Blat & Train.

Despite my mother and brother's canceled flights due to the Blizzard of 10, my two buddies Blair and Daniel were able to fly in and enjoy the snow that they rarely get in Bama, except this year which left them with five inches on Christmas day in the South.

They'd flown in so we could go catch Phish for the first time in ten years together.

Had a blast. I'd talk more about it, but I don't need to. Cause it's all in my brain.

Glad they made it up and we got to kick it like old times and sled like new times.

And now, for the first time in a week, we've got the house back to ourselves. Thanks fam and friends for filling it with laughter... and also thank you for leaving us to ourselves now.

Thumpety Thump Thump.

That just happened.

Mom and Taz delayed three days.

Everything is a mess. A cold, white mess.

Unto us a child is born. Unto us a BLIZZARD!

Twas a white Christmas indeed. Snow was on the ground from our storm a few nights ago, so while no new snow fell, it was still white.

Cooked up our turkey from our CSA, all 17 lbs of her from only about 70 miles away (or him, or it, I dunno), and rounded out the spread with a bunch of other refined calories in Christmas flavors.








Today we cruised into town and got set up with some sick deals at all the malls liquidating their wares that didn't sell. We did that for about 8 hours, which was one hour too long, as the first 2 of our expected 18 inches of snow had fallen on the roads and made travel white knuckle back out to Arlington.






Now we are settling in for a long winters nap and two canceled flights to Alabama and another foot and a half. Stay warm, blogosphere.

Pops.

Caught a Christmas Eve Holiday Pops with, well, the Boston Pops. And with Mom and Taz.

What a great way to ramp up for Christmas day.

WFH.

Now with 20% more snow!

Back East.

Day 6. Still cloudy. Arizona is only cloudy.

Shot in the largest Ponderosa pine stand on the planet. One that still lives despite no sun.









Then we wrapped with desert sushi, drinks, holiday wishes and hard drives of images. Great time. Long days. I'm ready for Christmas (and snow) back East.

Donnie Darko.

Micah finds cow carcass.

Andrew puts pelvic bone over face.

Hilarity / creepiness ensues.

On the sixth day til Christmas.

Day five. We got a sunrise. The clouds gave us some breaks. We got some great light.

And we almost got shot.

A truck showed up with two cowboys, one who didn't like the look of me, and one who I didn't like the looks of. It was the man who has been 'Grazing his cattle here since before some'a'ya'll were born', which means he's leasing the land. And he hadn't been told that we were there. So after a standoff in which he sat on the ridge and purportedly called sheriff even before he came down to talk to us, and then he thought I looked like Harry Potter, and who am I to tell him anything, dang, I'm just a wizard in training, and the real cowboy looking guy who just stared / melted my face off, they drove away, not happy with our permits, but also not having shot nine men just to watch 'em die.

A metaphor, thanks to our producer, Dennis, on whether or not the leasee could complain about people on his land, when he simply rents it: "C'mon man. Of course he can get pissed. It's like you renting an apartment, and coming home to some people filming a porno in your bathroom."

And I played Angry Birds on the open range.