The Eccentric Wheel of the Season

Words by Greg
Photos by Greg and Trina

December lays claim to snowy celebrations. And while heaps of plastic snow pile up in the aisles of stores and inside plastic bubbles in front yards, snow on the ground remains sparse to nonexistent on the nearby cliffs and in the nearby canyons.

We began our own celebrations on the first of the month by sunning our bare feet alongside the trail, tucked into the warmth of a south-facing cliff where we ate a picnic lunch and drank in the view.

The eccentric wheel of the season has rolled out other blue sky days and also cloudy days, warmer days and colder days, and days when beams of sunshine snuck between flurries of snow that skated over the valley floor.

Our dogs are eager to assist in our celebrations, always willing to join us for a romp as we walk under any kind of sky, willing to charge through snow and brush, over rock and bramble, to bring smiles to our faces when the bite of the wind tries to turn us toward home.

And we do turn toward home. Where we celebrate the warmth and comfort of shelter. Where wild dogs become lap dogs. Where our connections to the outside world become windows and sunbeams and laptops and the photos we bring back from our small adventures.