The Holidays

You would think that with half the dogs, I would have twice as much time to write my blog. Well, turns out, I'm busier than ever!
With the holiday season, work was a jumble of tourists and the inevitable issues that come with them. Colorado is in a bit of a dry spell at the moment. The sun is out in full force and melting our base. Fortunately for me, I revel in ice skiing, so it feels just like home when I hit the slopes. Nevertheless, I'm crossing my fingers with everyone else hoping for a big dump of powder. It would bring the business in and then I could actually learn how to ski powder.
Even with the poor ski conditions, my family made the journey to see me for the holidays. Sam drove down from Vancouver with his dog, Bella. Within two hours of his arrival, we were out in the dog yard introducing Bella. I thought my dogs would rip her to shreds, but instead, they were scared of her! The older dogs would sniff at her, but showed little interest. The puppies ran into their houses and barked at her until she went away. They weren't used to having a strange dog in their territory. Later in the week, when we went for a walk and cross country ski, I took puppies with us. At first, Bella just beat up on them. She is a rough player and the puppies would come hide behind me crying. Within fifteen minutes though, they were the ones chasing her. All they needed was a little confidence boost to deal with a strange dog. Once they got it, they realized that it could be a lot of fun.

Family Picture on the hike into The Maroon Bells

Mom and Dad spent the week out here as well. On Christmas Eve we went to Aspen to explore and go to mass. Sam and I had discovered that Aspen Chapel was putting on a mass with music led by John Oates; as in, John Oates from Hall and Oates. We were all tempted to shout out "You Make My Dreams Come True"! during his performances. Sam even got a nod and hello from him. The Ryan-Giroux family is running with the celebrities.
We had a wonderful Christmas Day, with the usual emphasis on food. It was my first Christmas outside of Vermont, but it was just as good with my family there. I had to work for the holidays, so they came up every day to have lunch and ski with me.

Skiing in Four Mile Park

On my days off, we had family fun time. We went snowshoeing/just walking due to the lack of snow up in the Maroon Bells. Afterwards, we soothed our aching joints in the Hot Springs. The Springs are a beautiful place to be at night. Steam rises off of the water, making everything hazy and ethereal. The crescent moon was out, coupled with christmas lights on all the hotels. I would spend every evening there if I could.
The following day, we went for a quick cross country ski up in Four Mile Park. Niva, my puppy, went with us. The snow is a few feet deep up there in the Aspen groves. We skied along, with Bella and Niva wrestling in the powder; Niva got buried under Bella more than once. Mom kept saying, "It doesn't get any better than this!"
Now, with the family gone, it's back to dogs and work. In a few days, a friend from St. Mike's will be visiting and the adventures will start up once again. Just keep your fingers crossed that Colorado gets snow so the dogs and I can really enjoy the winter!

Niva and Bella