Christmas at the Lake

I left home on Thursday headed north... heading Home for the holidays, if you will... The last time I was at the lake for Christmas was two years ago... 2011... which was the third Christmas since Mom had died... and I had not really figured out how to 'do' Christmas without her... Not that I have it down to an exact science at this point either... It was also the first Christmas that Dad was living with Betty... and it was hard... not because Betty and Jacey were not gracious... but it was hard... not having Mom AND not having anything that felt familiar... didn't inspire me to feel filled with holiday cheer.  I remember at times feeling like I was lost, not in the right place... and had NO idea where I was supposed to be... but it just didn't feel right... so... last year... my goal was to avoid it... and do something else... so I headed to NY to be with Sis and the boys... which was a lot of fun... As this year's Christmas was approaching I was uncertain how things would unfold... Sis and the boys were going to be coming to the lake... a few days after Christmas... which meant it made sense for me to go to the lake for Christmas and stay through Sis's visit... the idea of being at the lake for almost a week caused a variety of feelings... I love my family and time with them... but I also am a person who NEEDS time alone.  And... I really want time at my own place.. I have some projects I want to do and am not going to get to them... I was stressed about sleeping... though Dad bought a mattress, a real mattress, so my air mattress days are in the past. (YAHOO!)  

As it has worked out... it has been a very nice visit.  Sis and the boys will arrive tomorrow and that will be good.  I look forward to the time we can all be together.  

Mother nature did not get in the way of my plans to come north... though had I decided to come earlier she would have been a force to be reckoned with.  The northeast was hit with an ice storm over the weekend and it caused many people (including my aunts) to be without power for far too long.  Despite the damage she did, Mother Nature left a beautiful landscape in her wake.  The trees were encased in glass... I had a hard time driving because I wanted so badly to stop on the highway to take pictures... but I drove safely and decided to see if there were photo opps at a couple of pit stops.  The first stop was at a pharmacy to get some hair gel I had forgotten... and I was happy to find some things that caught my eye.  

The ice was so beautiful... The sky wanted to clear, but the gray clouds were stubborn... but this led to a variety of backdrops for my pictures...

I am not sure what kind of tree this is, but it was covered, berries and all, with ice... quite a thick layer... 

I later stopped at a rest area and just had to keep my camera going... 

The sun was fighting so hard to come through...

So many trees were bent... many into the roadway, from the weight of the ice.  

Each pine needle was in a diamond cocoon. 

The last leg of the trip was the only part on which the roads were bad... the highway was very clear.  The back roads, which I take to get to the lake, were not well groomed.  The road is narrow and it seemed there was a clear path down the center... which was fine, until I met another vehicle.  That made me nervous.  I was relieved to get to the lake... I was solo when I first arrived... and decided to walk outside a bit and take some pictures.  

This is looking across the lake, at the trees... it was amazing to see each tree, each branch articulated by the ice and sun...

Every twig, needle, and branch was frozen...

The gray sky contrasted by the sun shining so brightly on the iced branches... was beautiful... just beautiful... 

I couldn't stop looking up... into the branches...

I love the contrast between the blue sky and the white birch and the ice... I think these are pictures I will need to enlarge and frame for my winter decor!  

 Dad and Betty have a lot of birds and squirrels around the house... the squirrels have tunneled through the snow and ice... this guy paused long enough for a few pics...

I found myself continually stepping outside to take pictures because the light kept changing...

This was Christmas morning ... this picture does not do the scene justice... it was Unbelievable...the ice on the trees and the sunlight... GORGEOUS. 

Christmas Day was nice.  We (Dad, Betty, Jacey, and I) got up and lazed around a bit... then Jacey's grandmother and uncle on her dad's side came over to open a few presents... it was a nice visit... Jacey's grandmother was one of my teachers in high school... It is nice to see her in this capacity.  Then we headed to Betty's parents' house... We took a few vehicles... I wanted my truck so I could leave if I started to feel like I needed air... Jacey took her car so she could make another stop on her way home... and Dad and Betty took Dad's truck... The gathering at Betty's parents' was nice... better than I expected... and I stayed longer than I anticipated.  Then I got to come back to the lake and relax a bit... and this year, unlike 2011, I didn't sit and cry... Not too long after, Dad and Betty came back, then Jacey came home... and that's when we did our gift exchanges... I really liked doing it that way... in the evening.  It was nice.  On the 26th we woke up to snow... pretty snow... and Dad and I went for a walk... he needed to cut back some of the branches on the trees that were hanging into the road, low enough to hit passing cars... Dad helps keep the road plowed and maintained in the winter... I didn't want him to go solo, afraid he would fall... so I went along.  It was nice to get some Dad time.  We cut down some branches... mostly dad... I helped a little... but let's just say I will not be changing my career path to one of a lumberjill! Dad was nice to not mock my lack of ability to saw a branch using a pole with a saw blade attached... I tried... but had to have him finish it... I was able to clip some branches and did haul some of the bigger branches off the road... 

Today Jacey and I decided to have a day away from the lake... and I had been contemplating buying a fake tree... I feel my stomach turn each time I say that... but I dislike the mess from a real tree and this year, I was gone for a few days at a conference and had to worry about it getting watered... so... I decided to give a fake tree a try... Today I found one... normally priced at $267... that I got for $100... I wanted to spend around 70... but... this one... I think.. is worth it... we shall see next year.  After the tree finding we planned to go have lunch somewhere... and as we tried to leave the parking lot... my truck was... stuck... yup... stuck..  

I had parked in an area that was not well plowed... my truck does not have 4 wheel drive... and I managed to drive the front right tire over an icebank... not a snowbank..an icebank... I tried pushing... I bought cat litter and put it under the tires... I pushed again, pulled... (Now my body is hurting from that!)  and eventually we called AAA...and got a bit of a tug... We then went to lunch and returned to the lake... 

So far... soooo good...

I have any more pictures to post... been taking lots and lots... but wanted to share a bit of my adventure thus far...

This Christmas vacation has been very nice so far... I feel much more relaxed than anticipated...

Hope you enjoy the pictures...