Une Envie de Sel

Playtime at the library with friends.
Painting supplies for glittered snowmen.

Q's first encounter with the ski slope...
...well, not her first, but I think she was still too young and new to take it in last year.
In any case, the look of astonishment on her face, seeing all those people sweeping down the slope and into the lift line, was something to behold!

Sam enjoying his old territory. My poor dog is getting really old...but he knows when he's back in the mountains.
And I got my requisite naptime hike up the mountainside. Oh, joy!
As cold as it was, it was a beautiful afternoon, with that rich gold-and-blue winter light.

It really is a beautiful place...you can see why we loved it for so long.

Champagne powder is what you get when the air is dry and the temperatures really cold.
It's as light as air.
I met this guy on my way down. He was on his way up, along with his dog...to watch the rising of the full moon. I had forgotten - I really had - just what life was like in the mountains. This is such a traditional ritual, something we locals have all done, and yet now, from this distance of a few years, it seems so exotic and rare.
The passes were gorgeous on the drive back down to the Front Range!