New Year's Day foxhunt We celebrated the new year in style - with a glorious foxhunt in gloriously warm weather - in the 70's!! - thank you Mother Nature!! The photo to the left was taken by one of the field members after we had galloped through a mile of mud and muddy slop - you can't see my coat clearly, but if you look closely you can see big clods of mud on my beautiful coat. I can assure you I was covered in mud from the hem to the collar, with mud splatter on my face (including a mud clump in my ear!!!) and mud all over my hat. Poor Itchy went from spotlessly clean to mud spotted all over, including about a pound of mud clods on his cute face! Let's just say he and I were covered in mud, period! But despite the mud, it was a spectacular day: 3 1/2 hours out, two sporting foxes giving us some fabulous runs and lots of hound music, a stop at the Master's house for a glass of port midway, sharing from everyone's flask throughout the day - such delicious concoctions!! The tailgate after the hunt was a feast...we arrived back just as the cold front moved in, the temps dropped like a rock, and the rains began. We all huddled under the pop-up tent, indulging in the banquet, chattering away about the day, and enjoying the final warm day before the bitter cold comes in tomorrow. What a spectacular way to bring in the new year!! More to add as the month rolls along.