Challenge Accepted

I have a friend that I have met online. I'm not sure if they want me to identify them, so unless they say otherwise, they will go by M. M is from Europe. I think we have developed a good friendship through pictures and a mutual friend. I had asked for help with finding a challenge sometime ago, and M has challenged me to take pictures of the everyday here in the U.S. and post them once a week. So, here we go.

Unfortunately due to weather, I wasn't able to take pictures of the things I wanted to, so I'll start with this. This picture was taken with a point and shoot (my apologies for the blur, the lens was fogged and it's not mine) in December and describes the area about 20 minutes to the East of my home. I love the mountains, they're gorgeous and the air is refreshing. I love living so close to them especially because it means lots of skiing. 

My only complaint about living close to them (or should I say at a higher elevation) is this....

Today is April 22 and we had 3/4" of snow on the ground. These are the tulips and grape hyacinths I planted about a year and a half ago. I'm very proud of them because honestly, I'm very new to flower gardening. (You'll see more when there are actual blossoms)

I know I should be used to this by now after living here for seven years, but a slightly warmer climate just can't seem to leave my head. Someday, I will be in a place where I can plant my garden before the end of May, but until then I will enjoy the cold because it brings snow, and having snow means sledding, hot chocolate, and my all-time winter favorite, downhill skiing.