We decide to use some of the vacation credits we have with our Worldmark membership and spend a week, over Christmas, at a 3 bedroom chalet.  Complete with jacuzzi tub in the master suite and a hottub on the deck.  A loft area overlooking the livingroom/dining room area along with the knotty pine interior finish completed the rustic chalet look and feel

This is what it looks like from the street/parking area.  Unfortunately I didn't take any side or "front" pictures.  But since all the Chalets look the same, any seen in other photographs should be similar to ours.

Of all the photos I took, only these three were light enough to be used.
<sigh> I will learn how to take better pictures someday!

This sequence starts out in the doorway of the master suite, looking out over the railing of the loft area
through the windows on the "front" of the chalet.  Then we approach the railings to look through the
windows, then we look down into the livingroom, to see the couch, fireplace and Christmas tree.
Finally we are in the dining area looking into the livingroom and the Christmas tree, fireplace, tv, etc...

Looking out those windows above, you could maybe see a pond out off the deck area.
(better pictures of the whole view at the bottom of the page)
This is what it looks like after a good nights snow!  Well, it looked this way one day
at least.

We also went to the  High Desert Museum  while we were here.  It was beautiful, with almost no one there the parking lot was a lovely solid white.  Of course we chose to go on the one snowy day that we had!

You can see how white everything is.  Pretty nice for a light snowfall.  We spent a lot of time inside the museum,
but the some of the best exhibits are outside.  We were lucky enough to be there just as feeding time for the animals
as well as time for the information sessions, when a staff member is there to tell you about the animals and to answer
any questions you may have.  We noticed that there were only 2 procupines in this enclosure when last year there
had been four.  We were told that a coyote or wolf had most likely taken the other two.  Sadly the
preditor would have probably died shortly due to the wounds suffered from the quills.

We also found out they had a new Otter.  Last year they only had a female, this year they had
gotten a male otter.  This was his first winter/snow.  We were making snowballs and dropping them
into the water and the otter would grab them in his mouth, carry them up to the shore and push them
around or eat them (if he could before they melted).  He seemed to be enjoying himself.  We were told
the museum got him because he wasn't able to be returned to the wild.  He thought people were his
"people" and would go up to anyone.  Of course one way Otters say hello is to bite, and it would not
be a good thing for him to wander up to some campers and start biting them.  He is safer here.  The
female was in her den, getting some rest away from people.

The museum also has a good collection of birds.  While we were there, they had this Peregrin Falcon
out in the information area, an area with a table, a "log" perch, a podium and 3 rows of benches.
We were fortunate in that one of our group *loves* falcons... of course she wanted to take this
guy home!  The other picture is of a Golden Eagle.  The enclosure is partially outside,
so that snow is real.

And just because... Here are some pictures taken the day of the snow...

December 23, 2002

Looking through the glass at the pond in the backyard...

Looking out the front, upstairs window at the street and our van.