and I was starting the mega sort of pictures from our parents which are amassed in several file boxes. Many of which we had never seen. We also viewed the 1,290+ professional, digital photos from Emily's wedding. Dave and Chuck both fell asleep while Lind and I laughed at pictures of us in mom-made matching outfits and oohed and awed at all the beautiful wedding photos. Finally we too were too tired to look at another picture. Rested Chuck drove Lind home and I crashed. A Boxing Day filled with memories old and new ones made. Happy Holidays.