Christmas splendor along the Salmon Falls

The Salmon Falls River makes for a superior photo shoot.

I was saddened, actually ashamed, when I realized I hadn't taken a tour around this most extraordinarily beautiful neck of the wood where I live for more than a year.

In the summer there is poison ivy and ticks.

In the spring and fall, so much yardwork.

In the winter, there are dangerous ice-crusted embankments, rocks and slippery moss.

But on Christmas this year, little ice, no poison ivy and only a couple of tiny patches of snow to remind you this is winter, not late spring.

That this less-than-two-hour walking jaunt was done with family and loved ones was all the more special. That it was done after a huge breakfast of loaded scrambled eggs, hash browns and English muffins all the more necessary.

Yes, it would have been nice to have a little blizzard on Christmas Eve to welcome in this special time of year.

But having temperatures in the mid-40s on Christmas Day had its own special allure. No big cumbersome coats to wear. We got by with just light jackets or sweaters, and hiking shoes for footwear.

It was a beautiful autumn hike in the midst of winter.

After a tumultuous, power challenged Thanksgiving and the threat of dangerously high winds on Christmas Eve, it was a welcomed, benign weather day for family and friends to enjoy the outdoors without fear of frostbite.

Altogether a very warm feeling indeed.