Holiday Memories...

Okay-- so I took an unannounced hiatus from posting. Life took over as it usually does at the holidays. Here are a few highlights:

My Christmas cactus, after 15 years of blooming on Thanksgiving, Easter, my birthday and about every other holiday but Christmas, bloomed on the 25th, well, at least part of the way.

I dragged out my Dad's old golf trophy silver plate and had some fun.

We had greens from my garden on Christmas Eve.

Julia Child's Bouef Bourgignon is our traditional Christmas Day meal: made by my husband.

We chose the best orchid from my mother's greenhouse and brought it in for the sideboard.

On New Year's Day we followed tradition and took a spectacular hike: this time 2.5 miles up the Ventana Canyon trail.

Today I pulled the last of the dead blooms from the Christmas cactus and packed the ornament boxes out to the shed. I am grateful for a holiday season so full of family, fun and beauty of all kinds. Thanks to everyone who was involved.