Merry Chris Moose!

Yes, and a Merry Chris Moose it was. That's him on the right by the way. He's actually the oldest ornament that makes it's appearance on our tree. Jody, my partner in life, made him decades ago while doing a fund raiser for a church back in the days before we saw the light. And of course I dropped a double entendre there loaded with personal meaning that I won't bother explaining here.

So what made our Yule so special? Well, first, I had off work from the December 22nd through January 3rd. The boss decided to close the office during what is an unproductive time due to the broken week, and I loved it! Partly because I've always wanted this time off, and partly because I had a run with diverticulitis the week before, and the recuperation time was well appreciated.

Secondly, I got to see both my boys this year. They both live close enough, and so we had a house full, for us. And I always love seeing my boys, and so we ended up doing a bit more shopping that we might have, but it was worth it.

Third, and adding to the above mix, Jody's brother Tim was with us from Chicago. That's his mug below. He came out the day I got off, and was with us almost until New Years.



The cribbage board was mighty used while he was here, all of us taking turns with one another. We also did a bit of walking on the beaches and through the woods, trying to find that grandmothers house that seems so popular. We didn't have any luck finding it though. On the other hand, we saw some marvelous things. At the Saratoga woods we visited the massive Glacial Erratic Boulder, as it and it's cousins are referred to. One of the smaller cousins we saw at the Earth Sanctuary, but the one in Saratoga must the big brother. And Saratoga has some big timber in it. At Ebey's landing, on a windy day, we walked the trail that is actually the Robert Pratt Preserve loop trail. The vista from there is awesome, even on a cloudy, windy, winter day. That trail sports Douglas firs that have grown up in the presence of the salt and wind, and the difference between those and the parked relatives is quite remarkable. We ventured off trail a little bit. It was fun. And to our wonder, just as we returned to the parking lot, a quintuplet of paragliders came out of the trees just behind us. Basically, it looks like a lawn chair of sorts, a "harness" it's called, beneath a parachute. But a narrow parachute designed for maneuverability. It inspired both of us to try it. They just hung there, and then with a dip they zipped along the hillside, or swung around to regroup. No motor, no noise. Hanging on the wind and thermals, like a colorful bird.

Jody joined us for the walk in South Whidbey. We wanted to get down to the beach, but the trail was damaged and hasn't reopened, so we did the trail that takes one along the Ancient Cedar. There are some massive trees in that park. On one off trail excursion, we found a nurse log that was almost six feet high! Consider this: we found a cut log in the Saratoga, having been cut to clear the path. It was a 52 year old tree, providing I counted the rings correctly. It was roughly a foot in diameter. Which on a statistical average, that nurse log we found would have started growing before the our first English cousins first landed on the shores of the mainland. And it will likely lay there for almost as long rotting. My great grandchildren will be able to see remains of that log, and then some! It also was amazing.

Our last walk was Maxwelton Beach, wandering toward Scatchet Head. There was lots of cool drift wood, and mayhaps I'll post those photo's later. I thought the most interesting feature was a recent slide, that had then become a small waterfall, but even more interesting was the revelation of the makeup of the slide. It appeared to be that very ancient compressed peat moss. It basically looked like wood that had been buried literally six feet under a very long time ago. That sort of stuff you find in the Possession bluff, and that makes up the eastern portion of the Scatchet tideland at low tide. And then to top it off, a bald eagle flew right over us on our return to our vehicle.

We of course did the usual gift giving and had some wonderful meals, like this holiday season is so well known for. But what made it all special, particularly in light of the recent passing of Jody and Tim's mother, was the enjoyment of one another and many long talks late into the nights. That to me is what it is all about in the end.

So from all of us, Tim, Taylor, Jody, Miles, and me (I'm behind the camera), we hope yours was a nurturing holiday season, and we wish you a happy New Year.