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)

A second snow day

I'm excited - we are all excited today Matt and the grands arrive late at night in Portland so driving will be dicey but it's a beautiful and cold day.


I was up very early and took a few pictures of the house.


The "Peace" sign was smattered with snow...


Everything was splattered as a matter of fact.


We got a beautiful Christmas wreath from our dear relatives back east Jo & Jolene. It went right up in the living room.

A little more Christmas cheer and a lovely thoughtful gift from two very lovely relatives.


Despite the economy we do have a few things under the tree

Speaking of trees the Cottonwood tree looks rather stark in the field having shed it's leaves.


The trees lining the field next to us looked great with the bluish white snow and a purple/orange/yellow sunrise.


We got some birdseed the other day to keep the birds fed and they are now populating the tree in our neighbor's back yard.


The mimosa in our back yard has a few leaves left but from their hang-dog look I'd say not for long,


We do have a star to the east hanging above the field.


One of the three sheep next door was even out foraging and trying to find the green grass that disappeared.


And the stockings are hung by the chimney with care...


... and one of our Nativity sets is out on the table - we love Nativity sets. This one is from New Mexico and from one of our visits there.


I liked the warm colors of our lamp shade contrasting with the blue cold outside.


I took one more shot from the upstairs window - brrrr, it is cold.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen didn't say who won but I suspect she pulled it out in the end because she kept telling me I was ahead but did not say I won after her last play. What a sandbagger!

Quote of the Day

"And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow." ~ Roy Bean (c. 1825 – March 16, 1903) was an eccentric U.S. saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace who called himself "The Law West of the Pecos". According to legend, Judge Roy Bean held court in his saloon along the Rio Grande in a desolate stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert of west Texas.

Snow Day - Why Stay at Home

It does snow in Eugene from time to time though it isn't an every day thing in winter we usually get a dusting occasionally and sometimes a few inches that stick. This was one of those "it stuck!" days.


Of course Sharyn had something scheduled this time it was a doctor's visit in Eugene. Nothing serious just routine. Being the avid snow driver I am off we went and the roads were terrible. Snow crushed to ice and very, very slippery.


There were several cars on the side of the road but I'm not sure this car was parked on the snow on purpose or it just slid in with nature's help. It took us about an hour to reach the doctor's office taking the long way there to avoid the hill on 30th Street.


This car looked a little less than straight on the road and another was parked on a lawn,


The snow had slowed but it was still going and I got this and the previous from the second floor of the Professional Building where the doctor practices. Before I took the pictures I read an issue of "Wired" magazine and caught up on all the new technology toys. I think my favorite article was a review of several DVD repair machines. They repair the disks not the DVD Players. The price range was $500 t0 a low of $19. The cheap model didn't get a very good repair rating and all the others were messy slopping goo all over. So being bored with goo and DVD's I pulled out the Sony Alpha (My microminimuse camera).


I felt sorry for those people walking in the snow and found out later Isaac had to walk to the University of Oregon from his bus parking lot because the bus couldn't get up the hill to his spot. I figured he must of had to walk 10 blocks or more and probably walked right past this building.


Did I say I like to drive in the snow but hate driving on ice.


Since I was in a doctors office I had to get aquarium pictures (they all seem to have them as if by command) and this office had a very nice aquarium with little fish and lots of bubbles.

I liked these tiny red, white and blue patriotic fish.


This silvery one carried it's own rainbow.


I enjoyed the bubbles and the fish were cute; most of all I liked how clear and clean the water looked.


Back at home, and on the back porch, the sun finally came out leaving vivid blue skies and crystal clear views.


What a lovely view of the giant cottonwood tree next door.


I heard it was going to snow so Sharyn and I got some sunflower seed out for the birds.


We had a dusting on the back porch and evidently the birds were there walking around.


Some of the leaves and tiny branches were falling from the mimosa tree and resting on the snow.


Night fell and I went out to shoot the house with the lights aglow.


I always enjoy the Christmas lights that signify Peace and Joy on a clod winter's night.


It's all very festive and I like the fact that no matter how many or how few lights I am reminded that life is more than what I see but what's in my heart.

Scrabble Score ~ Scrabble Queen 367 - the Contender 321

Quote of the Day -

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,
stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons.
It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.
And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." ~ Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss was an American Writer and Cartoonist best known for his collection of children's books. Theodor Seuss Geisel - A.K.A. Dr Seuss - was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts to Henrietta Seuss and Theodor Robert Geisel, both of German descent. His mother often chanted pie-selling rhymes to her children to make them fall asleep at night. Ted credited her for giving him both his ability and desire to create the rhymes for which he became so well known.

He published over 60 children's books, which were often characterized by his imaginative characters, rhyme and frequent use of trisyllabic meter. His most notable books include the bestselling classics Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.