A Great Way to Start 2009

Finally back home from our little mountain retreat and had a great time--which feels good to say since my partner and I had a very rough 2008. So maybe the new year has better things in store.

I didn't take very many photos, but I liked this guy here I saw all decked out on the sidewalk. Very dashing, no?

Let's see, favorite parts about the getaway. It was very cold and windy, which was a nice change. And it snowed New Year's Day! The next photo is of some folks trying out the sledding.

Best part was the food! We had a great New Year's Eve dinner (mmmm, roasted figs wrapped in prosciutto) and managed to find a place that served the traditional Southern black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Year's Day. Gotta bank up some good luck and money for 2009! And our lunch yesterday was excellent--best Monte Cristo sandwich I've ever had (crispy, crunchy with powdered sugar and strawberry jam).

And excellent mountain vistas! Seems I did most of the driving and couldn't get in many good photos, but trust me--the views were breaktaking. It was also nice to see a few of the area ski slopes lit up at night, twinkling in the distance.

This last photo is of some buildings in town all decorated for the holidays (across a lake).

So I'm crossing my fingers for more good things in 09!