Christmas (Eve) in Montana

We missed being together with the rest of the family, but enjoyed Christmas Eve in our Montana home feasting on pork, black beans and rice, and a luscious fresh fruit tart made by Linda. Christina had a wonderful visit with her best friends from high school. Merry Chrsitmas to all of you and a happy and healthy 2007




Our herd miraculously reappeared and enjoyed the delicious cob that will help them get through the winter. A new buck showed up-the one with a one-sided rack, who we think is "stubby", so we named because he had a one sided one point rack when he was a youngster 2-3 years ago. This time I decided to shoot a landscape towards the northeast and captured Mount Edith in the distance, all 9,500 feet of her. The other landscape is the more typical we shoot from our house, but this time shot from the highest point of "our hill" behind the house-notice our roof and chimney on the lower right corner of the picture.

The Happiest Santa Around

This is the happiest Santa out there, surrounded by four beauties. The girls from Meritage (the wine bar), all went for a spa treatment courtesy of Kelly, the boss and owner.

From left to right: Courtney, Angie, Kelly and Christina

Here are Dad and I at the "Dancing Moose Lodge" for a week end trip. There was snow on the ground and plenty of deer (Dad will post those pictures later) making for a very nice trip. We visited with friends and enjoyed the new Costco in Helena, right across from Home Depot. Helena has finally made the big time.

Here we all are at Danny and Lindsay's apartment. We cooked a nice dinner and had time to catch up on how each of us is doing.

Here we all are at Line and David's beautiful home in Fairfax, VA. It was a very enjoyable holiday, and Line and David are the most gracious hosts. Jorge and David make sure the turkey is finished, after David spent hours barbecuing it. I sure hope to try this at home!

Marine Museum in Quantico

Here are Christina, Jorge and I at the new Marine Museum in Quantico, VA. Definitely a must see on your list if you ever visit. I thought I had seen all of it, but really would love to go back, and look at the parts I hurried through because there was so much to see. Maybe the tour would be worthwhile.

cont...

 

These are pictures are of us traveling, and one is of me in a Parador, I think it is a mistake, but I don't want to go through all this again, it has taken four hours to download the last pictures of Spain. The views from the Pico Europes, in the Pierrenes, are phenominal, and it was a beautiful drive. The small village is how many of the villages are in the mountains, they just hang off the side. We stopped and had a great lunch in one village, and it was some of the best and least expensive food we ate.

The view from the patio of Altre Naray, it was a beautiful town.

Some beachy scenes...

One of the many buildings that were scattered through many of the villages, they stored food to dry on the top and carts and cars underneath. This is Ribadesella, a small town on the coast, where we went for the day, definitely one to revisit.

The village where we stayed, the farmhouse/hotel is named "Aultre Naray". Locally much was made from the berries that grew wild, as seen in the picture. We picked some one day and had them for a snack. We also took this picture from a walk we took up the mountain. When we returned we mentioned it to the manager of the hotel, and he said, "Oh, I knew right where you had gone. Word got back much before you did." You have to love small villages.

Jorge and Margaret, and when blogger will let me, more to come....

Jorge at the bridge in Congas de Onis, the village where our friend Margaret lives, her lovely home in this village, one of her many pets she adopts, or are just left at her house, and the view from her apartment in the city of Oviedo, where we had the pleasure of staying the night.

Some of these pictures are in Santiago de Compostela, a wonderful city for a pilgramage, our next trip....

Well, the blogger is being picky, it is only letting me post two small pictures right now, so this is me in front of a fruit market, and Jorge in front of the Gaudi 'church'. I accentuate the word 'church' because I believe the only thing being worshipped their is Gaudi, but I guess he is the god of Barcelona. A brilliant artist, but quite dramatic I would say.

These are pictures around Bercelona, including us in our kitchen, cooking a great meal from food we bought in a local market. That is Jorge comparing notes with his buddy, Einstein. Of course it was required we visit the local science museum, unfortunately, we didn't have any little children with us to watch their eyes light up with each new adventure, but their were plenty running around enjoying the fun.

A picture the post wouldn't let me remove....grrrrr...