Where is Bulgaria and Why Should I Care?

Well, when Dave told me he had to go to Bulgaria, I had to look it up on a map because I had no idea where Bulgaria even was. It's in Europe to the upper left of Turkey. And that is where Dave is headed tomorrow! (Wednesday)
From the pictures that came up on Google, it looks like a beautiful place. I'm sure Dave will get lots of pictures- he always does.

Snow Ladies

Well, Aunt Sandy and I couldn't resist using this opportunity of snow to build some snow-ladies. We gathered up some stuff, bundled up and headed outside. These are the results... (The first picture is my snow lady, the second is Aunt Sandy's)

And here we are ( we didn't mean to match). I had on Dave's coat. It was nice and warm.

Real Live Snow!!

Here are some pictures from about 2:30 this morning...(playing Yahtzee...THAT'S what I'm doing still up! LOL) It's snowing! Still coming down and there is a little over 3 inches out there right now. Too bad Dave is missing it, since he's in China.

Reminder!

Isn't it cool that God gives us a little reminder now and then that he keeps His promises? How often we tend to forget!

It was a nice wide one too, and you could see each color very clearly...quite pretty. The picture doesn't do it justice at all.

Flowers Again!

On Wednesday, Dave brought me home some flowers again! Tulips this time- those are my favorite! Aren't they pretty? This first picture I took in the dark with the flash- the flowers look so silky in that one! Then this morning, they were all standing up straight, so I took another pic. You can see their colors really well in that one.

The 12 days of Christmas!

We literally did have 12 days of Christmas this year! It started on the 21st (which was our anniversary!!!) with the Harriman festivites and went through to January 1, when we headed home from St.Louis. Cool!
I know I have some pictures from the Harriman gatherings, but I can't find them just now, so I will have to add them later. We had a nice visit with everyone. Dad and Vicky and Uncle Henry and Uncle Gary, April, Heather and Jessica all came from SC, Aunt Sara and Uncle Steve came from Massachussetts, Maggie and Bob came from Greensboro, and the rest of us from around here gathered too. Friday was gingerbread house assembly at our house, then a Hot Dog supper. The gingerbread houses turned out very good...even Ben's "Saving Private Marshmallow" scene. On Saturday at the Grandparent's house, we played games - some Boggle, the Yahtzee tournament (Heather won!) and the Cribbage tournament (Uncle Steve won!), and we ate lots of soups and breads- delicious! I think there ended up being about 8 or 9 kinds of soup- all completely different. I have to say my favorite was Sarah's chicken enchilada soup. We did our gift exchange also, which was fun as always.

Christmas at Home

We had a few days at home between Bermuda and St.Louis and we filled them with family! These pics are from our Christmas with Maggie, Bob and Oliver and our Christmas at home. Mom made her famous Christmas tree sweet bread- yum! That was Sunday, when Maggie was here. We gave our gifts to them that day because they had to get back home. That's Oliver at the top with the little audubon bird we gave him, and the next one is with "Hermie", the little knitted alien I made for him (UFO and all). Christmas Eve Mom & Dale came over and we spent the day eating soups and meatballs and other good stuff, plus the marshmallow reindeer buddies Mom made. We played Wii games and visited. They spent the night with us so we could all get up and have Christmas morning breakfast together. We made eggs and sausage and biscuits and gravy and hash browns- what a feast! Then, while we were waiting on Sarah, Greg and Delilah to come, we opened a present each! Sarah, Greg and Delilah came around lunch time (with more soup!) and we opened up the presents while lunch was cooking, then we ate. Sarah, Greg and Delilah headed out and Mom helped me with the cleanup, then they headed home too. Then we started packing for St.Louis....

Pics from St. Louis

The infamous mooses, a cinnamon roll, Mom & Dad, girls coloring, Jordan wiggling his loose teeth, Kelly, all of us at the table, a camel, view from the roof.

Meet Me in St.Louis!

The day after Christmas, we left for St.Louis. We were able to stay about a week. We enjoyed spending time with everyone! Mom Carlson's cooking was wonderful as always- especially those cinnamon rolls- yum! We got to go see the Christmas lights at Our Lady of the Snows, plus this year we went inside to see the Christmas trees and wreaths on display and check out the gift shop. We did some shopping and ate our traditional dinner at Chevy's (sp?) Mexican restaurant. Plus, us girls had a day of shopping, even though the scrapbook store we went to closed about 10 minutes after we got there! Below are some pictures from the day we went to the City Museum. We hadn't been in a few years, and they had a bit of new stuff. It was loads of fun! As you can see, we did our share of crawling, climbing, sliding (5 stories!) and sliming through some pretty tight spots at times. It's the coolest place- if you ever go to St.Louis, you MUST go here!

Bermuda, Day 6

Last night it started raining and it was still raining this morning. We took our time getting ready but it was still raining when we left. We hurried down to the bus stop...didn't get too wet. We took the bus to Hamilton, where we WERE going to ride a ferry over to the Royal Naval Dockyard, but because of the rain we ended up taking the bus. Once we got there, the first place we went to was the Clocktower Mall. We walked around there for a bit- we were about the only people in there! After that we walked over to the Maritime Museum. They had some nifty stuff about the naval history of Bermuda, the evolution of diving equipment and the history of Bermuda boat racing. The coolest part of the place though, was the dolphins. There were quite a few of them and you could go right up to the edge of their tank. We had fun watching them for a while, and this was most of our pictures today. The first one is the baby- he is only 6 months old and was having fun playing with this basketball.This second picture was during the "show". We walked up to see the Commissioner's house after our first visit to the dolphins. There were a lot of paintings and such in there. We even saw some of the "Dockyard Cats" while we were walking around. Then we went back to the dolphins for the show at 3:00. This next pic is one of the three dolphins who performed jumping in the air.
This last dolphin pic is one of the three with his head up out of the water. They were very friendly and talkative. Dolphins talk loud!
This final picture is one of us inside the Clocktower Mall at the OFFICIAL TIP OF THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE!! That's right. But we didn't see anyone disappear...
After that we got a snack, visited the Craft Center and then we rode the ferry back to Hamilton where we ran into the grocery store for some dinner, then caught a bus back to the apt. We ate our dinner and now we're watching the Food Network show about the gingerbread houses at the Grove Park Inn. Tonight we'll be packing up as much as we can, and in the morning we'll be calling a taxi to take us to the airport. Next time you hear from us we'll be back in NC!

Bermuda, Day 5

Today was our lazy vacation day. We took our time getting ready this morning, packed a picnic lunch, then moseyed down to the beach...well, OK, it was about a 1.5 kilometre walk. But it was worth it. We went down to Warwick Long Bay. That pretty pink sand is very squishy, so it's a pretty good work-out walking in in for a while. We walked a good way down the beach until we found a little "cubby" in the cliff and that's where we sat to eat our lunch. The view was lovely, as you can see in the pictures below. They are the view from our picnic spot in this order: Looking to the right, Looking to the left, and just in front of us.

After our picnic, we walked down the beach a little further then walked back to the apt and took a nap! We've spent the rest of the day just chillin' out. I did some knitting, we've watched some TV, and I cooked us some spaghetti for supper. Tomorrow we're planning to go out to the Royal Naval Dockyard. They have a mall and a craft center and a Maritime Museum- even a place where you can swim with the dolphins! I don't think we'll get to do that last one on this trip though. Maybe next time!
Then Sunday morning, we head back to the airport and back to the states. Only 11 days till Christmas!!!!

And One More Thing...

Before we went to bed last night, we stepped outside to look at the stars for a minute. Orion is right outside our door at that time! Anyway, we were gazing up there and we saw A SHOOTING STAR!!

I Forgot...

They had a touch pool at the aquarium and...
DAVE TOUCHED A SEA CUCUMBER!!!
Unfortunately, I was laughing too hard to get a picture...

Bermuda, Day Four

We had a pretty leisurely morning this morning. Then we got on the bus again and went to Flatt's Village. We ate lunch at a little place called Rustic. The food was very good. Then we walked a little way up to the aquarium. Actually, the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum & Zoo, established in 1926. It's a small one, but it was fun and we actually spent most of our day there. First we checked out the aquarium part. Here is a picture of a parrot fish. He was pretty cool-looking.
Here's a picture of one of the sharks. There were four in the tank, which was much bigger than it looked from inside. They had a little peeky hole in the back section on the outside and you could see the big back section.
After we finished inside the aquarium, we went into the breezeway that led to the museum. There were some seal tanks! They had 5 seals and we watched them swim for a few minutes, then we read the signs and found out that they were about to be fed, so we waited the few minutes more. The feeders got the seals to do tricks for their fish. They gave kisses, rolled over, clapped and jumped up out of the water. Fun!
Then we went through the museum. There was a lot of interesting information on how Bermuda got there, how it was settled and how it came to prosper. Then we went out to the zoo section. They had lots of birds, some lemurs and snakes and such. They had these flamingoes...
Also, there was one section...Animals of the Carribbean...where all the animals were loose in the section you went through. There were some spoonbills and scarlet ibis's all around us and little Golden Lion Tamarins jumping around in the trees above us. The little monkeys followed us through, watching us, but didn't ever get too close. We also saw some big sea turtles- 4 of them.

Anyway, after we left that place, we walked up a little farther to go to the Railway Museum, but it was closed. So we headed back to Hamilton and went to the grocery store before we boarded another bus and came back to the apt. We had some mac & cheese for dinner, and now we're watching some TV.
More tomorrow...

Bermuda, Day 3

Today started with a quick breakfast of some cereal we got yesterday, with some milk from Dunkley's Dairy...which I think we walked past in our travels today. Then we walked just down the road to await the bus. Riding the bus in Bermuda is an adventure in itself- big bus, narrow streets, lots of curves and crazy Bermuda traffic. You couldn't pay me to drive here! Anyway, we rode the bus to Hamilton, then boarded another one and rode out to St.George for the day. The bus dropped us in the little town and we walked around to find a place for lunch. We ate at the White Horse Pub...out on the patio right next to the water! The food was tasty! Here is Dave along with the view from Fort Gates, a small old fort which once had 4 cannons. After visiting this one, we walked up a little further to the Alexandria battery. It was neat seeing how they had it rigged up to get the cannon balls up to the top wall. Then we walked quite a bit further to Fort St.Catherine (in the pic below). It was a pretty big fort and had its own battery, where supposedly a ghost inhabits!

While we were out walking today- and yesterday, actually- we saw a lot of chickens and roosters running around loose. The roosters like to crow at us. Below is a picture of a bunch of them hanging out on a pink picnic table.
As we headed back to the town from the forts, we came across the Unfinished Church. It's pretty much just 4 walls standing there. They started building it in 1874, but ran into a series of financial problems and then when it was almost finished a hurricane damaged it and at that point, they just gave up. So now there are the walls standing....here is an angled view...
We went back to St.George, picked up some snacks and a few souvenirs, then got back on the bus and came back to the apt. Sandwiches, TV and rest again this evening! Oh, and maybe another game of Cribbage later...
Until tomorrow!

Bermuda, Day 2

This is a picture of where we are staying...there is one of the moon gates at the entrance. The moon gates are all over the place here. This morning we slept in...REALLY slept in...didn't get up until 10 o'clock! (Well, that's 9:00 our time). We ate some fruit for breakfast, then headed out for the day. We walked the 5ish kilometres (that's how they spell it here) to the city of Hamilton, which is the "Big City" here. We stopped at one of the many beaches along the way- the sand was very squishy, and we sank in about two inches with each step. It sure is pretty! Here's a pic...

This one is Elbow Beach...there were a few people out there- probably tourists like us because all the Bermudians are walking around in coats! And it's in the 70's! In Hamilton, first we went to the little place to get a bus and ferry pass. Then we started looking for some lunch. We found a KFC...LOL. Yes, we're in Bermuda and we ate at KFC. It's a bit different than in the states, but it was pretty good. We took it and sat in Par-La-Ville Park while we ate. There were little birds with bright greenish-yellow bellies waiting for people to drop some food. Then we walked around the city...we went into a little mall and there was a group of young school kids there for the lighting of the mall Christmas tree and then they sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". It was pretty neat. We did a bit of shopping, but mostly looking, then we started our walk back to the apt, since it was getting later in the day and we didn't want to be out after dark.

This picture is a section of the Railway Trail that we walked on during our trek back from Hamilton. There is nothing left of the railroad tracks that used to be there. The trail goes all across the island, but we only walked a small part of it today. We stopped and got some things to make sandwiches for dinner. Then we played a game of Cribbage with the deck of cards we bought today. Now we're watching some TV and giving our feet a rest before tomorrow!!

Bermuda, Day One

Hello from the sunny island of Bermuda! We arrived here safe and sound about 1pm (Bermuda time) and got a taxi ride to our guest apartment. It is a cozy little place...it has a living room, a little kitchen, a bedroom, bathroom and even a closet. We arrived hungry (having not eaten since those mini cinnabons we got in the Charlotte airport at 6 this morning!) and after we had settled in, went looking for the restaurant mentioned to us by our hostess. Unfortunately, The Swizzle something -or-other was closed for the entire day for staff Christmas party! So, we turned around and went the other direction to the little gas station that our hostess had also pointed out to us. We picked up some spaghetti and sauce, and some drinks and chips. I did mention we were HUNGRY, right? Well, we ate the whole bag of Doritos while waiting on the spaghetti to cook. It was a smallish bag, but still....
After eating we settled down for a nap (had to get up so early, plus my dramamine had me worn out). After a while, Dave decided to trek back up to the gas station to hunt us some dinner, since it was after dark and we don't have any bus passes yet...besides, I don't think the buses run this late anyway. He got some bacon and pancake mix, and believe it or not he cooked the whole meal in the microwave! Dave is somewhat magical when it comes to microwave cooking, and turned out some tasty pancakes!! Now, I am blogging and Dave is watching the TV. I'm afraid this is about the whole of our excitement for today. We didn't think to bring our Cribbage board or anything, so we are stuck with the TV for tonight.
Tomorrow morning, we will make our way to Hamilton (the BIG CITY of Bermuda) and get a bus/ferry pass and maybe do some sightseeing....some beach bumming- maybe a picnic. I'm sure we'll find plenty to keep us occupied! I'll report again tomorrow evening!

Decorating the Tree

Here we are with our decorated Christmas tree! Everybody helped hang the ornaments. It was a fun night! We also had lots of food- Sarah made Pizza Pinwheels, Mom made "parade breakfast" (secret family recipe- tee hee), and I made some popcorn chicken. We all drank cocoa too, and there was some pumpkin pie...and M&M cookies that Delilah helped me to make earlier that day. It's always fun to pull out the ornaments - they bring back good memories and we always have lots of laughs as we decorate.
Well, today we leave for our vacation...to Charlotte today and to Bermuda tomorrow!! Sunshine and 70's, here we come!

Vermont for Thanksgiving

We enjoyed our trip to Vermont even though it was a loooooooong drive. Thanksgiving Day there was fairly warm- like the weather we've been having here at home. But that night it started snowing and the temperature dropped. The next day was bitterly cold and there was cold wind. Dave went out walking our last morning there- in 10 degrees!!

We enjoyed the Thanksgiving dinner- Uncle Greg cooked 2 turkeys...one in the oven and one in a smoker. Both delicious. And Kristen prepared all the other stuff- green bean casserole, squash, etc...even HOMEMADE cranberry sauce which was quite good.

The day after Thanksgiving, we went and did a bit of running around. This is us next to one of the statues at the Bennington Monument. To commemorate some battle during...I guess it was the Revolutionary War. Anyway, our trip was a good one!

More Flowers

Dave has still been bringing me flowers every other week or so. This is a picture of the fall colored lilies he brought. There was also a miniature rose plant and some rainforest flowers that I didn't get pictures of. He's such a sweetie!