I thought I’d just share a quick post this morning to say that I am back home once again.

Also, I did come home before that whole FAA ground stop mess on Friday, thank goodness.

My sister and I had a nice time visiting our mom out in the Las Vegas area.  I’ve found a new hiking trail near her house called the River Mountains Loop Trail.

This is a 35 mile loop trail that links the Las Vegas Valley to the shores of Lake Mead.

Of course we only walked a small segment of the full trail that we accessed at the end of Equestrian Drive in Henderson, NV.  This section has some great views of the Las Vegas strip off in the distance.

One morning there was a thunderstorm rolling in and we watched it as it moved in over the strip and started heading our way.

The mountains in the background were totally obscured by the rain (and FYI, that glowing ball in the center is the Sphere).  We managed to get back to the car before the rain started.

In an unusual turn of events, our first three days in town were overcast, stormy and fairly cool which felt really strange for Las Vegas.  In fact, it was warmer back home in Minnesota on our first day!  As you can see in my photos, the dessert was looking fairly green as a result.

In addition to visiting mom, my sister and I also flew out to California to spend a few days at Disneyland.

We arrived just after Halloween, so naturally they were already putting up the Christmas decorations.

I have to admit, I still find it hard to get in the Christmas spirit when it’s sunny and warm outside.  I know those of you who live in southern states are used to it, but to me it just doesn’t feel right.  We sure did enjoy lots of sunshine and temps in the 70’s.

But I’m back home in Minnesota once again, and it’s definitely starting to feel wintery here.  We’ve had some temps in the 20’s and 30’s and the garden is finally done for the season.  I’m hoping to put up my own outdoor Christmas decorations next week before we get really cold!

I also have a few more holiday projects to share with you guys, so I hope you’ll stay tuned!