Friends and Bells

 
Once again, I went to the Manistee Methodist Church to hear my friends Dave and Loren play in their handbell choir. Yes, these are hiking friends, but we have some other things in common too. This is one of them. Actually, they are the ones who got me interested in playing bells.

We clean up pretty good, eh?



It takes two pictures, but here is their choir just getting ready to play (handbells still on the table). They did a medley of Infant Holy, Infant Lowly and Lu-lay the Little Tiny Child.





I know I take a picture of this window every year, but it sure is beautiful. And this year, the tree is right back in the corner. It almost looks like part of the window.



Here's their advent banner.



A very nice morning. It stretched until about 2 pm, because we talked afterwards and the roads were terrible making the drive slow.

In other news... it's this season again.



By the time I ate something, got gas for the beast, did the driveway and a few odd jobs... well... running the snowblower was my exercise for the day. It sure gets dark early!

	See Dave & Loren Play Bells 2014
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Skiing at Crystal Valley

 
Today was the monthly outing for the Spirit of the Woods Chapter of the NCTA. We went skiing at a nice area called Crystal Valley in the Manistee National Forest. My adventure buddy, Ellen, is heavily involved with the group of volunteers that built and maintains this five-loop system.

"Come on," she says. "What are you waiting for?" Skiing is her first love.



There were just four of us. Dave, Loren, and I have been to Crystal Valley before, but Ellen knows the trails best.



This was my view for most of the two hours we were out. I'm not that great a skier, and still don't have all my stamina back after the cold that has kicked my butt. Didn't realize how bad until today. I simply could not keep up. They had to wait for me a lot.



But they were nice about it, and we had a great time. And, Ellen invited us all to her house for tacos and talking afterwards. We spent the entire afternoon yakking about biking and kayaking and skiing and stuff! Great day.



Just FYI, in case you were wondering... no Flower Show trip this year. I'll have to get a fix of greenery some other way. (But not here, it's SNOWING AGAIN)

	See Spirit of the Woods at Big M 2014
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Snowshoeing with Spirit of the Woods

 
Yesterday was the monthly Spirit of the Woods outing. Six of us enjoyed a nice walk in the Ludington School Forest. Plenty of snow, and the forest is thick enough that it cut the brutal wind. Our biggest problem was relocating to a different parking area when we discovered the advertized meeting place wasn't plowed. Not a real issue, just logistics.

I tried to post this last night, but the picture uploader wouldn't work. So, you get it today. I had a wonderful quiet day today, mostly reading. Ahhh.







Rather than sit in cold cars eating our sack lunches, we wisely chose to go to House of Flavors and order hot food.



It was a really fun outing.

	See SPW at Cadillac Pathway
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Thanksgiving 2013

 
We really did Turkey Day this year. If you are going to do it, do it big, right?

Yesterday, we had a surprise gift of flowers delivered to our door. They were from Dave & Loren, who joined us for the meal today. I had a basket that seemed to fit the selection. Here's how that turned out.



I also tried my hand at something fun I saw on the internet. Wish I could take credit for thinking it up, but I'm not too proud to copy a good idea.



At the other end of the table... the serious turkey.



The people who joined us are all familiar faces on this blog. Our friend Josh, son Josh, Om, Loren & Dave (from the trail club), and Loretta. It was a pretty good mix of people and there was some lively conversation.



After we ate ourselves into oblivion we went for a short walk in the winter wonderland. I don't remember when we last got this much snow on Thanksgiving. I had to run the snowblower- that was an hour's job I hadn't planned for the schedule, but I got it done before people came! Om helped a lot with the miscellaneous final preparations and the cleanup!



We had two other helpers for cleanup detail too, Cedar and Corkie!



An exceptionally fine holiday!

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