Happy holidays

We've traveled for many years over the holidays - this means Christmas and New Years in the western world, however they're observed.  We're not religious, but respectful of those traditions, and celebrate the places that we've been on Christmas Eve and Christmas over the last decades or so, and are glad to remember Christmas present, too.

The last two years, we've been home in the mountains.  Last year, our old boy, Mocha, had a great time in the snow.  

I thought he was still hale and hearty, but my gardening companion seemed to think ( and knew) that it might be his last winter, so we stayed home with him.  So we had fun, and he enjoyed the heck out of the snow in Asheville and up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  But we lost him last March after a sudden, odd illness.

Woody in stream

Our new boy, Woody, is a lovely fellow. He had a great day today (being admired) at the Grove Park Inn and the Biltmore Estate.

Rescued from less than optimal circumstance, he's a people's dog: everyone wants to pet him and enjoy him, and it's a gift we're glad to share.  But he's also a rescue boy, and worried to be away from us, so we've stayed home with him this winter, too.  We didn't want to leave him with our nice kennel folks for the month or so that we'd normally be away.

And it's lovely mild weather this Christmas-time, unlike last year.  So walking (of course, with Woody) is quite nice.