Christmas in NC

A very merry Christmas with Mom, Dad and Clark in Durham!  This was taken on Christmas dinner at the McClays!

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don't count the blow up tree (a Witzleben hand-me-down!) I haven't had a real Christmas tree in 7 years. On top of that- this first Christmas tree with Carson is very special.  From the prior post, you can see where we cut it down "ourselves" at the ranch- it has a couple more branches than the famous Charlie Brown tree.  It only took 100 lights and has a very minimal collection of ornaments (I counted 9 not including the filler disco balls) but we love it.  We also had extra garland for the mantle and Carson braved the snow last night to take some photos of the outside of our place.  I'm looking forward to a holiday gathering with friends later this week and of course home for the holidays in NC with my family.  Happy Holidays everyone!

Cutting down our Christmas Tree

Carson and I went to the Schmid family ranch to cut down our very own Christmas tree.  We got to pick it out from a patch of overgrown trees.  At first we wondered up to the 5 foot trees, but then we were directed to a patch of 20 foot trees.  After a brief moment of confusion on my part, we were told we would cut down the tree and then cut the bottom off to the height we wanted (keeping the top!)  We found a couple trees that we thought were nice (we were getting a friend a tree as well) and Greg brought over the chainsaw.  As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful setting on Wilson Mesa with gorgeous views of Wilson peak.  We'll post more photos of our place and new home for the tree.  Tis the season!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carson's commute!

Here are a couple photos from today as I rode the gondola to visit Carson for lunch and a ski break.  Doesn't he have a beautiful commute?  I selfishly took a photo of the newspaper that a lot of folks in town pick up to read on the 13 minute ride.  The gondola is free to everyone and the only transportation system of its kind in North America (according to the Offical Vistors Guide).  The gondola climbs from the Town of Telluride at 8,750 elevation up to the top of Station St. Sophia (10,535 elevation) and back down to Mountain Village (where Carson works) at 9,540 ft.  My ears were feeling the change today!  It is as much a practical mode of transportation as a beautiful scenic experience.  These days since it's so cold, we're also taking the other free public mode of transportation- the "Galloping Goose" shuttle service that makes a loop around Telluride.  A little different from the buses and "L"s in Chicago... what is a ride going for these days?  I remember the days of $1.75 per ride and in 7 years it made it up to $2.25.  We love you Chi-town!