Big Family Christmas 2011

Created 1/6/12

It was a big Christmas for visitation. David & his family, Ana, Zak & his family. While we forgot the American tradition of taking a family picture in front of the tree, at least we remembered the Greek tradition of taking a picture of everyone at the dinner table.

If you look carefully at the next picture, you will see the drool building that landed on Zak's head moments after this picture was snapped.

Of course, before we ate we needed to work up an appetite by sledding. That's not Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on the right, just David thinking how cool it would be if John wiped on his new ski-bike.

Thanks to Maureen & Richard, our visitors were able to try cross-country skiing. The adventure aspect was muted by the wide, level road we chose to ski on. And it seems the traditional skis we borrowed have more friction. Everybody got exercise and fresh air and a new experience!

Demonstrating their rugged mountain-person personas, David & Claire snowshoed over the hills and through the valleys.

A sight few visitors have seen - the most beautiful hike in the world when it is covered in snow and ice. If you look very closely, you can see Claire's stomach bothering her. Arkoutha got overheated and had to find a patch of water to cool off.

And a sight many visitors have seen. John & David misbehaving at a bar. Poor Hunter. It must suck to have to hang around dorky relatives.

Chronologically first, but saved for last, here are Ana, Patty, & Brian showing off the trophy tree we bagged out on Cat Mesa. John made a mistake and sawed the wrong tree. This one was 20 ft high at first. We had too keep cutting off the bottom until we could lift it onto the car to bring home.