Winter recreation is exhausting.  Ellie and Emma began their six week snow boarding course today up at Eldora – in 20° and 30 mph winds.  They loved it nonetheless.  I snowshoed at the Eldora Nordic Center while they snow boarded.  Ellie is dead tired.  I take a perverse pleasure in being able to physically exhaust a kid.  But I’m much more beat.  The trails at the Eldora Nordic Center are hilly.

I paid $20 for the Nordic pass.  Compare that to a lift ticket.  Although I’ll be doing this again for the next five Sundays.  Karen will likely go with me.  She remained behind today to teach an aerobics class.  Emma’s mom plans to snowshoe with us too on occasion.  I expect this Nordic Center to really work out well for us three as it contains a series of concentric loops at various distances.  Concentric might be a poor word choice.  The loops don’t have a common center, rather they all start from the Nordic Center Lodge.  We can start out together, but I can go for a longer distance.  I trekked the Lone Star Loop today for about four miles.  There’s a spur off to the Tennessee Mountain Cabin that would add some distance, but I missed the sign for it.

Today’s little winter fun marks the end of my Christmas Holiday.  Actually, I worked Friday.  Still, this weekend feels more official.  It’s been a big two weeks.  A trip to Texas.  And the other day, Ellie rescued two puppies.  After Jack’s passing, I told her she could get a puppy in May, so that she would have time to train it once school is out.  Not only did May become January, but Ellie elected to adopt two dogs.  I’m mixed on all this, but they are cute.  Meeko is on the left, weighing in at two months.  And Millie is on the right, she’s four months.