Happy.

It's been a truly amazing experience to be down at the Snow Lodge.  We have probably five feet of snow (and I could be grossly inaccurate in that guess since there are huge snow drifts and no real measuring tool - the snow comes up to our window...) and are surrounded by wonderful friends. 

Christmas was a truly wonderful day - we slept in late, went on a long ski about halfway to Mallard Lake (that I hiked this summer with my brother), and then a nice dinner at the dinning room.  It was a great way to celebrate being with friends who have become our family out here.

There is a rather steep hill, known as Watertower, that we climb up with some frequency (close to daily) to enjoy the thrill of skiing downhill (although I still fall a bit).  The day after Christmas, I woke up just as the sun was coming up in a blaze of glory over the snowy hillside.  I ran up Watertower with as much speed as I could muster and still missed the bright oranges and reds.  However, I spent the morning on the hill taking pictures of the glorious surroundings.