The High Peaks and Elizabethtown In The Adirondacks

On Christmas morning I made sure that all the stay-at-home animals had abundant food, water and greens. Then I loaded all six dogs into the back of my little red car and pointed it northward for a trip up to the farm. As the highway brought me into the Adirondacks, I saw mountains rising up ahead:

I made a stop at the high peaks rest area with its classic Adirondack architecture:

The dogs had to wait in the car which was parked at the foot of a small mountain. There was an area designated for dog walking, but I figured I'd have to leave that for those with only one or two pets. Leashing and walking six dogs is quite another thing altogether:

Even the entrance was marked with Adirondack twig art:
Inside was more Adirondack styling, including a birch tree:

There are so few roads through the mountains that I have not many route choices. But this time, just for variety, I decided to get off the main highway one exit farther north than usual. And shortly past the rest area I passed this natural stone peak in the median strip. You can get an idea of its size by the flag pole at the peak:

After exiting the northbound highway, I turned west on Route 9N directly into the high peaks area of the Adirondacks. Being Christmas morning, there was little traffic as I passed by small farms nestled in the mountains:

A snowy horse farm on a Christmas morning:

And through the little Adirondack town of Elizabethtown, New York. Though quite a small town, it is the county seat. But on this morning, I was almost the only one on the road:

I continued west toward the high peaks while clouds and small snow flurries danced across the tops of the mountains:

A small old homestead in the forest. It didn't look like anyone was home and I wondered if this was a vacation cottage or the owners were visiting family elsewhere for Christmas. I'll post more of my journey tomorrow:

Indoor Scenes From One Happy Morning

I was at my computer doing my usual morning routine when I turned around and spotted this sleeping threesome. That's when I decided to grab my camera:

Little Winky never joins the sleep piles. He prefers a soft rug which is close, but not too close, to the other dogs:

Draco is happy and able to get comfortable almost anywhere. I can tell by the white hairs covering my house. On this morning he was lounging right near my feet:

Bramble keeps an eye on everything and everyone:

Old Snoozey is now feeling his age, so he chose a spot up off the floor where Fergus couldn't bother him:

Wally chose his all-time favorite spot, the rocking chair. The Saran Wrap on the back is to prevent Wally from trying to jump off the chair through the spaces in the back. He tried it once and got his tubby middle wedged. I was home to rescue him, but I surely wouldn't want that to happen when I wasn't there:

Rocky got up on his scratching tree. He and Draco have not been getting along lately, so he must have figured that this was a safe place:

Daphne and Clover were eating breakfast:

"Chewing furniture legs? Oh no, I'd never do that! It was tasty, though, even though I didn't do it:":

"Dad, did you see what Clover did?":

Then they all took a snooze. The missing wall plaster is a product of both the cats and the Papillon puppies:

Georgette, having no patience at all for silliness, was lounging up off the ground in a dog bed with her eyes open slightly. She certainly didn't want another animal sneaking up on her: