Winter, finally.

The day dawned under a kaleidascope of colors. It looked peaceful.

But, when K and I headed toward our favorite mountain viewpoints, the wind buffeted us in wailing gusts. K's ears flapped in the wind, and she looked unhappy. K has overcome many of her fears as she's grown up - but our zany Chinook winds still frazzle her.

I loaned her my fleece hat before we retreated to lower ground.

When we stepped back from the edge of the huge canyon where we go to gaze at the mountains, blue sky dominated but K's ears still flapped in the insanely whipping wind.

Finally, we found a spot where she was comfortable, sampling the scents wafting toward her.

The photo below captured my only peek at the mountains today. Ever so briefly, the clouds lifted from the high peaks, and I spotted the skunk-like white stripes of the local ski area. However, I had difficulty holding myself and the camera still in the wind to take the photo!

Later, the storm that I'd seen brewing all day up on the Divide whooshed into our forest. The Duo and I enjoyed a snowy afternoon hike.

We spotted the perfect Christmas Tree living in the forest, already decorated with fluffy new snow.

It finally feels like winter.