Santa was Good to Us

My sister Sybille was into pinecone crafts this Christmas.  We got this lovely wreath from her.  Also some owl ornaments:

And then Santa left another owl in Leo's stocking!

Last Day in Smithers

We hit the sweet spot between 1 and 2 pm on Seymour Lake for a last ski.  It was pretty cloudy but the sun peaked through just before 2 pm for this lovely skyscape.

Christmas in Smithers

There's not much snow in Smithers this Christmas so the ski hill has only one lift open and the cross-country ski trails are suffering from lack of fresh snow.  But Seymour Lake is hopping with skaters though you can't tell from this photo.

Imagine our surprise when we skied out on the lake to find this:

Yes, a wealthy Smithereen has purchased himself a mini Zamboni and the Seymour Lake crowds will all benefit from it.  Here he is icing his personal hockey rink, but he'll also be maintaining the public skate trail that winds around the lake.

I'm a little nervous about falling and rebreaking my ribs for skating, but skiing around the lake was just about right.  Today we managed to hit the warmest part of the day after lunch and before the sun falls behind the mountains at 2 pm.

In other news my mom and I had a good laugh.

Soon we are off to my sister's house for turkey dinner.

Merry Christmas!

Last Sunday Walk before Christmas

It's a winter wonderland out there!

The walkers posed for a photo, courtesy of Pat Radolla.

Tuba Christmas

This year's Tuba Christmas is on Youtube, featuring Leo in the Men's Choir and Connie in the Brass Ensemble.

Community Band Christmas Concert

Our conductor Laura video'ed the entire concert on Facebook.

Ha Ha

(Via Bryan Chubb's twitter account)

According to this I used to be an unbearable young snob but only while camping.  Now I have a New Yorker subscription but never read it (half accurate) while Leo is faking fancy.

Finally a Dusting of Snow

We had periods of snow in the forecast for three days and finally got a 1-inch dusting on Wednesday.

Crossing the bridge in the Williams Lake Creek Valley with the Wednesday walking group.

Williams Lake is Freezing up

The ice is moving further and further out into the lake. It's making interesting patterns as it freezes.

Leo spotted two marsh wrens at Otter Point boardwalk.  It's very late for them to be hanging around.

Busy Season

Leo and the Cariboo Men's Choir sang Christmas carols at the Hobby Con on the weekend.

It was a busy weekend.  We went to 2 (!) concerts - Cod Gone Wild (Celtic Rock) on Friday night, and on Saturday night our local Juno Award winning musicians Pharis and Jason Romero played at the United Church.

And it continues to be busy for the rest of the week.  I have practices on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, the community band Christmas concert on Friday, more performances on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday next week.  Leo is singing at the Salvation Army kettle throughout the week.