december traditions

Another memory rewind. Love all these pictures, the people, and the rituals this time of year brings. Unfortunately woke up feeling pretty dang horrible this morning (Merry Christmas!), and am spending the day at home instead of in and around Melbourne with the family. Just got up from a near six hour nap here, and just been lazing about on the grass in the gardens looking at these pictures and fondly recalling years past. Absolutely miss the cold and snow of a Camp Conor Christmas, but so grateful to be here this year on a great adventure. Lying in the sun, surrounded by tall trees, beautiful flowers, and singing birds? Really love the holiday season down under. And now I'll look through these pictures one more time before gathering the determination to walk back home. Enjoy this peek at a typical Ward family Christmas!

Get up on the roof and put up those Christmas lights!

Prepare yourselves to attend The Nutcracker or a holiday performance by the symphony. Let your best friend wear your coat if she's really that cold. Pose to your dad's content

                        

Stop at some point to dress the dogs up in their holiday finery

Catch an early morning flight to New York...

...and arrive to this. Heaven.

Immediately cozy up and settle in

Make sure everyone wears at least one piece of fur per outing

Test the ice at the boathouse. If its solid, head out on the lake! 

Spend hours every day enjoying the great room. Read, try your hand at a puzzle, just hang out and relax

Venture into town. Do some last minute shopping, iceskating, maybe go bowling

Get outside and just enjoy the scenery 

Get a little overexcited by the winter weather and attempt maple candy. Determine to re-read Little House on the Prairie to get the proper technique for next time

Be amazed at how full of static your hair gets 

                 

Christmas Eve. Decorate the tree. See that the Sprite bottle topper gets respect

                          

                          

Christmas morning! So many presents! Take a bet as to how many there are (winner buys everyone a round of drinks), take all morning to open them, take cheesy pictures with the kids

Take a break from presents at one point and send that adorable kid down the driveway in his own tiny sled

Cook and then enjoy a delicious dinner. Toast the holiday, the house, the family, feel the love

And don't forget to strike your favorite pose with/for your best friend!

adk

Pine-scented air, sunlight filtering through the trees, fresh lake water, myriad bugs and critters all around. The highlight of every summer.
Really attempted to soak it all in this year, as it might be a year or more until I get back again.

This year also included a quick visit to Long Island to meet a new little cousin. Driving past farms big and small, quick pockets of civilization, then finally catching a ferry to Shelter Island, and another to Sag Harbor.
Of course once we reached Sag Harbor we were off again for a day of exploring. First to Amagansett, then on to Montauk. And through every little town in between. The east coast beach culture is shockingly different from the west I'm so used to. Incredibly preppy and perfectly manicured, not a hair out of place. Even the surfers in Montauk seemed inappropriately formal to me. But all said, it was still entertaining to see.

Summer color at a roadside stand

Taking a quick break from the car at Sagamore Hill

On top on the Montauk lighthouse

Dipping our toes in the Atlantic

Finally we made it up to camp, and the welcome comfort of home. 

There's really not much I can say about the Adirondacks other than it's where my heart belongs. 

Peaceful, beautiful, natural, and verdant beyond words. 

Took the time one day to jog a hike on my own, and it was just perfect. Listening to birds overhead, watching butterflies float by, spotting ridiculous-looking mushrooms anywhere and everywhere, anticipating seeing the water after hearing it lap against the shore and knowing it's so close by. I even had the pleasure of coming upon two deer, and probably terrified the poor things with my sudden appearance and intense staring. 

Wild blueberries

The beginning of my hike

I need this kind of green in my life

Made in the ADK and coming to Australia

Last stop of the trip was Manhattan. A whirlwind tour for someone who had never been before.
World Trade Center Memorial, the boardwalk along Battery Park, Central Park for Strawberry Fields, the Natural History Museum, then to TriBeCa for dinner with the family.
The whole trip was a bit rushed, but I'm glad that we got to see everyone and made it to so many places. I know I'll be storing the whole thing mentally and recalling the sights, sounds, smells, and feel of my favorite place when I'm abroad. Already anxious to get back, but Australia should be more than worth the wait.

Central Park

Natural History Museum

Strawberry Fields