Holiday Cheer

My husband gives the most unique compliments. For example, today he told me that I have a nicely shaped head. He elaborated with: "Your head would look good on money." That is so strange is has to be honest, right??

Of course, it can go both ways. He once declared: "I like girls with big noses." Thanks? In any case, it feels good to be accepted just as I am. Family is like that.

Family time during the holidays is extra special. You look at that unique collection of people you love more than any other, and think, Yup. This is where my heart is.

We enjoyed a great visit to San Diego this Christmas. It was full of warm and funny moments. That I forgot to photograph. So you'll just have to trust me on this one.

I did, however, capture quite a few trees. Sorry, People I Love. You've been replaced by trees that I Love To Photograph.

Seasons are different here.

Each day was bright and sunny under that wide, glorious sky.

The sun has a powerful, personal warmth in Southern California. It's really unlike anything else.

At night the dry desert air dropped into the low 40s.

Got to have a daily walk. One day we went to Lake Chollas.

During vacation, I tune in to the rhythms of the day so differently than during a work week.

The angle of the sun is a treat to observe.

The changing crispness of the air is something to savor.

Colors appear like treasures.

The marsh at Los Elijos was alive with birds and other skittering critters.

In Southern California, lush growth is consistently mingling with dry, brittle shells, all of it equally hearty. Hollow, scratchy twigs hover like halos over sweet-smelling grasses. Leafless trees sleep beside neighbors that are bursting forth in flower.

Nature illustrates balance: life and death; endings and beginnings. The veil between them is thin.

It's comforting to see the world moving through these changes exactly as it should, at peace with its own metamorphosis.

As we prepare for a new year, and come together to celebrate the abundance of the last, I hope you and your family had a beautiful holiday and a restful reminder of 2011.