A cat's life

It's been a tough week or so for the cats. Sheri has been sick for over a week, so the woodstove has been running 24 hours a day for all that time!

Today we were both at home because of the snowstorm so they have also had my lap to sit on. For the record we received about 20" of snow in the last 24 hours which may be a record for our place on Hangman Hill.

Annual Christmas Card Competition

We are pleased to announce the winners of the "best-dressed Christmas Card" contest for 2014.  As usual we had lots of very good entries and there was some formidable competition for the last four places.  Shown below are our favorite four cards for Christmas 2014.  They were simply selected because they made us smile.

 

Christmas Blog

We spent Christmas and New Year at our chalet in New Hampshire, and had a very relaxing stay.  The weather wasn't very cooperative, but we did manage to get in a few hikes (Middle Mountain, Town Hall Road) and two half-days on our cross-country skis (Eastern Pasture Loop at Jackson & Great Glen Trails).   We enjoyed ringing in the New year with Gene and Kathy Fiese and Kathy's sister (Kristen).  Of course we ate and drank too much and even installed a new dishwasher too.

Sheri enjoying the snow in Jackson

What would Christmas be without new socks?

A sunny hike on Middle Mountain, near Conway NH.

Local hike to Middle Mountain

Installation of new dishwasher on Christmas Day

Success!

Paella with Gene & Kathy Fiese

 New Year's Eve celebrations

The sunset from Town Hall Road in Bartlett NH.

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year!  May your 2015 be happy, healthy, spent with family and friends, and filled with sunshine and fresh snow - whatever your pleasure.  Thanks to Gene, Kathy and Kristin for making the last day of 2014 such a good one!

Christmas in Song at the Watch Hill Chapel

Last night we enjoyed the annual Christmas in Song event at the Watch Hill Chapel with our friends Mark and Jen. This year it was unseasonably warm and we did not have to wear our thermal underwear or our hats and gloves in the Chapel. The bell ringers, choir and speakers were as good as previous years, and we enjoyed it immensely. 

The Sacred Shakers

Earlier in December we were fortunate enough to be able to make a mid-week trip to New Haven to see one of our favorite bands, the Sacred Shakers. They don't play very many gigs and it had been several years since we last saw them. The combination of gospel, country and old-time music was as lively and compelling as we remembered and it was a wonderful heartwarming experience in the coldest, darkest month of the year.

Wildcat Adventure

Last weekend we travelled to New Hampshire to enjoy some early season snow. We decided to go to Wildcat Mountain, near Mount Washington. As you can see below there was just enough snow to enjoy the first day of the season on our snowboards. Our legs were sore after just a few hours, but hopefully we will be able to get in shape for more skiing and snowboarding adventures in the coming months.