New Years at the Cabin

It all started eons ago... Chuck and Bill would head up to the cabin over New Year's each year.

Lots of snowmobiling, steaks on the grill, and plenty of movies (from Santa Claus even!) to watch.

You might think now that the guys have grown up, settled down, gotten married... they might want to start new traditions, like staying close to town. Or even shopping for those "day after Christmas" bargains. Nope! Not Chuck and Bill, no sir. Nowadays, they just drag their families up to the cabin with them, so everyone gets to ride the snowmobiles, eat steak, and watch movies!!

And that's just what we did. For 6 days and 5 nights, we braved the cold (it was 2 degrees F the day we arrived!) played in the snow, relaxed by the fire, ate some yummy steaks and all around had a wonderful time.

I sometimes tease Chuck that access to his family's cabin near Steamboat was one of the "perks" of marrying to him. lol. But I really enjoy the opportunity to spend time up there in the mountains. It's so much fun in all seasons.

Here are some snapshots from our week in the snow...



Keena loves loves loves being in the snow. She was out there as much as possible and loved every minute of it.

We have a nice long rope for her so she doesn't go wandering off, and she would run around in the snow, sniffing and digging and playing. She also loves to fetch snowballs, and I discovered if you make them with your bare hands she can actually sniff out the very snowball you threw, and bring it back to you. Well, most of it!

Chukani took her for a few long meandering walks, and she was so much fun to watch as she explored to the farthest reaches of her leash. True to her breed- a real snow dog. However, that's not to say that she didn't also enjoy the warm comforts of being inside. I found her up on our bed more than once when she was inside!

Here's a sunset photo I took on Tuesday evening (12/30 I think?!) it was so bright, and the photo just doesn't do it justice. Everything was all pink and gold glowing on the snow around me. I stood out there in the cold taking about 7 or 8 shots trying to capture it though! lol. And in the evenings when the sky was free of clouds, the milky way was so bright. There were so many twinkling stars it took my breath away.

Isn't she purty?!

Grilling steaks New Year's Eve... firing up the new charcoal grill for the first time. We have a gas grill up there, but it conked out because the temp was so low the gas wouldn't flow from the tank to the grill... yikes.

Do you think Bill used enough lighter fluid?! aww... just kiddin'. The briquettes were pre-soaked. And the steaks were de-lish. Ooh, and we had baked potatoes, caesar salad and garlic bread from the kitchen crew to round out the meal. Quite a change from the 'ol batchelor days, eh boys?! lol

It really was a fun trip. We had snow the first few days, and then some sunnier, warmer days that were just right for playing in the snow. Oh yea, there were some plumbing/well issues (the heater in the wellhouse went out and we had no water for the first night!) but other than that it was a pretty smooth trip.

I think Chukani are planning a couple weekend trips up next month, I can hardly wait! Wanna come with?? :)

Chukani hope your 2009 is blessed and full of joy!!