springtime

the snow, at least in our city, is finally gone.

locals called this past season the "60 Year Winter," as apparently it hasn't been that cold for that long for that many years. i have to say that i'm glad that we arrived to experience this winter first, because i doubt we'll be here 59 more years to see another one like it. it was pretty intense: all the roads, sidewalks and just about every square inch of ground was encased within ice for, literally, months at a time.

yet, after a few warm days followed by cold weeks about a month ago, we haven't had any sub 50F days. today it's drizzly, but, just that, drizzly, with fits and starts of cloud cover and blue competing for their share of sky. i can't quite put into words how utterly wonderful it is not to have to load up on long sleeve shirts, then the fleece long-sleeve, then the undercoat, and finally the coat. the only weight i 'gained' this winter was shed the day i didn't have to bundle up so much.

happy spring! i took this shot in the nearby hills while we had a picnic to celebrate Easter. yeah, there's still snow, but you're looking at 12,000+ foot peaks there behind that shepherd and his last stubborn animal. we had a good day, and, we hope you did too.