Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the city of rocks! Despite some pretty crazy wind, we're hanging in there, enjoying our jobs and each other. We have had several days of gorgeous snow but the wind mostly blows it away and polishes what snow is frozen enough to stay around into a marble-like sheen. It is really beautiful when the sun shines.

We're really enjoying living here in Almo. The town is great, our ward has been very inviting and we really like our jobs. Dave is putting together a snowshoe daycamp for kids 12-14 in the valley, and he's really excited about that. I am getting more and more familiar with the local avian population as I continue updating the park's bird list.

We've been snowshoeing several times since we got here and every time it's great. The last time we went was New Year's Day, and wouldn't you know we forgot our camera. We saw some really cool stuff though--we trailed a coyote for about 200 yards as it went down the trail, poked around in some rocks and then followed a deer. We also saw where deer had nosed down through the snow to some mtn. mahogany bushes for browse. My favorite thing we saw was where a bird had come in for a landing and its wing tips brushed the snow. It was so beautiful--you could see where each primary feather had touched. There are also a couple of little streams that freeze over and we saw the coolest snow crystals on the ice--it was great. We really are loving it here and if you feel the urge, we'd love to see you!