Later that day, Nicole, Alex, and I headed out to my Dad's house to spend Christmas Eve. It's a delight to have a real income and be able to get your family fun gifts. This year, I bought a new Gateway computer for my Dad, replacing the hand-me-down 486 he'd been using (25 MHz... top-of-the-line in 1993, when I bought it as a freshman in college!). Alex and Nicole helped me set it up -- it was such a joy! Everything worked immediately, including the combo printer/scanner/copier (color and b/w). Sleek little machine, with an LCD flat-screen monitor. I also got to try out Windows XP for the first time. It's such a cute little OS!

Anyway, we set the whole thing up Christmas Eve before he got home. Later, I was even able to call a local ISP and activate an account for him. My Dad now has email!

Later, we drove into Moab to meet up with my everyone at Pancho and Elsie's house. On the left we have Alex and Nicole playing with Hailey (Ross's granddaughter), and on the right is a shot of my Mom and Pancho together.

Still later, we drove over to Kelley's house for more visiting. Here we have my cute little sister, a group shot with my Dad, and a picture of me opening a very large present back at my Mom's house. Finally, a picture of Dozer, one of my Mom's cats.

Hike with Dad, Castle Valley

My Dad and I went on a fabulous hike in the eastern foothills of Castle Valley. This allowed us to see Castle Rock reversed (from behind!) and some breathtakingly red rocks against the blue sky. It was utterly silent, just below freezing, and yet warm enough to take off my coat as we hiked up the hill. Such a beautiful place: I am reminded of how I miss the sun, the wide skies, the dry, rarified air, the peaceful isolation...

On the right is a shot of my Dad and Rod, his (?) dog, and finally, a gorgeous yucca plant.

Continuing further into the hills, we approached the bottom of the talus slope connected to this stunning cliff. As kids, Dad took us up on the top of that cliff -- unless you have ropes and major climbing skill, you have to get there from a road out from the nearby LaSal Mountains, that connects to the top of the cliff -- and we crept out to the very edge, where the peninsula of rock narrows away to nothing, and you're perched precariously hundreds of feet above the valley floor.

Sandstone does some pretty cool things. Here are two shots of different red sandstone pillar formations.

And here we have my absolute favorite shot. This is a dry creekbed. Well, it's not exactly dry -- powdery snow abounds, and the snow has enough water in it to melt in your mouth -- but no water is flowing as we examine the channel. However, the signs of past water flows are abundant, snaking between the boulders. If not for the dry bits of vegetation in the bottom of the shot, this could have been taken in my other favorite place in the universe.

I love walking around my Dad's property in Castle Valley, enjoying the utter peace, silence, and stark beauty. The shot on the left is of my Dad's front yard -- he's working on an arbor to provide more shade and cooling for the summer. The smooth curving geometry is a beautiful addition to the house. On the right, a shot of me and my shadow.

Here, some pictures of the La Sal mountains taken from Moab. The sandstone rock formations in the near distance are the same ones from behind my Mom's house. Finally, on the right, is a shot of rabbit brush in winter.