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Saturday, December 26, 2015

A White Christmas

Yesterday morning, like a Christmas gift, we received 5 minutes of sunshine, starting at sunrise. After that, it was cloudy all day. Shyla and I made the most of our 5 minutes of sunshine!

Just as the sun rose enough to be blocked by the clouds, Shyla was holding her favorite Christmas gift. It's a small Wubba that I can carry in my pocket. She already had a blue one but purple is my favorite color!
After the sun was blocked by snow clouds, I rode my beloved Meriwether fat bike up to Hug Hill with Shyla. As we arrived on the peak, Shyla was slightly ahead of me. She stopped on the peak and stared down from the top. It turned out that Shyla was watching a mother-youngster pair of deer very close to us. I was astounded at Shyla's great self-control and at how much the deer trusted her.

I asked Shyla to do a "down-stay" next to my bike so that I could photograph them.
This was mom, looking very healthy. I wasn't using a telephoto lens but the deer pair stayed close enough for me to take some fun images!

And this was her offspring. The youngster was eating a dried out Monument Plant (also known as "green gentian").
After a few photos, I rewarded Shyla hugely for her good behavior so close to deer, and then we were on our way. Seeing those deer so close was a wonderful Christmas gift for me!

We ended up getting fresh snow over the course of Christmas Day. This was the scene as we started our ride this morning at 6°F!

We've both adapted well to the cold. Neither Shyla nor I was ever very cold during our fat bike ride today. Shyla wore the red neckwarmer simply to brighten up a gray day!

I hope that all of you are staying warm and having a relaxing weekend. We are!
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20 comments:

  1. The Life of RileyDecember 26, 2015 at 3:48 PM

    What a wonderful and memorable white Christmas you and Shyla had!

    Our Christmas Day in New Zealand was blue skies,. It is too hot to be outside at lunchtime ("walkies" early morning and evening now), so we loved seeing your snow photos!

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  2. QuinnDecember 26, 2015 at 4:57 PM

    Amazing that you could get pictures so close to the deer! And very good job, Shyla :)

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  3. Lori SkoogDecember 26, 2015 at 4:59 PM

    6 degrees! Our winter has not really started yet, but it won't be long as the temperature has started dropping. Very unusual for New York. As usual, your photos are gorgeous. Happy New Year.

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  4. Millie and WalterDecember 26, 2015 at 5:58 PM

    We are having above normal temps here so we will enjoy your white Christmas from afar.

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  5. Brian's Home BlogDecember 26, 2015 at 6:01 PM

    It all sure looks pretty there and we are glad it is there and not here!

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  6. Nancy JDecember 26, 2015 at 6:21 PM

    wonderful to have snow, we have heat, yesterday was about 30Celsius, today a cooler 27C, hardly a breeze and sunny skies all over. How you manage to not get cold in that frigid air is beyond me!!! Enjoy every day .

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  7. Dachshund NolaDecember 26, 2015 at 6:29 PM

    Those deer are gorgeous! I wish we had a white Christmas, though I'd've just settled for one that wasn't 85 degrees with 90% humidity.... Wubbas are so fun!

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  8. UnknownDecember 26, 2015 at 6:46 PM

    I am thinking about the Kong toy. Is it good?? Hope you all had a wonderful day. That is a beautiful picture of the deer!!

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  9. UnknownDecember 26, 2015 at 7:26 PM

    What a lovely Christmas adventure! I am certainly jealous of your snow, as it has been unseasonably mild here.

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  10. zoepheedogsDecember 26, 2015 at 7:56 PM

    Wow! That deer does look really healthy! Your forest is so beautiful! Shyla is adorable with her red neck warmer!

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  11. NCmountainwomanDecember 26, 2015 at 8:11 PM

    Merry Christmas. We had such a contrast to your snow. Warm rain. Temperatures more than 40 degrees above normal.

    Our deer have no fear whatsoever of people. We can pass them grazing and they hardly look at us.

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  12. Idaho PugRanchDecember 26, 2015 at 9:34 PM

    Shyla is one with nature! such a good girl.
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  13. rottroverDecember 26, 2015 at 9:52 PM

    The deer in your neck of the woods are so healthy and their coats are so thick!! We have deer who live in the canyon behind us, but as I'm sure you know, we've been haveing a drought. I feel like my dry skin is mirrored in the coats of the deer!!

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  14. SlimDoggyDecember 26, 2015 at 11:34 PM

    Your pictures of Shyla always make me smile because she looks so much like our Sally. Thanks.

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  15. easyweimaranerDecember 27, 2015 at 2:15 AM

    you made the best of the 5 minutes of sun... I love the sunlight on Shylas fur :o) btw: my momma turned the laptop in all directions and pondered for 87 hours, till she found out that it was your bike what was next to Shyla lol

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  16. DukeDecember 27, 2015 at 3:20 AM

    You are such a good girl, Shyla, and you look so pretty leaping through the snow in your red neckwarmer. Have fun playing with your new Wubba!

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  17. Hailey and Zaphod and their LadyDecember 27, 2015 at 6:21 AM

    Those sure looked like some well fed deer. We hope that helps them through the winter. Woke up to snow today. We could get as much as 6 inches!

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  18. Matilda the BoxerDecember 27, 2015 at 7:06 AM

    Shyla looks so festive in her neckwarmer! Thanks for sharing your white Christmas. We had a wet and windy one instead!

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  19. MurphyDecember 27, 2015 at 1:05 PM

    You're out at 6 degrees huh? Maybe mom can use that to get out for a long run tomorrow. That pic of Shyla and the bike is cool. Makes that bike look huge!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  20. Tweedles -- that's meDecember 27, 2015 at 7:56 PM

    Oh Shyla,, you have the most fun of anyone that I know!!
    Your such a good girl for doing the "down stay"
    love
    tweedles

    ReplyDelete

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