December in Santa Fe :)

Winter greetings to you on this last day of 2012! 

While it seems winter came a little late this year, we have been blessed with a fair amount of snow this December. I love the seasons here, and I find it particularly beautiful here in winter after a fresh dusting of snow... it sounds cliche, but it truly is like walking in a winter wonderland! I'm sharing a few photos I've taken out & about on my rare days off this month~ hope you enjoy them!

:)

My Driveway~ early December.

:)

~St Francis Cathedral~

~Holiday reflections~

~Christmas lights on the Plaza~

Below is the Christmas Eve walk on Canyon Rd. I hadn't done this in a couple of years, as I had simply been too tired after work... but I'm really glad I went this year. 

It had just started to snow as my friend & I arrived... making it all the more festive. They close down the streets to car traffic & farolitos line the path from the beginning to the end of Canyon Rd.

It was a really nice way to spend Christmas Eve. I woke the next morning to a white Christmas day of relaxation. I had the day off, but rather than join friends for Christmas festivities, I chose to stay home & relax, & talk to family back home. I had a fire going all day & into the evening... it was wonderfully cozy!

I'll miss my place when I move. While it is funky (which I love!) & expensive to heat in the winter (which I don't love...) it has also been my one of my favorite places that I have lived in Santa Fe. It's within walking distance to the Plaza... and as I woke to another dusting of snow this morning, I thought I'd get out & about on this beautiful New Year's Eve for a little photo walk around town.

:)

Snowy New Year's Eve on the Plaza.

Window on Cienega St.

Graffiti on the railcars.

Snowy Railyard.

I am lucky to live in such a beautiful place!

☺

Wishing you all a very safe & Happy New Year & the very best in 2013!

☼☆☼

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Well, according to the weather forecast, it won't likely be snowing here on Christmas... but we did finally get a little snow this week! Not the 4-6 inches that was predicted (we started the week off with rain!) but enough to dust everything in a wintery white... a beautiful day to go out walking... and as luck would have it, I had the day off to do just that! 

 I walked around town for quite some time, in awe at the beauty of it all... smiling a goofy smile. It was one of those days where you just feel happy to be alive... and thankful to have the leisure time to enjoy it!

:)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Well, not quite the Winter Wonderland that was predicted by the weather service, but enough to give us a fresh dusting of snow, and w/ temps in the low 30's today... perfect hiking weather! I took these while out hiking Picacho Peak today with a friend... it was a beautiful day to be out & about. Thankful for heat right about now, as our lows by monday night are predicted to be in the single digits & more snow on the way!

Hope you're all staying warm out there!

:)

Life's an Adventure

... at least that's what I try to tell myself! I still haven't found "my place" to call home yet. Figuring that I was coming during the winter season, I thought I'd have no problem finding a cute little inexpensive rental. I didn't really take into account the fact that it was the holidays, or that it's kinda tough trying to schedule times to go look at a place when you're working full time! Silly me. So, I have in fact moved three times in the past 18 days!! When I first drove into town, I rented a cute but noisy little place for the weekend near the Plaza. From there I went to a friend's house, thinking for sure I'd have a place by the first. No such luck! (Some of the cheaper places seem a little scary, and the more expensive ones are, well, expensive. Though I am starting to come to the conclusion that my idea of reasonable rent may be stuck somewhere in the early 1990's.) Anywho, not wanting to wear out my welcome, (and needing some personal space in a house full of people,) I found a little casita to rent for the week, and moved over here on New Years Day. It's a bit more than I wanted to spend, but it is cute, quiet and peaceful. And given that it feels as if my life's in the air & things are not going exactly as planned (and I was on the verge of a total meltdown,) having a quiet place to come home to after a long day at work is quite frankly, priceless. Now, in the midst of working, looking for a place & moving my things around Santa Fe... don't think for a moment that I haven't squeezed in a little hiking! Just before the New Year, we got ourselves a little snow, and freezing temps! (In the teens during the day & as low as -1 at night... brrrrrrr!) Here I am on what I call the 18 degree hike on New Year's Eve.

Though it was quite chilly to start, I was layered up like the kid from the Malt-o-Meal commercial & was just fine!

The mountains were beautiful in their fresh winter coats!

The cold air and amazing views refresh my soul.

I temporarily forget my worries... taking in all the detail & beauty in the winter landscape.

My temporary home... I actually needed chains on my tires to get up the driveway... see, I told you it's an adventure!

And last, but certainly not least... the first New Mexican sunset of 2011.

Here's hoping your year is off to a good start!

:)

Happy December!

Tomorrow's Dec. 1st, and this image looks like Christmas to me, so I figured what the heck, post it. I actually took this image in December a few years back in... you guessed it- Eastern Oregon. Beautiful country. This was the first time I ever lived where it gets so cold, your boogers freeze. I'm not kidding! I've determined they freeze around 5 degrees Fahrenheit... that's my best guess anyhow, though I would be open to scientific evidence that proves otherwise.