December Moon

Well, we didn't stay up to see the eclipse; but I did go out last night on our snow-covered driveway and take a couple pictures of the full moon. I am always so in awe of what our Creator gave us. We can see the craters with our naked eyes, and a photo pales in comparison. Just a couple hours after this picture was taken, an eclipse began. A complete eclipse like the one last night has not been seen in the United States since 1638, long before the United States existed. Wow!

Our weather here has been wintery with lots of snow, which is appropriate since today is officially the first day of winter. Cheer up; spring is right around the corner. I also included a picture of our favorite friend during this time of the year.

Thanksgiving 2010

Even better than Maui in November is Thanksgiving with all our kids and grandkids. It was a snowy ride over the river and through the woods, but to Maryanne's house did we go. Then on Thanksgiving morning we headed for Andy and Ruth's house. What a wonderful day of game playing, talking, and eating. While together we planned Friday after a short shopping time--except for Christy who had to wait for over and hour to get her material cut at Joanne's.

Well, in the afternoon we took all the grandkids, except Kate, to climb a rock climbing wall. We all took part, and smiles were abundant after the fears were overcome. Andy took a family portrait for all of us. These are the times memories are made of.

On Saturday night we all drove to Tobin and Christy's house in Corvallis for a salmon dinner. We all got to enjoy the Rummels' new furniture. All too soon our Thanksgiving time was over.

Warm November in Maui

Well, try as I may, I don't seem to be able to keep up with the blogging. Glenda and I flew to Seattle to catch our plane to Maui. Tobin and Christy would beat us to Hawaii by about 3 hours. We finally arrived at 7:30 p.m., joined Tobin and Christy, grabbed our rental car, and headed for Kihei on the west side of the island. We arrived to rain; but by the time we headed west, the rain was left behind us. Once we got to Kehei, we stopped for dinner, where we had dinner again before we flew home.

Our condo was very nice and only a block from the beach. Everyday was filled with sun, exploring, and snorkeling. We drove all the way around the north end of the island which highlighted about a two mile stretch of one-lane road (and I mean one lane)! Tobin did a wonderful job of driving, and we ended up buying two pineapples and a loaf of banana bread. While on the east side of the island, the wind was howling and skies were threatening; but our time there was marvelous.

While snorkeling we saw an eagle ray and turtles plus so many colorful fish. The sunsets were stunning, the sunrises peaceful with the twittering of many birds, and a new surprise with each passing moment. We ate fresh pineapple (the best) and plenty of mahi-mahi in fish tacos. We visited a golden beach where the sand looked like golden brown sugar when kicked.

These early days of November in Maui will long be remembered as the winter snows and cold settle on Central Oregon.

Home for a Brief Respite

We flew home on October 5, but we were just home long enough to get the house in order and repack for our vacation to Maui. Oh, how we were looking forward to this trip because Tobin and Christy were accompanying us. Sunscreen, shorts, T-shirts, swimsuit, and hat are all that are required on a trip like this. Oh, yes, the camera--even an underwater one. The next blogs will knock your socks off.

Balloon Fiesta 4

Balloon Fiesta 3

Balloon Fiesta 2

Balloon Fiesta--Enjoy!

Albuquerque, New Mexico Days 12-14

We flew from San Angelo to Albuquerque--really where this whole trip had it origins. Jim was with Hope Christian School in Washington, DC this last spring; and they invited him to come for a visit. They said we should come during the Balloon Fiesta; so that is just what we did. We landed on a Saturday afternoon and were picked up by the principal of the school who lent us a car to use while we were in New Mexico. On Saturday night we spent the night with two of Glenda's cousins. Now here is the unusual part: Liz is Jeannie Marie's sister (a McClure) and Craig is Glenda's Uncle James' son (a McKinley). Apparently, Glenda's grandad wasn't the only one drawn to a McClure (Grannymac). Keeping this all straight is not good for someone with Ol' Timers' disease. Craig's son told us all about the Balloon Fiesta and told us we better not miss it. They gave us directions to the park, and we were off at 6 a.m. to experience an extravaganza. We got there in time to see the dawn patrol rise into the air--about six or eight balloons to test the conditions aloft. It was something to see them fire their propane burners in their balloons against a black sky. I will show you some of those we were with while on this last segment of our trip, and then I will post several balloon pictures that you can enjoy. While at the school I was given the privilege of teaching 5 segments of 7th graders, and during my first class right outside the school's windows hundreds of balloons were rising in the sky.

San Angelo Days 9-11 Continued

Just a couple more pictures to make our stay in this wonderful town complete: 1) a picture of Glenda and her cousin, Conrad; 2) a picture of the fort; 3) a picture or two of the McClure family get together.

San Angelo Days 9-11

Our longest day of driving was from Perryton, Texas, near the Oklahoma border to San Angelo. We enjoyed the best fellowship together as we traveled by car during this trip. As we made our way south, we pulled into a little Texas town to have lunch to find it greatly depressed. As we continued toward San Angelo, many strip malls were boarded up. Prior to us leaving Oregon we seem to recall that Texas was one place that was supposedly doing better than other places in our nation. The scenery was beautiful, and there sure are a lot of wide open places. Where we had rented our car almost two weeks earlier was welcoming us back. While we were in San Angelo, we stayed with Glenda's cousin, Jeannie Marie and her husband Bud. The weather was hot but pleasant. We visited an old friend of the McKinley family who showed us where she lived as a little girl, and together we drove out to Glenda's mom's grave again. Later Jeannie Marie took us to meet a lady who was Glenda's playmate when she visited her grandparents on Baker Street as a little girl. We toured Fort Concho where Glenda's cousin, Conrad, just recently retired from. On another night we had dinner with a dear friend we palled around with when Jim was in the Air Force school at Goodfellow AFB. It was so good catching up on days gone by. On our last night in San Angelo we had a McClure family get together. This is a complicated relationship: 1) Glenda's grandmother died; 2) Glenda's grandfather (Jim McKinley) married Jeanette McClure, a spinster; 3) Glenda now had a new step grandmother we called Grannymac; 4) Through this marriage Glenda (and now Jim since Glenda was his wife) gained a whole lot of new relatives--hence, Jeannie Marie. We so appreciate her and are overjoyed when we get to visit each time. Jeannie Marie's mom, Francis, came to dinner on our last night in San Angelo. Oh, I should tell you there is one more connection to this whole story. You will discover that on our next blog segment.