Happy Christmas

As they say in lands across the great pond... Happy Christmas from the macandbeardog blogspot. All four of us have, as of today, completed an epic holiday journey across the country, beginning in Gardnerville, NV and commencing in Charleston, WV. The best part, obviously was Kansas. We did find joy also in the snowy mountains of the Basin and Range and the moonlit peaks of Colorado's highcountry. I also was excited that Bear and I were left off the last four hours of the journey. Not that I did not want to spend time with Shirlette and Darla (the matriarchs of the Hanna/Phoenix union) in the lovely WV, but merely because Bear and I were OVER being in the car. We all enjoyed one afternoon/evening together at my parent's new house in Cleveland, OH. The quote of our arrival was, of course, "Here's the liquor cabinet. I'm not going to serve you." Always a good time at the Finnerty holiday gatherings. And with the Sierra Nevada and the Celebration Ale decorating the garage floor in festive shades of red and green, we knew it was Christmas. Why we feel the need to celebrate the birth of Jesus with liquor and beer, I'm not sure. Perhaps in recognition of future miracles involving the water and wine. It's all I've got to justify holiday drinking. With that being said, bring out the board games, open the beverage of your choice, and enjoy the holidays!

Some Priceless Peptalks

It's better than Peyton Manning...

Mo for Sale?

Hmmm....Begs the question, "How much is the first Mo?" I know finances are tight right now and all but..... And for a non sequitur finally some snow in the Northern Sierras, whoo hooo!!

Desert Rats

We tried our hands at being desert rats for a few days. The best part about being a desert rat is actually seeing the desert rats. The trip to Joshua Tree marked my first kangaroo rat sighting since 2004. Monumental. Its okay to get excited. Take a minute. Okay... now that the excitement has worn off a little, let's continue. We had the pleasure of 5 days in J-Tree thanks to my friend Cynthia's uncanny ability to land jobs in super cool places. So, good company, great turkey, and I even got my own room. A significant upgrade from life in the bay area. J-Tree is full of some of my not so favorite things, like plants that will kill you, but thanks to the recent rain, the harshness of these plants was softened by the occasional bloom. Speaking of harshness, the best part of this park is by far the harsh, although ridicuously sticky, rock. Not so much on the hand holds, though. We spent 3 days hoping that miraculously, our feet would stick to nubbins and our hands wouldn't bleed too badly. Or, in the absence of nubbins, we jammed our fists, arms, and feet into painful cracks, hoping the jams would stick. Sounds fun, huh? It was sweetness. The battle wounds alone were worth it. Incidentally, I promptly ripped off the scabs of the battle wounds during the groundfighting portion of our defensive tactics class. And this week, I also nailed my shotgun qualifications and even enjoyed it! Things are looking up as the snow falls in Tahoe and I only have 10 days left! Woohoo! Pic is Clay rocking a 5.10 dino. Sweet.