Thursday, December 26, 2013

Ahhhh, it's Christmas Eve!

Tuesday, December 24th, 2013


Today, we awoke after our first night in Durango. We slept relatively well, I guess we were all pretty tired. The furnace ran off and on, the tank/pipe heaters did their thing, and we stayed warm and snuggly, especially with the two extra in-bed heaters (aka Mambo and Tango). I believe the lows are going to be in the teens while we are here. Very do-able for us and the way we've outfitted the Mammoth.

With the sun brightly shining, the frost on the windows didn't hang around for long. We also had a self-appointed window washer, Tango discovered he could lick the condensation off the inside of the windows!



We enjoyed a leisurely morning, and I put up the Christmas tree. We are really enjoying our fireplace we installed this summer! It's just right for taking the chill off, are keeps the living area temperatures more consistent in between the furnace running. The "stockings" were hung along the top edge for the pic only... they are held by magnets...we moved them to the side trim of the fireplace, so they were not in danger of getting too hot.  ;)


Stockings hung by the fireplace with care

We decided to head into Durango for some lunch at DSP Pizza, downtown. We headed down Main, and luckily found an angled parking spot just off a side-street where we could fit the truck. All of the parking meters were covered and marked "Free for the Holidays" so we did not have to pay. We walked down a block to the pizza joint, and had A SLICE of pizza. Wow, what control, right? NO, their one slice is made from a 26" pizza! The slice is as long as my forearm! I also got a Zuberfizz Orange Cream Soda to drink, made by Durango Soda Company.


After lunch, we walked around and shopped downtown and enjoyed the Christmas atmosphere. Really, you say? Enjoyed shopping on Christmas Eve? Well, believe it or not, it wasn't crowded. People were friendly. merchants were engaging. Christmas spirit was in the air, and not the craziness of big-city commercialism. Many places began to close early, as well, so they could be home with loved-ones. So about 4:30, we headed back to Mammoth, with one quick stop at the grocery store across the road from our park. 

Here are a few pics:

The Strater Hotel, built in 1887

Mammoth in her site at Westerly RV Park

A great view of their sign out our window!


At the grocery store, we had a unique experience. Five gentlemen in cowboy attire came in, with fiddles and guitars, and serenaded the store with a western themed Christmas carol. They were the Bar D Wrangers, from the Bar D Chuckwagon Supper Show, here in Durango. The Chuckwagon is closed for the season, but the Wrangers do some off-site performances during the holiday. We really enjoyed their caroling!



We went home and had dinner, and then decided to head back to town to go to the 7pm Christmas Eve Service at First United Methodist Church of Durango. We have been here before for Christmas Eve services, or maybe just service. I can't remember. We arrived about 6:45, and there was a line to get in! They anticipated a large crowd, and had many extra chairs lining the Sanctuary and additional seats in the isles. We sat in the overflow seats, as there were quite a few folks there already.



The service was very nice, it was a traditional (Methodist) format. However, they utilized multimedia during the service, and it felt very modern and uplifiting, even though the music and hymns were traditional. The sermon was very good as well, reminding us that Christmas was the beginning, not the end! We should not pack it away because it's "done", but to remember to keep the Christmas spirit always. I really enjoyed the message and the pastor.

After service, we came back home and enjoyed all the postings on facebook of friends and families getting together for the holiday. We also noticed that SOMEONE had been naughty while we were away, and one of the stockings from the fireplace ended up in the kitties' water dish! I can't imagine how that happened! Well, there may be coal in someone's stocking tomorrow. ;)

We decided we'll head to Wolf Creek ski resort tomorrow, (about a 2 hour drive east of us,) so we hit the hay fairly early. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!



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