10 on 10: Winter Break

We got to spend winter bread (a whole 2 weeks) in Raquette Lake this year. This was the first time being in our vacation rental home over the holidays, but I have to admit being there over there over the holidays was one of the main motivations for me to push to buy the place (I know that is bad). 

I had visions of sub-zero temperatures, frozen lakes, learning how to snow shoe, warm fires in the fire place--all that: a perfect holiday experience. 

This time, though, we decided to go there because, first, we could--this year, all of the extended family was more or less doing their own thing and second, because, we had to fix the floor in the downstairs bathroom and who better to do this than us? We would save a lot of money, after all, and it did need to be done.

When we first got there, it was nothing like winter and winter--snow plus really, really cold temperatures (I am talking 20 to 30 below so that the lake freeze so solid you can drive a heavy truck over them)--this is what they need in the Adirondacks. Winter tourism is a big deal in the Adirondacks. But the whole area around where our house is  was in the doldrums because of so many 50 to 60 degree days in December and no snow. 

We did have work to do on our bathroom floor so that kept us busy for the first week we were there--we thought it would be a 3 day job, but it turned out to be a 7 day job and very laborious. We bought nice, easy snap together vinyl for the flooring (it looks great), but the old one-inch square, shiny ceramic tile that we had to take up was the hardest tile I have ever taken up-- whoever put that in, put it in to last!

During the second week we were there, we had some company since my family is all (relatively) nearby.

My parents and my brother and his wife came for a few days (December 28-30). And at that point we did get a little bit of snow--it was a wet, sloppy snow though. Still, enough to build a small snowman.

After that, though, there was some snow and some of it very pretty.

During the last part of our stay, my sister and her family came to stay for a few days and that is when we got the prettiest snowfalls--and we got out in it a bit more, which was great fun.

 

We have family all over the country and have been spending holidays in different places each year, but part of me wants to make spending our winter holiday break in Raquette Lake a more regular tradition and I think we will.

This is the first post of 2016 for the 10  on 10 blog circle, which is a blog circle of women photographers who share their photos and stories each month. Please follow the circle to the very talented Connie next.