In which we have a celebration of holidays' end and MORE LIGHT

I'm not a complete Grinch...but celebrations at the darkest time of year

seem ironic to me.

This is our "Christmas Tree."  We put lights on it, and sometimes
a few ornaments.  This year it was decorated with lights and a few ferns,
because Rumplecatskin would absolutely have killed anything else.

We had a "remote gathering" on New Year's Day.  It poured rain part of the day, but we built a bonfire in the back yard and roasted hot dogs.

Someday we will build a big "party annex" on the house.  Until then, we have the barn aisle.

I mostly look forward to the end of the holidays, because that's when the light starts coming back.

We have a new "tree" on the wall now--Monica painted an artistic version
of the sequoia tree in the backyard.

More light means more riding!

The pandemic is still on, of course, which means road trips are still OFF...mostly.  I figure, if we can get out-and-back on a single tank of gas, and we can support a couple of local businesses in the process, we're going.

We went to Leavenworth!

The 59'er Diner burned to the ground in 2016.  They rebuilt and re-opened in 2018!
We always stop there if we're in the area--the burgers are worth the drive.

Most visitors to the little faux-Bavarian town are there for the faux-Bavarian tourist opportunities...drinking beer, listening to polka music, eating sausages, and shopping for weird Bavarian-themed plastic tourist junk (a plastic moose in lederhosen?)   We don't care about that.

We went to see the REINDEER.

Reindeer don't care about facemasks.  This one thought that Jim's camera
looked like the little plastic container of food that visitors bring.

The Leavenworth Reindeer Farm is pretty much a petting zoo...
but with REINDEER.  

Santa and reindeer:  it's a beautiful thing.

Reindeer don't care about social distance, either.

We have more than 10 minutes extra daylight today that we didn't have at solstice.

Will smile for ReindeerSnax®

 

I think that's worth celebrating.