In a little more than 2 hours, Olya and I are off to spend the Christmas holiday in a little B&B up in the beautiful Rocky mountains. No computers, no television, no phones - just the babbling of a frozen stream nearby, the cracking and popping of a warm fire, and proximity to some of the most outstanding downhill skiing in the world.

For those of you that recall, this time last year, we were in Lviv hoping for some cold weather and lots of snow - to no avail. The prior year as well. This year, we are finally assured of getting some skiing - and we are both looking forward to it - though also looking forward to one year finally getting that ski trip in to Karpaty --smile--.

I'll be out of touch for a few days, so I wanted to say - for both of us - we wish you all a wonderful and joyous Christmas holiday.

All the best,

Dan & Olya