It is that time of year once again where I update from the airport on my way back to North Carolina for the holidays. This year I have an expansive trip planned starting today and lasting through 1/09. 16 days of old friends and familiar places. This year I have very few specific plans, just that I'll spend some time in Boone, hang out with the old friends in Greensboro, and possibly hit Raleigh or even Wilmington before I'm done. Of course, the weather could play a part in determining or limiting what I do. I would love to see some (more) snow, so I won't be too upset if my travel is curtailed by wintry conditions. My plans have already changed once do to weather considerations. I was originally flying out at 7am this morning, which would have me arriving in Raleigh in time to make it to our traditional Christmas eve gathering in Winston-Salem, but my original flight was routed through Chicago, which has been hit pretty hard by the weather. Since the same flight I'm on today was canceled yesterday, I went ahead and switched flights to one that routes me through Nashville instead. Hopefully they won't be affected by the weather.

I have a lot of people to see, and plenty of time to see them all while doing so at a leisurely and relaxing pace. I hope to find myself in some woods at some point. Southern California's lack of forests can get to you after a while. So, if I haven't talked to you already, drop me a line if you are in state and would like to get together. Merry Christmas to all.

This year the family gathered in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. I know for
most people “Vegas” isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you
think “Thanksgiving” but hey, we're an odd lot. We started our visit by
performing an acoustic set at a thanksgiving gathering at the home of
an old friend of my mother's in Vegas. Then, on “Black Friday” We all
went thrift shopping. I picked up a subwoofer/amp to serve in my living
room's entertainment center for 15 bucks. On Saturday, however, we
decided to head out to nearby Red Rock Canyon State Park to enjoy some
hiking and save some gambling money.

Red Rock State Park has plenty of easy hikes accessible from the long,
one-way car route that loops through the park. There are also many
longer, multi-day hikes available as well. It's a good place for an
afternoon's outing, or more, if you're in Vegas and want a break from
all the Vegas-ness.

Here's the shadows of my Dad and I.


Here's me on a rock.

Here's Maria, Brandon and my Dad in silhouette.


As we finished driving the loop after our hike, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.