[soliloquy id=”9798″]

This warm weather is good for one thing at least: paddling. Gary Noren sent these mind-boggling photos of a Christmas day excursion. He writes:

Anytime you get to paddle on the St. Croix is wonderful, but canoeing in the light snow and mist in low light conditions today was magical. We were motivated to try out the new Accent paddles my son gave us for Christmas.

This season seems a good time to say thank you to Gary and Marty. They give tirelessly of their time and energy and more to important causes and organizations in the St. Croix Valley, including the St. Croix River Association, where Gary is board chair, and the St. Croix Valley Foundation, where Marty serves the same role. They have also been great believers in St. Croix 360 from the beginning. Folks like Marty and Gary are one of the best Christmas gifts a person, or a community, could ask for.

Thanks for indulging that.

John Schletty of St. Croix Falls sent a photo of what the Dalles looked like not long before Gary and Marty were out there. It was a big hit on Facebook on Christmas.

Happy holidays, and thanks for reading!