A LONG DECEMBER
Ominous fog, a spooky excursion, Christmas in Denver, and the exploding bottle of brandy.
It’s been oddly foggy, as we round out the year.
Like some…strange, holiday themed visit to Silent Hill.
I wouldn’t be surprised if I heard those dreadful sirens mixed with sleigh bells somewhere in the distance. And if I do…I’m getting the heck out of here.
It’s been a strange, long December — one filled with travel, creativity, adventure, and connection.
I’m not always a big holiday season guy. I appreciate the idea of it. But I’ve felt like the joy gets lost in the shuffle and hullabaloo.
This year was a bit different though.
Here— let me tell you all about it.
THE EXCURSION
I’ve talked a bit about some of the new stuff I’m working on at IGNITION PRESS.
I’m excited about it. Honestly as excited as I’ve been about making things in a long time.
Building one of those things took me on a mid-month journey from Colorado to Oregon, with a nice long train ride in between.
It was an amazing trip— a fantastic glance at just a bit of the wonderful weird that this country has to offer.
Here’s a peek at some of what I got up to—
As I said— it was an absolutely amazing trip. Annnnnd…was just the beginning of something that I’m incredibly excited to share with you in the new year.
CHRISTMAS IN DENVER
I got back from my trip on December 18th just a day before my oldest son Ethan returned from his two month long visit to Costa Rica.
The two of us being gone for so much of December and just getting back a couple of days before the holidays left us in a weird place.
So much of the build up to Christmas— the tree, finding and wrapping presents, and the like just…weren’t there.
I said earlier that I’m not a big holiday season guy in the best of times. Over the years times and traditions have changed.
This year we decided to lean in and make it about the four of us.
Denver was beautiful and I only really got to spend one full day there on my trip, so we decided to rent an Air BnB (remarkably cheap over Christmas), visit MEOW WOLF, and focus on having a wonderful time together.
It ended up being a beautiful trip. Just what we needed.
Here are a few shots from the trip—
ORIGINAL ART NOW AVAILABLE
It’s been a while since I’ve had my original art available online.
I’m still figuring out how I want to move forward with it on a more permanent basis, but I wanted to give this a go and see what happens.
The idea is keeping it a limited, curated collection for now.
We’ll go from there.
So if you’re interested in some of my original art (as well as signed books, stickers and other goodies), follow the link below to my online store—
GET THAT ORIGINAL ART GOODNESS HERE!
I’ve rambled enough for this go-round.
I’ll leave you with just a couple quick things—
The other night, after we got back from Denver, the whole family was invited over to our dear friend’s house for some of Jeff’s famous, rarely made, lamb shawarma.
It was a wonderful time with great friends and even better food.
We ate weight in delicious lamb goodness, enjoyed pours of tequila, and laughed a lot.
Then Jeff decided to share an extra special treat— a bottle of home distilled Prickly Pear Brandy from his buddy in Arizona.
If you know me, you know I’m never one to pass up a rare (or even not so rare) spirit.
Jeff produced the bottle, which…if I’m honest…looked a little weird.
I should have known better. I should have spoken up.
Jeff popped the swing/lock top lid on this thing and it absolutely exploded.
Everywhere.
The jet of pressurized mess (which was, in no way a brandy) shot across the kitchen covering at least half of the attendants (I’m pleased to say I managed to avoid it due to a combination of luck and years of skills honed from watching kung fu flicks).
I’d like to say that was where it ended, but after cleaning up that round of ridiculousness, Jeff decided that it had settled and OPENED IT AGAIN.
Same result. No…I’m wrong.
Worse.
So, where I’m going with this is to say, as we approach the New Year…just because you CAN do something, doesn’t mean you should.
And if you go ahead and try at some horribly ill conceived idea…at least do it in such a way that makes people laugh their asses off (after the initial horror and a good bit of clean up) and have a good story to tell on their newsletters.
Speaking of newsletters— a bit of news!
I’m going to be moving to a bi-weekly newsletter schedule for 2025.
That’s right— double the monthly newsletters.
I realize that’s either a good thing (for those of you who enjoy these rambling things) or… less so (for those of you regret signing up for this ridiculousness in the first place). Your mileage may vary.
Alright. I’ve droned on enough and we all have New Years parties to get to.
Thanks so much for supporting me and my work in 2024
I’m truly grateful for you.
I’ll leave you with this bit of ridiculousness and a line that’s been playing through my head all month—
“A long December and there's reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last”
(and now that danged Counting Crows song is stuck in both our heads...)
Talk soon!
Cheers!