Christmas Firewood Road Trip

Sigh. I love being off work the week before Christmas. And since Christmas totally snuck up on me this year, it's really great to be off work this week!

Doug took Monday off so we could take a little road trip to Ashfork, Arizona to gather some firewood. His brother has some property up there, and we were able to go up and clear some fallen/dead tree debris to bring back for our fireplace. It was so fun to see that the snow that had fallen the week before was still in patches in some shady spots. There wasn't enough snow to make it freezing cold outside (awesome for me!) but just enough to build a mini-snowman (again, awesome for me!).

Yes, I wore my camo pants that day. They are so comfy!

Doug wanted to show me where he and his brother had built a tree-stand (for hunting) up at the top of this mountain so we did a little hiking. I think taking this next photo is where I must have dropped the glove I was wearing. One of Doug's favorite gloves. :o\ When we got to the top I realized I only had one. Oops. Have no fear, we found it on our way back down.

That's Lucky the dog right on Doug's heels. And Doug is toting an ice chest with our lunch and drinks for the top of the mountain. And here's me, with one glove...

When I say I need a mountain, Doug doesn't mess around. The view was so beautiful at the top, although the wind was super cold up there. We ate our sandwiches and headed back down the hill.

Hooray! So, we have plenty of firewood to last us for awhile, and there's also enough to share with Carrie and Andrew. And Doug found a really cool hollow log that we plan to use in our turtle habitat. Rex and Casper will love climbing through that log! (Current turtle situation: winter hibernation.)

 

Lucky the dog had a blast! Here he is at the end of the day while he and I waited for Doug to secure the load of firewood. He was one tired little doggy, with sore feet and a few cactus stickers on his front legs. He loves a great road trip!

It was about a four-hour trek one-way, and we ended up back home just as the sun was beginning to set. A full day of collecting firewood, soaking up fresh mountain air, and making a tiny snowman.

And with that, my friends, I am off to celebrate Christmas! I have a few more gifts to wrap, one to deliver this afternoon, and a grocery store run to make on my way home.

If your eyes are reading my words, know that you are wished so many blessings this holiday season. Keep your thoughts sweet and kind for yourself and others, take lots of deep breaths, eat a bunch of chocolate, give gifts with all your heart, and no pouting!

Merry Christmas to all!

With love from PaperTurtle.

♥ ~ Deb