Who’s your daddy?
I always think that Christmas letters deserve a little humor. Here’s how I started out this year’s:
Santa Claus is threatening to stay at the North Pole this year. Apparently, we’ve been naughty. We’re not high on his brotherly love charts. But the jolly old elf is the forgiving type. He’s seen a lot during the last thousand or so years he’s been practicing his trade. The good times come and go. Regardless, I’m pretty sure he will be here at our house. Not that we’ve behaved so well (“Speak for yourself,” Peggy says), but his reindeer have developed a thing for the does that hang out on our property. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen will be by— with or without Santa. And Rudolph will be here with or without any of them! He is particularly enamored with one of our beautiful brown-eyed girls. Apparently, it’s mutual. It will be interesting to see if any of next year’s kids can fly, or have shiny red noses.
Okay, okay. Peggy just pointed out I am being bad again and may very well end up with lumps of coal in my stockings. “Santa’s tolerance only goes so far,” she warns! To forego that possibility, I’ll leave you with some photos from our winter wonderland we’ve taken over the last few years.
This is the view from our front window when it snows.
The road down to our home.
One of the Douglas Firs in a snow storm.
Two of our Ponderosa Pines.
A white oak.
A manzanita bush.
The national forest that is in back of our property.
And the Applegate River that runs in front.
WE WOULD LIKE TO WISH EACH OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES THE VERY BEST OF HOLIDAYS THIS YEAR AND A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR.
Curt and Peggy
Wandering through Time and Place 
Merry Christmas Curt to you and your family. And thanks for both your posts and your comments on mine through the year. May 2018 bring you nothing but joy.
Thanks, Ray… and here’s wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in sunny Florida. –Curt
Peggy is right about that letter, you might very well end up with coal in your stocking.
Mind you, you could use it in one of your camp fires.
Have a wonderful Christms all of you
miriam
Laughing. I once found coal when I was leading a group backpacking across the Alaska Range and we did use it in our campfire, Miriam. The very best to you and your family this Christmas and in the New Year. –Curt
😊🎄
Wonderful. Marry Xmas and all the best Curt. I wish you lots of travel in the new year.
Thanks Bojana and right back at you: Merry Christmas and have a great 2018! –Curt
Thanks Curt. I’ll have to wait for mine though. Orth. Chr-Jan 7. But, thanks anyways.
It was a pleasure reading you and hope to see lots of you in the next year as well.
You too have fun.
January 7 is good! 🙂
There are some truly beautiful photos in this collection Curt. My favourites are the road, the Douglas fir, and the white oak. Just gorgeous.
Wishing you and Peggy all the best for the holidays, and everything you could wish for in the new year.
Alison
We are ever so lucky to live somewhere that produces such scenery, Alison. It makes staying home on occasion okay! The very best of holidays to you and Don. And a happy and healthy new year. –Curt
Merry Christmas, Curt! Here’s to no lumps of coal in that stocking. 😊
Thanks Carrie. Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! So far, no coal. 🙂 –Curt
Lovely pictures . Happy Holidays to you two travelers!
Thanks so much. And a happy holidays back! –Curt and Peggy
Thank you. Happy Holidays and all the best wishes for a healthy, peaceful New Year to you and yours too, Curt❣️🌿❤️🌿🤶🎄🎅 It sure looks like a gorgeous winter wonderland where you live.
See you next year,
The Fab Four of Cley
We are ever so lucky to live in a beautiful area! The very best to all of you Fab Four during this holiday season and in 2018. –Curt
Real Christmas lives in the woods and fields. Far from now these days, I appreciate your pictures – silent, peaceful, and ready to share what is important. Thanks and Merry on!
Thanks, Phil. One of my goals was and is to remind us (including myself) of all the beauty that exists in the world. A very merry to you and your family! –Curt
Quiet does that well. Jingle on!
Curt, I’m glad you were a bit good and treated us to these photos – just wonderful and I’m sure I’ve seen a couple on pixaby. Wow! I wish you and Peggy a fantastic Christmas, have lots of fun with all your family, and all the best for the new year.
Thanks so much, Annika. I’ve truly enjoyed following you over the past couple of years and look forward to continuing in 2018. A very merry Christmas to you and your family! –Curt
You certainly live in a winter wonderland! I hope this year surpasses them all!
Thanks, G. When it snows! Beyond that, it is just a wonderland. (grin) And may your coming year be a delight as well. –Curt
Merry Christmas Curt to you and Peggy. It has taken me fifteen minutes to get this far as Daisy Mae, my chocolate lab insists my purpose is to throw a ball for her. Maybe she’s right. I had mentioned I wanted to go to Scotland. Well Ancestry DNA showed up yesterday. 43% showing from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Imagine that…
Bradley Thomas McKeachnie
Laughing, Brad. My dad had a cocker spaniel whose life revolved around tennis balls. Sitting down in his house was an open invitation to having one dropped in your lap!
The DNA analysis was fun. I also have the Irish/Scotch connection along with Western Europe and the Scandinavian countries.
A very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family. –Curt
Love your Christmas letter 🙂
Someone above mentioned the beauty of your natural landscape and I can only agree. Gorgeous scenic backyard.
Enjoy the season and Merry Christmas! Hope you’ll get more books than lumps of coal!
Same traits, but bigger dog and just as demanding as a Cocker Spaniel. You have Trout in that stream by your house Curt?
Yes? Want Company??? Laughing… Merry Christmas
What a great place to live. No wonder he reindeer hang around there.
Have a great holiday and another adventurous NewYear.
And Bigfoot. 🙂 The very best to you and your family, Gerard. I look forward to following your stories in 2018! –Curt
Oh the trees on your property are just gorgeous. How blessed you are. Lovely post. Wishing you and Peggy the best ever Christmas holidays and New Year.
We wake up with a smile every morning, JoHanna. 🙂 Of course your area is surrounded with beauty as well… one of my favorites. A very Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you as well. –Curt and Peggy
It’s been such fun getting to know you and Peggy, and fun following you around on your travels. We used to have a coal furnace, so I know about coal deliveries, coal chutes, and clinkers — not to mention ashes. Back in those days, the threat of coal in a stocking could induce real terror. The good news is that, no matter what, I don’t think Santa would do such a thing to you. So toast the season, and enjoy all it has to offer!
The very best to Linda, in this season and in the year to come.
One of my father-in-laws favorite stories was how he and his friends would run along the top of coal cars while being chased by watchmen. The kids were throwing coal off of the cars that they would later pick up to keep fires going in their homes. I suspect those kids might have appreciated Santa leaving some coal in their stockings!
I always enjoy your beautiful written posts, and this past year, your photography. And then there are the comments you leave: always thoughtful and frequently including interesting links.
Here’s to a new year and the challenges and joys it will bring. –Curt (and Peggy)
I rather like a bit of humor and your lovely frosty trees 🌲. Wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas (without the coals)!
No coals. Yay! 🙂 And right back to you with the Merry Christmas, Gunta.
Nice story, good pictures. Happy Christmas to you both!
Thanks, Andrew… and to you and your family as well.
You can easily get on Santa’s good side. Just let him stay at your house instead of the North Pole! What gorgeous views!!! It makes me wonder how you and Peggy ever leave to see less stunning parts of the world.
Laughing, Juliann. Yes we are lucky to live where we do! Not that it ever stops us from wandering. (grin) But think of it this way; we are always glad to get home! Sorry this response took so long. Somehow I blanked on December 23. Here’s wishing you and your family a happy and healthy New Year! Looking forward to your posts. –Curt
I remember you posting about the variety of trees in your little pocket of the world – they all wear the mantle of snow beautifully. Here’s to more beauty for your holiday season, and in the year to come.
Thanks so much, Dave. Well said. I am finally catching up on some comments I missed on Christmas Eve Eve. Darn that cooking sherry. (Just kidding.) Wishing you the best in the New Year. And I am looking forward to more of your posts from the Northwest. –Curt
Some gorgeous pictures here and a great post! Have a wonderful holiday with your family and wishing you all a Merry Christmas!
Thanks! And a happy and healthy 2008 to you!
Welcome! Wishing you a prosperous 2018, too!
Nice…
Thanks! –Curt
I love funny Christmas letters and yours had me giggling. Our dog used to write ours until he left this world and then had to come up with our own creative ideas. Wishing you and Peggy a wonderful Christmas and all the best in the year ahead.
As I recall, Sue, our cat, FE, wrote a Christmas letter for us once, before she passed on. 🙂
Glad you giggled a bit. And may you and Dave have a fantastic 2018 with loads of adventures. –Curt
Merry Christmas Curt! Wishing you and Peggy a wonderful Holiday season, and all the best in the new year 2018! Your photos look like from a fairy tale🙂
And may 2018 be kind and great for you, too, Christie!
Peggy and I love the area we live in, and it does have a fairy tale like character. 🙂 We wake up each morning, look outside, and smile. –Curt
These pictures are gorgeous, and I can remember only once being in a forest (part of the Great Smoky Mountains) when I could see snow like this. Thanks for sharing. And may you and Peggy have a Merry Christmas and a great new year — naughty or not!
I think the South came close this winter, Rusha. 🙂 In the 70s and 80s I spent a lot of time near Donner Summit in the Sierra’s. There were times when our vehicles disappeared overnight and we had to put bamboo sticks in front and behind them so the snow plows wouldn’t eat them. –Curt
Same to you, Curt and Peggy! All the best to you in 2018!
I always read blogs once a week, so today I went from these snow covered scenes to Santorini in one click on your pages! Much as I love warmth and adore a Greek isle, these wintry tableaus are a perfect post-Christmas treat! Happy New Year to you both!
I enjoy hopping around Lexi! And my Wednesday photograph essays provide me with a new opportunity. Who knows where I will end up on a weekly basis!
Thanks! And the best to you and your family. I am looking forward to your 2018 adventures around the world. –Curt
What a fantastic pictures! I misses snow very much, now I can see only ice on the window. So I can only wish that we will get snowfall in here north too. All best to you in next year!
Thanks! I’ll hope for snow for you. Happy 2018. –Curt