Coming Up Roses

     Well I have returned from our trip to So. California. We had a wonderful visit with family and I have some fun things to share. The first is the Pasadena Rose Parade. I don't have any statistics but I would think this is one of the better known parades. It's in it's 127th year. It all started with the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club. For more information about it's history check out this link:Tournament of Roses.  
     When I was in high school (many, many years ago) my two best friends and I would spend New Years Eve camped out on Colorado Boulevard. It would get pretty cold and there was a lot of noise with the number of people and the cars driving up and down the street. Needless to say we didn't sleep much, but we did have good seats for the parade. Even if we were almost too tired to watch. 
     I have fond memories of those times. You can buy bleacher seats, but when you're a teenager staying up all night on the street seems like more fun, plus it's free. We even had the opportunity one year to help decorate a float. I haven't seen a Rose Parade since those high school days. Since we were going to be in California at New Years I decided it would be fun to at least see the floats.

     We decided to go to the after viewing which goes from the afternoon of Jan 1st and all day the 2nd & 3rd. It only costs $10 dollars per person and you really get an up close view of the floats.

Look at all the masses of beautiful flowers

     If we ever do this again we will go earlier in the day. We went the afternoon of the 2nd and it was very crowded. I later read it is better first thing in the morning. But in spite of that we enjoyed seeing all the wonderful floats. Here are a few of the photos I took.

     Every inch of a float must be covered with some form of organic material. Besides flowers they use seeds, grasses, bark, spices, etc. 

Look at this bee hive, they used peanuts to represent bees.

When you're a Downton Abbey fan how could I not have my picture taken in front of this float.

     These are just a few of the photos I took. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Pasadena this is something you should definitely put on your bucket list.

A thought to ponder: "When it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.                                             Without the rain there would be no rainbow."

                                                                              Gilbert K. Chesterson

Participating in: Share Your Cup, Grand Social, Share the Joy, Seasons, Our World Tuesday

Winter Wonderland

     We headed south right after Christmas to visit our granddaughter, oh and also the daughter and son-in-law. The weather here in Southern California has been cool, 40's at night to 60's F during the day, with some rain. But not as cold as back in Wyoming where it's hitting single digits at night and 30's during the day. I won't be doing much on my blog while here, too busy with family fun. So I thought I'd share a few favorite winter pictures I've taken over the last few years.

A view from my bedroom window

Our resident pheasant, Morty, in winter

This is our dog Wally, he loves the snow. He'll race around and sometimes hops like a deer through the white stuff. He always looks so happy when he rolls around in it.

These ducks hang out at the creek even in winter. This is near the walking path.     See A Morning Walk

A snowy day in our backyard

Another shot from my bedroom window after a snow. The following photos were taken the same day. Our backyard can really look like a winter wonderland especially right after a snowfall.

A few close up shots.

This was a very cold day last January but our grandson still wanted to go out and build a snow fort.

     Where ever you live, in a cold climate or warm, I hope the new year brings your heart's desire.

A thought to ponder: We are like a snowflake, all different in our own beautiful                                            way.

Participating in: Grand Social, Share the Joy, Share Your Cup

Traditions

     "Tradition - noun - the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation." I think most families have some traditions for the holidays. How and when you decorate the Christmas tree; what you have to eat; special ornaments and decorations, etc. With the holiday season in full swing I've been thinking about our family traditions. When I was a child we always set up a train set that went around in a circle under the Christmas tree. The train set was my father's when he was young. My brother displayed it at Christmas for a number of years. He has now passed it on to one of our nephews and his young sons are enjoying it.

Here's my brother and sister in the mandatory in front of the tree picture.(1960)

     On Christmas Eve we would place our stockings by the fireplace and leave cookies and milk for Santa. The next morning we were up early, excited to see what Santa had left us. After breakfast we would pass out the presents. We would then go around in a circle taking turns opening a present. This way we could also enjoy the gifts that others received. We always knew which gifts were from our Dad, because he wrapped his in the Sunday comics. He did this his whole life for every gift giving occasion. He was of the opinion it was going to get ripped up so why use fancy paper.

     My mother's parents lived in another state so they would mail our gifts. It was always fun to receive a package. We would take out each gift, read who it was for and place it under the tree. Every year they sent my Dad socks. It became quite the joke. We'd open the box, pull out the wrapped gifts, " Oh Dad, here's your socks."

     My husbands family didn't have a lot of traditions so he was fine with using most of mine as we started our family together.

This is our daughter's second Christmas (1969) (She was 6 weeks old on her first.)

Our daughter and son, for his first Christmas (1971)

    I know some families do Christmas eve church, then presents. We've always done everything on Christmas day. As our son and daughter got older they were in charge of passing out the gifts. We continued to open gifts one person at a time. It not only makes the fun last longer, you also get a chance to enjoy the person's reaction when they get to your gift. 

     Every year I like to buy one or two new ornaments for the tree. Over the years I've collected quite a few. Some I've already passed on to my children.

One year we had an exchange student from Switzerland. She had the opportunity to learn our traditions and we got to learn about how she celebrated the holiday. Exchange student in the center (1985)

     Now that our children are both married they carry on some of the same traditions with the addition of a few new ones from their spouses. It's nice to see them carry on our traditions but I also enjoy seeing them develop their own.

      This picture was the year our daughter and family came to Wyoming for Christmas, when her daughter was 15 months old and our grandson was 6 months.(2007) See A Ready Made Friend

  

Grandson 16 months (2008)

Granddaughter 2 years (2008)

The grandson enjoys making cookies and gingerbread houses with his Mom (2013)

       Both the grandchildren have a new tradition that they enjoy. A visit from the elf on the shelf. 

Last year my granddaughter's elf decided to hang out in the refrigerator. When she found him she made sure he got warmed up.

Here she is last year, all snugly watching a Christmas program.

       Traditions of course don't have to be written in stone. They might change as life circumstances change. But I know I have fond memories of my childhood Christmases. And I hope my children and grandchildren will too.                                                           Being with family I think is the best part of the holidays. Sometimes we can't always be in the same place. But with today's technology you can still enjoy their company with Skype and Face time. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, full of love and laughter. Whatever your holiday traditions, enjoy them to the fullest.

A thought to ponder: "Tradition is not to preserve the ashes. But to pass on the                                    flame."                                     Gustav Mahler

Participating in:Grand Social, Share the Joy, Mingle Monday

Waterfalls Galore

     As I mentioned in my last post we recently took a trip to the Colombia River Gorge in Oregon. One of my goals for this trip was to see lots of waterfalls. And I wasn't disappointed. The first day we drove over the mountain to Cody, Wyoming and through Yellowstone Park, staying the first night in West Yellowstone. We did stop to watch Old Faithful.

     The next day we stopped to view our first waterfall. Mesa Falls is off the main road on a scenic byway a little north of Twin Falls, Idaho.  We got there fairly early and were the only ones. It was pretty chilly but we still enjoyed the view.

     Our next stop was Twin Falls where we viewed the Shoshone Falls. There wasn't as much water going over as usual. Partly because of the time of year and also because they were doing some work on the dam.

     The next stop for waterfalls was the Colombia Gorge. You can drive along the old Colombia Gorge highway and see numerous wonderful waterfalls. The road is curvy and somewhat narrow but well worth the trip.

     We started toward the west end of the highway at Vista House. It was very windy that day, in fact I almost got blown off my feet. But we did have a great view of the river.

      Our first stop was Latourell Falls. I spotted a Pika (member of the rabbit family) having a snack. He didn't seem a bit bothered by all the "looky lous".

     Our next stop was the Bridal Veil Falls. Most of the falls are fairly close to the road. This one we had to walk about a half a mile to view. 

Wahkeena Falls

     The next falls that we visited is the main attraction of the scenic byway. In fact we barely found a place to park. I'm glad we came in the fall, I guess in the summer it is bumper to bumper cars. Multnomah Falls is a total of a 611 foot drop. The walk up to the bridge is fairly easy and affords another angle to view the falls.

    

     The last falls on our route was Horsetail Falls. 

     The weather was nice, the scenic route beautiful and the waterfalls magnificent. And to top it off I had two wonderful traveling companions.

     The next day we did the Hood River Fruit Loop. This was another fun scenic drive with fruit stands, lavender farms, antique shops and wineries to stop at along the way. Here's the web site where you can learn more:Hood River Fruit Loop.

     Road trips can be a fun adventure. It's nice to be able to take your time and stop to see whatever catches your interest. Most states offer free printed guides of the most interesting things to see and do in their state. It's worth taking the time to get this information. That way you can get the most out of your trip, where ever you might decide to roam.

A thought to ponder: "Look at everything as if you were seeing it either for the first or last time."                                                                    Betty Smith

Participating in:Grand Social, Share the Joy, Mingle Monday