"Winter" break

Before Christmas, Sarah and I were super busy trying to get all of our projects done.  It was a lot of work, but we had a blast and supported each other, gave advice, and said "Wow, that looks really great!" and "Well, I wish I'd done a little better here." and things like that.  This is a shot of a rig that I set up to compensate for my poor mitering.  Always learning.

Cabins almost done in background, modern art coming together in the foreground, what a mess from the ground up!

This is Hubbard Valley.  Sarah and I have gone for many walks here, and I consider it one of the important places in our life.  Jonas and Eva seemed to remember it, though years have passed since our last hike.

My buddies.  We all enjoyed hanging out at Veneta's.  It was lovely, quiet, and calm, and the conversations and food were great.  Veneta made an amazing breakfast quiche for us with Gouda cheese and bacon in it.  Delicious.

One evening, Sarah had a hankerin' for a hamburger, so we went to check out a place called the Rail.  I was a little disappointed that it was attached to Summit Mall.  Sarah was a little disappointed that the wait was like 45 minutes.  None of us were disappointed with our dinners, and I was pretty happy with the beer.

After dinner, we went back to Veneta's, but nobody stayed up too late.

The adversaries measure each other up.

Coffee ceremony at Grandma Cressman's.  We had a lovely chat and snack with Grandma.

The peripatetic equestrian.  She didn't stop moving long enough to get a shot of her!  What a blast!

Headin' home!  I think she would have sat on the hood like a Nanny on the Cutty Sark and guided us back to port in good time.

Home.

Jonas and I are trying harder than ever to enjoy every moment.  I'm really pleased with this photo.  We've had impressive atmospheric phenomena this "winter".  Not much snow, but great fog!

After wandering around the house for a few minutes looking for AND calling for her, I found Eva happily snuggled into my clean clothes.

Veneta followed us up to New York for a second Christmas with Zhora, Jenn, and Bob, so Sarah and I got back to work on the gifts that we hadn't completed before we left.  With Sarah's input and purchases, I built Zhora a toolbox.  It was great to get to use my brand new bandsaw!  The design completely changed because I was able to do things that would have been too difficult and taken too long without the saw.  I was truly happy with the process and the outcome.

There's a wooden sheath for a saw glued into the bottom of the box and slots for screwdrivers, pencils, and the like on the side.

I used a thin piece of wood from a clementine box to make a spot to clip a tape measure on.

Here it is all done.  We also cut out a birdhouse, but didn't build it.  We gave the slabs of wood to Z and she got to build and paint the house with her mom and dad.  We had a lovely evening and dinner at Zhora's house and enjoyed opening all our gifts and sharing food and laughs and drinks!

It was a lovely break, and we felt so lucky and thrilled to get to spend it with people and animals that we love!  Thanks for all the gifts, and thanks a hundred fold for all the laughs, love, and memories.  Looking forward to seeing you all in this new year!