Celebrating the New Year in a phat blaze (orange) of glory

When the temperature dips around here, we like to slip into something a little more comfortable and enjoy the kind of romance only Wisconsin’s north woods can deliver.

And if our #OOTD (Outfit of the Day) doesn’t rate with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), we think it should.

With its splendid blaze orange color and a cut that suits everyone from hulking outdoorsmen to tiny grandmas, our hunting coveralls are #phat (pretty hot and tempting).

But the real show begins once we tuck ourselves into all that pillowy, circa 1970s warmth and waddle out into the brisk country air.

There frozen ice crystals form prisms that cast beautiful rainbows over pristine snow banks. A thousand tracks trace the paths of wily rabbits, deer, wild turkeys, and coyotes.

Tramp deep enough into the woods and imagine, as icicles form on eye lashes and breath steams through woolen scarves, that you are the first humans to see this forest show.

The sweet spot on these frozen jaunts occurs late in the afternoon, when hungry deer brave open fields and only cracking ice and stomping feet make any sound. Turn back toward the cabin and watch the winter sunset flame across a pure white landscape.

Take your time heading home because this will be the one single sunset you’ll see this day and you won’t want to miss a minute of its short, glorious show. Also you don’t want to be the first one back to the cabin because, if you time your return just right, someone will be there to  greet you with a wood fire, a hot drink and a warm blanket.

It looks like it’s going to be a long, cold winter. Let’s bundle up and enjoy the show!

My dad built this bridge deep in our woods more than 23 years ago. I was thrilled that it held up under all that frozen snow, a giant blaze orange snow suite, and me.
My dad built this bridge deep in our woods more than 23 years ago. I was thrilled that it held up under all that frozen snow, a giant blaze orange snow suit, and me.
Sunset on snowy bench
A frozen perspective of our river-side bench in front of our cabin.
Sunset deer snow angels
Here’s a deer snow angel, or the divot two deer made in the snow after they bedded down for the night.
Sunset not a single human footprint
So many tracks mark this river bank, and not one of them human!
Sunset over a winding trail
Winding trail and all sorts of cool mysteries ahead…
Sunset two roads diverged on a woody path
Two roads diverged in a (frozen) wood.
Sunset pre-show over the woods
Here’s the warm-up act for the only sunset we’ll ever see on New Year’s Day, 2014
Sunset on an open field
It peeked out over the open field.
Sunset over a tree
Blazed over the tree line, and back-lit this single tree.
Sunset over a silo
And then tucked back down behind this lonely silo
Sunset Phat and happy
My sister Jenny, my mom, and me. A trio of fashion plates right there!
Sunset stylin
Really, I have no shame…
Time your return to the cabin right and someone will meet you with a hot drink, a roaring fire and a warm blanket.
Time your return to the cabin right and someone will meet you with a hot drink, a roaring fire and a warm blanket. Bliss.

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