snow and clouds

snow and clouds, originally uploaded by ellajohn.

This is the view from the living room of the house we stayed in for Christmas weekend. How magical to have snow on Christmas. I drove up on thursday not thinking that the Blue Ridge Parkway would be snowed in. I got off of 81 in picturesque Raphine, Virginia and started heading up the Tye River Parkway. Vesuvius, Virginia was quaint with it's vintage christmas decorations. Up we went to see a crowd of people at the parkway entrance with coolers and cross country skis. I turned around having absolutely no idea how to get to Wintergreen. I called for directions and then imagined myself spiraling around the state, 81 to 64 to Charlottesville to 29. I reached the top of Wintergreen before nighfall, the view so impressive that the children were a bit afraid. Once in the house they were happy to explore all the rooms and choose their bunkbeds. Ella was enthralled with the deep blue and purple room with snowflakes, snowflake flannel sheets, pink christmas lights, and a tinsel christmas tree.

The kids loved tubing in the snowpark and snowshoeing around the house, and of course, their grandmother's cookies.