A bad week ends and a good weekend

After twelve years of gray cat fur accumulating on everything, I've found myself actually looking for the downy stuff this week. It's amazing how much presence eight pounds of fur and claws has around the house - and how quiet the house seems without our spirited feline.

A lousy week has come to a close.

After a normal work week - we've arrived on the weekend and today, by just about any measure, was a great weekend day.

After more latte "work" this morning - it was off to Bridger for the last weekend of non lift-served skiing (opening day is coming up this Friday). Cold temps earlier in the week (allowing for snow making on the lower mountain) and a bit of fresh snow has helped the overall coverage of the mountain considerably. The mountain is waking up - lifties and ski-instructors were training on the hill, droning snowcats were busy packing snow and hauling supplies uphill. Compared to last week, the ski hill was outright busy. In just about any direction you looked, there was someone skinning or hiking up the hill. My ski partner actually got strafed by snowboarder on the way down. Whoa, dude!

Despite the strafing, it was still quite peaceful up there - I managed to get some tasty chill-down time relaxing in a down-hill facing chair at the top of the motionless Pierre's Knob lift. Nice chair, nice view. Almost as icing on the cake: the turns were decent. After a triumphant day of skiing: it was celebratory nachos and beer.

Tonight it was the Christmas Stroll in downtown Bozeman and the mild weather brought the crowds out in force. With Main Street closed off to auto traffic - and seemingly every citizen of Bozeman on foot, wandering from art gallery to funnel cake, the town takes on a kind of dreamy-Rockwell-esque sort of look. The large holiday light streamers that hang over each intersection cast a Christmas-y glow on the streets and faces below.

We ducked into the Over the Tapas to refuel. A crisp, Belgian-style 22oz. Jerome Rubia beer from Argentina is the just right companion to the mini lamb sliders and shoestring fries. Grilled asparagus with a lemon-y aioli fills in as our veggies for the night.

After taking in far more calories than needed, we strolled a block over to the Baxter Hotel lobby for pieces of La Chatelaine chocolate while listening to Erik Funk and his band bang out tight jazz classics.

Thank you, Maire Cat for twelve years of delight in our home.

Thank you, Bozeman for another great weekend.