I ate Thanksgiving dinner again with the Bornemans, Anne Gerber, Linds boyfriend Glenn, Linds friend Katie, and 3 dogs... And a whole lotta wine!!! It was fun. We played charades and other games designed to make you look/sound silly for the entertainment of your friends. I loved it. 
Annie & the Native American Pumpkin
The Bornemans approving the group photo. Good people. 
Wolf Creek was the only mountain pass I was concerned about going into the drive last Sunday. CDOT reports were consistent- "snow packed, icy, slush", the two days before leaving. It's no joke. It takes 10 miles to reach the summit...then you coast down for ~8. Everything else was reported bone dry and it was. And Wolf Creek was just as they said. I kept control by going 25mph on the ascent and 15 on the descent. A sign read to all commercial drivers to use chains. I had chains if I needed them, bought them that morning at Walmart. I had never put chains on my car before, so I pulled over for a test run after an older man showed me how to do it after breakfast at a VWF just south of Bailey. I felt proud when they didn't fall off after driving a half mile.
It was tense...but boy was it beautiful. I took this after completing the descent, feeling light & relaxed- no horrible daydreams came true. 
Met Ryan's doggy dog, Royale, on this trip. He is a huge puppy at 110lbs and all love & snuggles. 
True love
He likes to eat apples... and rabbit carcass. 
We made Thanksgiving on Saturday: turkey, broccoli bake, rye & pumpernickel stuffing, colcannon and of course canned cranberries. Barley wine to drink and sea salt & caramel truffle ice cream for dessert. 
Yum...
...five minutes later it's leftovers. 
Three of the 4 masks I will make molds of so I can have more than one of each to glaze & paint. Because that's the most fun part. 
This is the fourth, the first one I sculpted, the tester.
First I coated the surface with liquid soap so it would release from the plaster once the plaster set & hardened. Then I filled in the undercuts with oil based clay for the same reason. 
Now it's time to pour in the plaster...
...gotta mix it with water first... 
...mix it good...
...once it's poured, all ya do is wait ~20 minutes for it to set...
...then the aluminum flashing comes off...
...and the bottom, which is now the top...
...and whalla, a mold is born.
This morning (not sure which one in October) was so beautiful in all of its Colorado sun & snow. We got 8 inches the day before. The snowflakes big, wet butterfly kissed everything and were early enough to dress the fall colors on my street. I gave myself an extra hour to get to work earlier when the snow completely covered the streets but really only needed an extra 30 minutes. I'm up for the challenge. Driving in these conditions will be more fun than frightening until I get into my first winter accident, I'm sure. Looking forward to more...