Holiday's last hurrah

It always makes me a little sad to take down Christmas decorations. But alas, time marches on, so over the weekend I started doing so, leaving only the outdoor lights still illuminated. Those, too, will come down soon. But for now, they can still create pretty scenes like this:



Those would be these lights, seen through the window shades. I should also note that the wooden dining-room table and chairs are a new addition to our condo -- gifts from V, who just moved to a smaller apartment and so has no room for them. Thanks, V!

Anyway, here are the other outdoor lights, during yesterday morning's unexpected snowfall:



Also, in uploading these pics, I realized that I never got around to posting pictures last month of the indoor portion of Christmas-lights display. So here you go, from back in December:





That's a live tree, albeit a miniature one, which I bought at Whole Foods. (I was originally looking for a small artificial tree, but when I saw the mini real tree, I knew it was perfect.) We had to go with a small tree, on top of our entertainment center, to keep Loyette from getting into it. With another baby on the way, I suspect we may be going with small Christmas trees for the next few years. :)

Anyway, there were also some yellow and green Christmas lights to the left of the tree, but I didn't photograph those. (D'oh!) Finally, here's a shot of Toby resting in front of the fireplace:



Our cats definitely know how to live the good life. :)

Evening vistas

Venus over downtown Denver:


Crepuscular rays over suburban Denver:

Rocky Mountain high

Looking out the window on an evening flight from Phoenix to Denver:



See also here and here.

Message-mobile

Just when I think my Election 2008 photo set is complete, I see something like this:



Heh. Clearly a Democrat. ;)

P.S. At least the driver isn't as outwardly bitter as this guy.

Happy New Year!

Two champagne glasses of milk, for Becky's and my traditional New Year's milk toast, sit on the Zaks' living room table in Arizona, while Times Square begins its countdown to 2009 on the TV in the background.