Christmas 2008 is Here

You may ask why anyone in their right mind would be driving in this mess.


Having to chain-up on the side of the road in the cold and icy snow just to be able to drive 25 miles an hour or less.


Cross an icy bridge where only the brave dare to tread.


Weaving through wreck after wreck to go about 300 miles and back another 300 in one day?


Well Sharyn and I took off at five AM to drive to the Seattle airport to pick up Matt, Sierra and Ansley and it was worth the eight hours getting there.


We finally made it to the Airport and since airlines no longer feed you on the plane we stopped at a Red Robin in Tacoma before trudging home.


Needless to say outdoor seating was not available.


Ansley was very happy to be back on the ground and getting a good meal.


Sierra posed for me in front of the statue of liberty.


Day 2 back at home


The girls made a gingerbread house while Isaac took Matt to the doctor to have a severe ear ache checked.


When Isaac returned he teased the girls like any good uncle will tend to do.


The Gingerbread house did turn out great.


Meanwhile Matt caught up on the business of rescheduling the trim back to Belgium after all the delays he had getting here and having to reschedule after three delays coming to the west coast.
It is great having them here.

Day 3 - Exploring


I took Sharyn, Matt and the girls to the movies and decided to drive over to Maude Kerns Art Center to see if anyone was there and pick up my two prints that did not sell. The Center was closed for the holidays but I met Bob who was working at Club Mud (ceramic studio behind the Art Center's main building. Bob invites me in and I brought my camera. Bob was working on a beautiful large piece.


Don was another ceramics artist who by odd coincidence was listening to "Songbird" sung by Eva Cassidy from a CD, the same CD I had been listening to in the car when I drove up... Wild!


Did I ever say that I love the art of an artists studio. It's the organization of tools...


... and tests...


...and notes and items near completion ...



... and items in storage but most of all ...

... you can see artists at work. This is a small part of a much larger piece Don was working on today.


I had a few minutes left and drove up to Hendricks Park and passed by Pre's Rock a spot on the training trail Steve Prefontaine ran on the way to a great but shortened track career.

It's been a rough week due to the weather Matt and the girls flight(s) were terribly stressful on us all but none more than our bear son Matt, who had to stay at hotels three nights while trying to get a flight to the west coast from the D.C. area. First they were flying Continental to Portland then after a cancellation it was Delta to San Francisco. That was also cancelled twice and finally from Baltimore to Seattle. I have to say the drive up to Seattle was very dangerous so I had to drive very slowly and carefully in the Mini-Musemobile. With Sharyn as my co-pilot it made all the difference and all the shots in the snow were taken by her. It's great to have some of our dear family physically here but we also have so many of our family and friends that will be with us in spirit.

No Scrabble Today

Quote of the Day ~

"It's no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an airport' appear" ~ Douglas Adams quotes (British comic Writer, 1952-2001)