Toadstool Slippers

3 Years of almost constant wear drove these into the trash.  But out of the stash came a new and very welcome update.  I love the merry dots and a particularly cold afternoon inspired me to whip up matching toadstools.  

Off my Needles: A Cozy Sweater

A relatively quick and chunky knit.  Started here and finished just in time for the chilliest part of winter.  Picture here en route to Steamboat springs in "gloriously" warm Badlands National Park along with a few other new hand knits and wovens waiting to be shared.

And here with Salsa the pony.  

South Shore Ice Caves

For the first time in 5 years the conditions were just right for the Lake Superior Apostle Island Ice Caves to open to the public.  Centuries of Lake Superior elements carved caverns, arches and passages into the soft sandstone cliffs creating sea caves.  A popular summer activity, when frozen becomes a winter land fantasy.  The shore freezes while water from above continues to seep through the rocks creating stalactites of ice, creating temporary and seasonal spelunking conditions.  A brutal pilgrimage out proved worthy of our explorations.

A Ski Trip to Steamboat

I adore winter around Minneapolis.  But sometimes it is nice to check out winter in other parts of the country.  Last year my mom and I booked a sporadic trip to Mexico, a welcome respite from a seemingly long winter season.  This year Josh and I and my newly found interest in downhill skiing, hit up Steamboat Springs.  Known for feathery powder, our first day was whiteout conditions with lush virgin drift.  The warmer temperatures at the base of the mountain made Strawberry Springs and the Old Town Hot Springs a welcome treat after a day of skiing.

I couldn't get enough of this wonderland.  Air thick with snow, we could barely see.

 First thing in the morning, we hit up the isolated back of the mountain.

Lots of selfies passed the time on the lifts.

And the best treat were the natural hot springs, where boiling water literally flowed out of the mountain and into the pools below.  If the warmth became too much a courageous jump in the river was a refreshing cool down.