Kaylene

Two little people we are very thankful for!

Augie

Merry Christmas!

It's very hard for me to think on the fact that these two little people have little people of their own. God's blessing's on all of you.

Mr Churchill

This is one of my favorite places to visit in London. This statue of Churchill is in a little park near the Parliament building and Westminster Abbey. There is much traffic, hustle and bustle around it, but very serene once you get there. Lots of places to sit and think.

Trafalgar Square

The Christmas tree in the square is given to the people of London every year, by the people of Norway. It is, of course, a Norway Pine. It is given in honor of all the help given to Norway by the British during WWII. I believe this began in 1947.

More London at Night

This was one of the most spectacular displays of overhead lighting we saw. This was all pretty much on Oxford St. which is one of the main shopping districts in London. I want you to notice all the people on the street. This is Sunday night and the crowds actually look like the aftermath of a parade. As you can see it is quite crowded and everyone seemed to be very polite. If you run into someone or they into you, an exchange of "sorry" is all that seems to be needed. It was all quite festive and fun.

Dave and I have always wanted to visit London during the Christmas season to see the lights and decorations. Unfortunately, pictures don't do the scene much justice, as it is quite spectacular.

Christmas lights in London

Chritsmas lights in London

And, here's Dad at Paddington Station with Paddington Bear. You all know the story of Paddington Bear don't you?

Some more London......

We had dinner in several pubs while we were there. We had heard that "Pub Grub" was getting better all the time and we found it to be so. Here I am, in my new hat for warmth, looking a bit like a deranged newsboy.

Day two

Here is Dave standing in front of our "tiny" hotel. Our room was very small, but adequate. Didn't spend a whole lot of time in it anyway. The free breakfast was great and the staff, lovely. We got on the tube, did our best to "Mind the Gap" and headed for the Parliament Square area. We wanted to visit Parliament but it was closed. So, off to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and all the things there are to see in that area. At about 3 in the afternoon we went back to the Abbey for evensong services. Always wonderful. Then back on the tube to our favorite restaurant in the Lancaster Gate area. It's Italian and called Taomina. Had been there twice before, the last time with Muf. Good day.

Big Ben and the London Eye

Westminster Abbey

We had a beautiful day.

First full day in London

We got up early and went to King's Cross station and boarded a train for Grantham, England. Our friends George and Edna picked us up at the station and we began our day. We started by looking at this memorial in front of the Guild Hall, that George was instrumental in having erected. It is to honor all the fallen men of England, who fought in wars since 1945. From there we went inside the Hall for a tour and then on out into the country side for a great lunch.

We went inside the Guild Hall in downtown Grantham and this gentleman gave us a wonderful tour and told us amazing things about the town. It's been in existence since before the Romans

Here's George pointing to the sign for the lovely spot where we ate lunch. It was an old hunting lodge and has been converted to a small inn.

We've been to Grantham several times to visit our friends. Whenever we go they fly the American flag in front of their house. Always makes me a little teary.

Been away for a while........

Since I last posted, life has been sorta of busy. I went to Santa Barbara for a few days to give Martha a hand as she wasn't feeling very well. Augie, however, was doing just fine. Here's a little photo of him, just "hanging out".
We then had Thanksgivine here and the following Monday flew of to London for a week. Had a wonderful time, but are glad to be home. More photos to follow.

Kaylene and her dad come for a visit once a week. We go for walks, etc. Here are some photos.

Marlene and Carl's Wedding

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we attended Martha's former roommate's wedding about a week ago. The venue for the event was one of the most beautiful we've ever seen. The wedding took place in a grove of Redwood trees, with flowers, bushes and water all about. The venue was called Nestldown near Los Gatos, CA. Perhaps some of these photos can give you a taste of what it's like. Stunning!

Augie taking it all in.

Marlene and her Dad.

Martha entering

Grampa and Augie enjoying the reception

Wedding morning.

We got up early and went into town for coffee and something to eat before Martha had to go off and do wedding things. Nice way to start the day.

A little side trip to Santa Cruz

After our little breakfast, Dad, Zach, Augie and I drove to Santa Cruz for a nice walk on the pier. The wedding wasn't until 2 pm, so we decided this was a nice way to spend the morning.

California Trip

We flew to San Francisco this past weekend to attend Martha's former roommate's wedding. She was married in Los Gatos. On the way we stopped at a few spots to look around. The first was Palo Alto and Stanford University. Very lovely spot. This is Dave in front of Hoover Tower. The tower is named after the former president of the United States. He and his wife we very involved here. In the next couple of days I'll post on the actual wedding, which was spectacular. I'm trying to keep this in some sort of order!

You can go up to the top of Hoover tower and look around. This is the room that houses the organ which is used for carillon concerts.

View from the top of Hoover Tower

Santa Clara Mission

This mission has been destroyed 4 times from fire, earthquake, etc. This is the 5th mission and none of it is original except perhaps the cross in front of it. It is on the campus of Santa Clara university and is used as their chapel.

Some Augie pictures....

Augie looks a little puzzled about this bathing stuff.

Augie and his dad.

North Cascades Adventure

Earlier this year Dave took a very nice hike in the North Cascades with some men from church. They had a wonderful time and good weather. I've posted just a few pictures, of many, that were taken. Here they are beginnng the trip.

Very nice photo.

If you could step back just a little...........

This is just pretty.

Who could know...........

Philadelphia

I'm sitting on the bench in the center of this photo. This is the City Tavern. It opened in 1773 and was the unofficial meeting place for the 1st. Continental Congress. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams all participated. in 1774. In 1777 General Washington used the City Tavern as the official headquarters for the Continental Army.

There is much to see and do in Philadelphia and we wished we had more time. Hopefully we will visit again.

Liberty Bell

I realize that the bell looks as tho' it has feet wearing flip flops, but it's very difficult to get pictures of it without people.

Independence Hall