While I enjoy the down time offered by winter as well as the solitude of living in the country during the quiet season, I still find myself immensely busy with new indoor projects and ideas about improving The Lodge at Steinthal for the upcoming summer. This year, we are booked for the entire season and still receiving calls about future bookings! I will admit, the winters do get long here and I have always tried to escape to the southern climates if not for even a few days. This year was no exception as I headed to Mexico to soak up the sun while enjoying the calm seas with a mojito in hand. After this year, it was a much needed escape. I have since returned and as I write this I am bracing for a winter storm here and all the shoveling, plowing and icy roads that come with it.