I'M BACK!

Let me just say that non-stop flights from Anchorage to Maui on Alaska Airlines are a very good thing. The red-eye return took a little getting used to, but a couple of hours in my own bed and a full day of fun back home revived me quite nicely. My daughter had a tougher time of it. She battled snow on Vancouver Island to get to Maui, and thanks again to snow, she had to overnight in Seattle and take the train to Portland, where she's now hunkering down for the holidays.

On yesterday's solstice, fog settled in and then lifted to a long and glorious sunset that inked the mountains in shadowy pinks and blues. The boxer went for a long trot in the snow. She's toughening to the cold. Unlike the poor folks to the south, we're hoping for a good dusting of snow to celebrate the lengthening days.

Please remember to take a moment for the survey at 49 Writers, where I'll be posting beginning January 1. Your thoughts will help much with our 2009 launch.