Retired!

Chad has officially retired from Government service!  We took a nice trip back to the Bay Area for the party, as well as seeing friends, biking, and hiking in the fog.  Onward to more adventures :)

Skiing!

Last week, we took advantage of the recent storm and went skiing over near Los Alamos.  Gorgeous mountains!  In the top picture, we were looking into Valles Caldera.

2nd highest bridge

We drove out to Taos to get out and about, and (in addition to finding some fun books and art) took a detour to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, supposedly the second-highest span in the country. It was suitably picturesque!

Christmas Boef

For Christmas dinner, we cooked a large, cheap beef rump in the home-made sous vide cooker for a rather long time (3 days!) and the results were pretty delicious. Loads of flavor, and nicely tender (I sliced it very thin.) Served with a fruity balsamic.

Merry Christmas!

We had Chad’s mom and brother over to celebrate the holiday.

Future Me is thankful

Way back in July, as part of an art prompt exchange with Kean, I made a bunch of starry night prints.  My thinking was that Future Me would be thankful when it came time to do Christmas cards.

And yes, I am thankful.  I still managed to not get the cards addressed and put in the mailbox until Dec 22, but that is a separate problem...

Happy Holidays to all!

Forgot

I forgot how many candies a double batch of coconut bonbons makes…  Five bags of chocolate chips later, I am finally done.  Using the induction hot plate to keep the chocolate at the right temperature is a game-changer :)

Singing!

 The group I sing with has been busy this holiday season.  Go here to see a nice article about the group.

Tree hunt

 Despite the snow, or perhaps because of it, we headed up into the hills over the weekend to find our Christmas tree.  Once again, we accidentally got one that just barely fits in the house…