Update about blog

August 8th sunset over Hogback Ridge and Heron Peak. Durango CO with air quality warnings of "ozone" or possibly smoke from wildfires. I kept the windows closed.
Showing posts with label Santa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Twas the night before

Not only all the presents to prepare for an extended family, but a dinner at a family member's home nearby, with lots of people to take presents for that occasion!

Fortunately this year, this household is going to grandma's for Christmas dinner.  So today's cooking was just a batch of gingerbread cookies (for Santa of course.)  That was after my 10-year old granddaughter made waffles for breakfast!









The house where tonight's party was held!

Our hostess
Our host holding his youngest son while oldest looks on
A right Jolly old Elf

She trimmed the carrots for the reindeer

And arranged them in an "R" on the front porch
While the littlest peeled the paper off the candy cane

Which promptly melted in the hot cocoa that had been prepared by sister number 2
Yes there are the gingerbread men for Santa as well.

Hair and teeth brushed and ready for...
A shared reading of the Night Before Christmas...then to bed for the kids, and you know the other little mice tiptoed around late into the night, aka parental Santa impersonators.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The rest of the journey

Cathy offered me a drink before the plane taxied away from the terminal.  How did I get so lucky?

When I went to the boarding gate counter, in Atlanta, to get my seat assignment for the second leg of my trip, the guy behind me in line apparently decided to be benevolent, and paid for my ticket to be upgraded to first class.
My first class seat
He and his wife were also traveling to on the same plane, but I didn't even see them after I got to my seat in the second row.  Wow.
My son thinks one of them worked for the airline and had some points or something...but whatever way it happened, I was so grateful.  I didn't do anything, and was so pleased.

So once again, just two seats on each side of the aisle.
My Santa just said it's a Christmas present.

I had the trusty camera out and played tourist the whole way.

 So my next post will be about the strange land I viewed through my camera.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The season's activities

When it seems humanly impossible to do more in a difficult situation, surrender yourself to the inner silence and thereafter wait for a sign of obvious guidance or for a renewal of inner strength. Paul Brunton, Meditations for People in Crisis 

A beautiful reflection of the Lakeview Center, and the light tree in Lake Tomahawk, Black Mountain, NC.



These shots were taken the night we had a Holiday program in the pavillion, with Santa visiting.

He'd also been in the parade through downtown (which is only several blocks long).



The festivities include the free hotdogs, hot cocoa or cider, fruit and cookies which the Black Mountain folks passed out to anyone who came.

Though I don't eat buns with my hotdogs, I highly recommend not feeding them to the poor ducks, who obviously disagreed with me.


I dare say this lovely lady was part of festivities somewhere along the way.

The luminaries and the sunset sky added to the ambiance of a walk around the lake in the evening.

How do I decorate for solstice, you might ask?  Hopefully with some live greenery, and some indication that this is a time for dreaming, so symbols of the night like stars, moons and snowflakes.

Do I decorate for Christmas?  Yep.  I'm also in favor of Hanukkah and Kwanza.  But the main thing of all these festivities is that we come together in community and family, sharing love in the form of gifts.  These gifts may not be worth a lot of green money, but would be really appreciated if worth a lot of green energy in other ways.  Live plants are super.  Food and hand made crafts and art are also.  These show the love between us, and can become useful.