Thursday, December 19, 2013

Easy hike, fun party

Lake Whatcom hiking group (picture by Mikey)
It was pretty frigid this morning, when eleven Senior Trailblazers headed out to Lake Whatcom to make an easy out-and-back of six miles total, before attending our annual Christmas party. It's one I wouldn't miss on purpose. The temperature never got above freezing, so we walked at a pretty brisk pace to keep warm. We knew that we wouldn't be stopping for lunch, since we had all brought something to share for the party at Amy's house.
Comparing our long underwear
A discussion emerged on the trail about what we had decided to use to stay warm under our hiking pants, and I was amazed at the variety: polyester, silk, wool, in varying thicknesses. (I'm wearing the pink ones.) We finished around noon, with the sun making a brief appearance before we got back to the cars. This was the best shot I got of the lake, and it shows the sky beginning to clear.
Lake Whatcom
We made our way over to Amy's house to join her and the twenty-some other Trailblazers and family who gathered for our annual potluck. The food was simply amazing, but none of my pictures were in focus or got anywhere to capturing the incredible variety we enjoyed. Many of us dressed up a bit; Karen made herself this incredible jacket, each individual piece, and then put it all together and lined it with silk. I was so impressed!
Karen's coat of many colors
This picture is the best I got of the table. Just picture this food times ten, and you've got an idea of how much we had to eat. Plus we had beer, wine, juice, and coffee. We visited and ate until we couldn't hold any more, and then we helped Amy clean up.
Steve starting the food line
It was fun to see our fellow hikers and their partners, the spouses who stay home while we gallivant around the hills and dales of our beautiful country. In the winter, we stay close to home, but in the summer we get to see breathtaking vistas, which I try to capture on this blog. Today it was all about family, the kind you make from shared activities. Amy asked us to introduce our guests and she thanked us, one and all, for enriching her life with our presence. I feel just the same! And I was given a special thanks, along with a few others, with this gift:
More than a pound of chocolate!
What a fine gift! I think I will be waiting awhile before I open this, since right now any food at all seems to be only remotely appetizing. It never fails that I eat more than I intend at these gatherings, but it was all so good! And I had to try everything, right? It was a great time, and now I can consider my job done for the day. (Will I ever be hungry again?)
:-)

19 comments:

  1. having just had a few handfuls of chocolate-covered almonds, i'd be tearing into that box o' chocolate with no problems. :) glad you had a great party with a great group of friends.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is just so wonderful. And capping it all off with chocolate almonds? Wow! Let me have some, please. Lol.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As a most faithful member of the Senior Trailblazers, you deserve an award, and for posting all of your fun to share with us, you deserve our thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a great gathering. Your group sure does know how to do it right. I love Karen's jacket. She's quite a talent. And bittersweet chocolate and almonds.. yum!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a glorious day.
    I love your hot-pink legs and the view of the lake.
    The jacket was amazing, and the food looked pretty good too.
    I suspect that hunger will creep up on you again before you know it. Particularly hunger for chocolate...
    Hugs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You certainly had a marvellous day. Hike, hike, hike, then party, party, party. Lots of fun for everyone!

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ha what fun...and funny on the various long underwear...mine are black for the record...ha. def fun party as well...and what a treat too on the chocolate...i like that coat of color....

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pink longjohns?! Why am I not surprised? And wondering where I can find my own? Although, I would probably only need them once a year here.

    ReplyDelete
  9. It's funny how your hiking group, like my skating group is so very supportive of members. We had our Christmas party last Friday. I took pictures and posted last year so I didn't want to repeat.

    ReplyDelete
  10. You and the Trailblazers have way too much fun. Hiking, comparing warm wear (I'm like silk myself) and then feasting. Looks like a great time was had by all.

    Looks like a big chunk of our state has a winter advisory or warning in effect. I'll be curious to see how much snow you get up your way DJan.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What fun! You intrepid explorers deserve all the chocolates and food you can consume!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Belgian Chocolate with almonds! You will have to give us a report! Love that hot pink underwear..around here some people wear under armour:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. HA,HA OF COURSE YOU ARE WEARING THE PINK WINTER UNDERWEAR AS YOU TREK THE WINTER WONDER LANDS ROUND N ABOOT YOU, EH THERE DJan, GIRLIE, EH
    And of course, lovely photos, and capping it all off with delightful get together, good food, good conversation and great Belgian Chocolate. I just had a thought - if you get stuck anywhere, just climb a tree and wave that pink stuff, eh - ha,ha
    Happiness you and big guy there and the very best to you my blogging pal for a warm and delightful New Year. lol Lilly

    ReplyDelete
  14. How nice that your stay at home partners get to meet the group that lures all of you away from your homes most of the year. Maybe they should form a stay at home group.
    Pot lucks make it so tempting to at least try everyone's efforts. Puts a strain on the belly but a good one.
    Hunger will return, just enjoy being satiated.

    ReplyDelete
  15. How fun! Even if the temps were darned cold. My 'undies' when I go walking in the cold are gray...I call 'em long johns, but they're only leotards. And then soccer socks...y'know the kind that go up to the knee?!! Wuzzy.

    Love the coat of many colors.

    And the food and fun. What a way to end the holiday season together with friends and food?!!!

    Don't be surprised if you have someone knocking on your door begging for a piece of chocolate. ;O)

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think you could send all your blog followers an ounce. Just say'in. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the handmade sweater your friend is wearing. Enjoy that chocolate. I hear it has many health benefits and should be consumed every day!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ahhhh... DJan. I'm just savoring this post. The bittersweet almonds WITH almonds strike me as totally perfect! I'm ready to tell my daughter to go look for one for me. I LOVE potluck parties. I already see shrimp cocktails on the table that I would have zeroed in on. It all looks to be such a warm, happy party to celebrate the season and friendship you all share. Thank you for sharing the feeling with all of us.

    And I love your pink socks, too!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Buddy limits me from mixing with seniors. I often wish I could be with others more my age and intellect but Buddy needs to have his chance at life too and there's not much in the community that works for his age group:(

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.