Weekend camping

In an effort to not do chores last weekend, we went camping at Villanueva State Park.  We had a site next to the river, which was nice even if the fish weren’t biting.

Today’s outing to Aspen View (today being last Sunday)

 The appropriately-named Aspen View trail climbs high up above Santa Fe; the trailhead is at about 10,000 ft. We got up early to beat the traffic up the hill to the local ski resort, so we arrived at the trailhead by 8am.

Time to shed a layer on the way up

Looking down into Santa Fe

Climbing through the trees

It was a chilly day, in the teens but no breeze. We skied all the way to an expansive overlook, about 11,400 feet, and then carved turns through a big open bowl until we got tangled in a mess of deadfall…  which is fun in its own way...

And yet more snow (will it ever stop?)

 It feels like we’re having quite a few snow days, I think they must be the leftovers from California’s succession of atmospheric rivers.

More snow!

 We are going skiing tomorrow after yesterday’s storm. (Would go today, but I have a performance with the singing group I just joined…after one rehearsal…)

Happy new year!

 We almost made it to midnight, mainly because the fire refused to go out in a timely manner.

Snow!

Fresh snow means lots of animal tracks and happy peoples tromping about!

Cat cat

 Kitty can be very photogenic, and also simultaneously trouble…

Ten Years of Holiday Kitties

 Merry Christmas & happy final night of Hanukkah!

If you've been paying close attention to our Christmas cards, you may have noticed that I draw a "holiday kitty" illustration every year. This year, amazingly, was the tenth! I've drawn one of these every year since 2013 (!!!)

It's fun to look at all the previous ones together, since you can really see my art progression over time:

 

And, of course, here's this year's:

Christmas Eve in Santa Fe

We really enjoyed the festive, yet chill, vibe walking up Canyon Road this evening.  The street was closed to traffic and all the shops and galleries were lined with lights and farolitos, punctuated by the occasional bonfire or group of musicians. It seemed like the entire town was out!