The Marten Creek trail is an unmaintained, often overlooked gem. When Andy and I visited on a Sunday early in January, we nearly had the trail to ourselves. It hadn't snowed in a while, and the snow had a hard, slippery crust that made our snowshoes unnecessary, but we still had a lovely time hiking through the quiet, snow covered woods.
Read moreLife: Week 3
The days are gradually getting longer and the sun is fighting through the clouds. I so appreciate leaving work while there's still some light left. Soon enough, it will be summer and I'll have long sunny evenings, but for now I'm enjoying both the rain and the sun that struggles through. I had plans to leave work early one day so I could get a long walk in before dark, but was disappointed to too busy to leave early enough on the two sunny afternoons. Instead, I went for a short walk through a small park before lunch on a very rainy Saturday. I don't think I'd like this park as much in the sunshine. The mist and rain made everything outside the tall trees and old buildings disappear. In the sun, I think the city would feel much closer.
Read moreLife Week 2
I've been fighting my annual post-holiday doldrums. This past week, that involved meeting a friend for delicious ramen and good conversation on a rainy night, admiring the spectacular sunsets that come with occasional sunny days, and finally visiting a local yarn store I've meant to check out for months! While there, I picked up yarn to make this sweater for Andy. That should keep me busy for several months!
Sadly it did not involve taking many pictures or nearly enough time outdoors. Goals for the weeks to come!
Read moreThe Great Christmas Tree Hunt
Snow covered Smithbrook road. A slightly different view from the drive up to Minotaur Lake in the fall!
This year, for the first time, instead of buying a Christmas tree in a lot or at a U-Cut farm, Andy and I joined his dad, stepmom, sister, and niece in venturing out into the snowy woods to find cut a tree ourselves with a Forest Service permit. Andy's dad has done this for many years, and I've always enjoyed the spindly character of the trees he finds. They aren't quite Charlie Brown trees, but trees found in the forest have so much more personality than the uniform, bushy ones bought in a store.
Read moreLife - Week 1
The first full week of 2016 was a beautiful week full of sunshine and suprises. Work was quiet, which meant I had time to build me new desk from Ikea when it arrived Wednesday. So many people complain about assembling Ikea furniture, but I always find it satisfying to organize and identify all the pieces, then follow the funny little drawings.
Book club this month was a surprisingly good time. The book itself was a strange, short little compilation of single-paragraph stories, but it got us discussing the strange and dark Christmas traditions from all over Europe.
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