signs of spring

I needed a little break after adding some kilometers yesterday, so I went for a walk around town to see the blossoms and enjoy the blue sky. 

getting there is (more than) half the fun

Our ski bags are packed and waiting by the door, but today, again, it is too warm for snow to fall. Once we accepted another day without skiing, we remembered the Escalade parade would march through Geneva this evening. We'd have just enough time to walk there (if we left right then, and moved quickly). We followed a series of trails along the Rhone that wind through the forests all the way to Geneva, an annual walk reserved for a day that we don't make it to the mountains. Today was a good day for it, even if it did rain for most of the sixteen mile trek.

It was just becoming dark when we stepped off the trail and into the lit city streets. The rain finally stopped, but our jackets had soaked through and we started to feel the chill of night (still warmer and drier than Iceland in July we reminded ourselves to keep things in perspective). We ran into friends waiting for the start of the parade, and soon the procession of fancy costumes, musicians, torches, and animals passed through the crowd. A quick bite to eat, have a seat, and catch the train back home.   

seeking snow

This past week, we celebrated Derek's 35th birthday, had the first of the Christmas gatherings, and I got to tag along on a Crozet run (I am going crazy trying to "rest" and recover, so this helped). There was a cold wind up in the Jura today, but still, not much snow. I was counting on skiing to be a good distraction from my break from running, but we are still waiting on the snow. At least we got to spend a few hours on the trails, so no complaints here.  

a hint of winter

There's sunshine today and a dusting of snow in the Jura, both seem to be rare so far this warm December.  

After lunch, Laura and I went for a walk on the lower Jura trails, but it didn't take us long after leaving town to reach some sign of winter. We felt transported, finally, into the next season as we walked along the pines weighted with a little snow.

gather

I can hardly believe it's December already. Today we brought home our Christmas tree, but before decorating, we went for a walk in the woods and gathered some holly and sticks for wreath making. Time to start getting in the holiday spirit.

falling

After a stack of my favorite blueberry-chocolate pancakes, Derek and I went for a long walk through the forests and fields. The clouds and winds shifted throughout the day dropping light rain from the sky and dry leaves from the branches. The orange and yellow leaves glowed against the stormy sky, and the light was autumn perfection.

rainy day

Today has been another rainy day, but sometimes it's great to stay cozy, drink a second coffee, and make a wish list for all the races we want to run in 2015. The racing calendar is going to take a bit of prioritizing and spacing the long runs. There are several we hope to repeat, and new challenges to add to the schedule. After the productive morning, we grabbed our umbrellas and went for a walk in the rain. Hope it's cool enough for this soggy day to make snow in the mountains.