December Delights

December is such a busy time, but we still tried to get out and relax. Lori worked hard on her school/work, Meg and Charles studied, and Richard put up with holiday shoppers. Our little lake in town.. Swan Lake.. froze over mid-month. Once the ice is thick enough (monitored by the fire department) it becomes a busy place for young, old, and dogs. There is hockey, skating, walking (Lori and I don't have skates so we just walked around), people on bikes, sleds, etc. A local rental company donates a large light that allows use of the lake until 11pm or so. In December, dark occurs by 3 or 3:30 so it really makes a difference.

Christmas found us just enjoying warmth and family. As one of Richard's presents we brought his girl friend.. Abbey.. up from Utah (she was by herself...family back east) and she got to see how crazy our family is. The kids got some silly string and Lori just didn't understand that you don't tease someone with a can of that stuff. We had our traditional rolls for breakfast.. they must be pretty good since Richard, Charles, and Meg are smiling.
Even D'Artagnan got spruced up for the holidays. He isn't too keen on getting a bath, but he puts up with it and he ends up so "floofy" and soft afterwards.
New Year's Day was cold but sunny. Lori and I took D'Artagnan to Totem Park for a walk. The picture here is about 2pm and even though we are gaining daylight each day you can see how long the shadows are.