Snowball Fight.......Part 2 of Christmas

Sigrid and Scott really went at it but she got the best of him. Don't miss the previous post which has more photos of Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

Christmas at the Browning's

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.........

While the blizzard raged outside, it was warm and cozy inside by the fire and the Christmas Tree.

Christmas morning is always the best time of the year. Santa left Scott lots of household items for his new home.

Sigrid loved her new apron.

Scott, Sigrid, and John

The guys

Sigrid nailed Scott repeatedly with snow clumps even though the snow was too cold to make a good ball. I was accused of never teaching Scott how to make a snow ball after all his disintegrated in mid-air.

It was a good way to burn off some of the fudge calories even though it was only about 10 degrees.

We had to visit Sigrid's little Christmas tree in the back yard after the snow. I guess the deer didn't eat much of the tree and lost interest in the ornaments.

The woods at the back of the house were really pretty in the snow.

It reminds me of my favorite Robert Frost poem.............the woods are lovely, dark and deep.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are now ready for the New Year!

Honey....the animals are eating our Christmas tree

It isn't uncommon for us to see 8 to 10 deer roaming through our yard every day. We love seeing them, but they eat everything Sigrid tries to grow. I guess I would do the same if I were a hungry deer.



Sigrid has a fond spot in her heart for a scruffy little fir tree that is growing wild at the back of our lot near a limestone bluff. This year she decided it would be neat to decorate the little tree with some ornaments.

At sunrise this morning, I saw the deer making their way through the trees and I thought it would make a good photo if they stopped by the tree. And they did.

They kept a pretty good eye on me, but the tree was facinating and probably smelled different.

Oh well.......I guess that after knocking several ornaments off the tree, they might as well eat it too.

Nothing is safe from the deer.

Crown Center Shopping Trip - December 15, 2009

Crown Center's main entrance and Christmas Tree

Tree near the lobby of the Crown Center Hotel

Edel by a smaller tree

The Mayor's Christmas Tree in the Crown Center Plaza

Fountains in the Crown Center Plaza.....its only 20 degrees outside. They heat the water to keep it going.

Edel and a guard.....you can tell that Edel is cold

Edel by another tree in Crown Center

John and Sigrid. I tried to smile but it was a shopping trip after all was said and done.

Sigrid had fun.

This is a pretty weak excuse for an adventure, but it is good practice for the important blogging in the future. Crown Center is a huge shopping, entertainment, and dining area just south of downtown Kansas City. It is part of the Hallmark Cards Campus and is owned and operated by Hallmark. Hallmark's corporate offices and main design and production operations are located in the campus complex.

We had lunch at Fritz's Diner inside Crown Center. Fritz's is known for their hamburgers and railroad theme. You order from your table by using an old style telephone to speak directly with the kitchen. Your order is delivered to your table by an overhead train set on rails. The food is dropped off on an elevator that lowers the food in a basket to your table top. There are lots of other model trains chugging all around you as you eat. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures in the restaurant. Very interesting, but the food is just average.

After lunch, Sigrid and Edel explored the Crown Center shops and I (John) sat in a quiet spot and "people watched". I don't shop.

For those who don't know, Edel DeMaria is a family friend. Edel is the sister-in-law of our former neighbor (and still friend) Ann DeMaria. Edel just happens to be German born as is Sigrid, so they have lots in common and enjoy each other's company very much. Edel will be going to Hawaii with us in January. This will be Edel's first visit to paradise. She is extremely excited about the trip.

John

Just a note to add to what we said at the top of the blog page. We are experimenting with this blog to see if it is a good replacement for our old ways of sharing our adventures with you.

We have inserted photo images into e-mails with text and then blasted them out to everyone......even those who didn't want to see them. I never liked the constraints of using e-mails, particularly because we use lots of photo images.

We also used the PhotoShow software to send a slide show with music. However, PhotoShow is a pain to work with and I sometimes have to start over when something unexplained happens to the show just before I send it or while I am sending it. I love the music but it won't let me use anything other than what comes with the software (copyright laws they say). I have already used all the good tunes and will be in a re-run mode if I continue. Adding text to go with the photos is very restrictive as far as the number of characters I can use and it detracts from the photo. As with e-mails, I blast the show out to everyone.

With the blog, you can check it any time you want to see if something new is posted. I believe that you can also have it send you an e-mail notification of a new posting. There will not be a daily or even a regular posting like some people do with their blogs. I expect that we will only post when we have a new adventure to share.

I may still blast an e-mail to let everyone know that there is new stuff to see. We may post on a daily basis while we are on one our adventures that will cover several days. A perfect example is our upcoming Hawaiian trip that will last 18 days. I may post a little every day if I don't have any technical issues with the Internet connection at the condos we are renting. Unlike past trips, I will send only one e-mail to let you know that there will be new posts on the blog. Then you can check them out or not as your heart desires.

Let us know what you think.

Sigrid & John

Our Annual Ozark Driving Trip - October 2009

Maple trees along 71 Highway
Golden Maple tree at Roaring River State Park

Eureka Springs, Arkansas Bed & Breakfast

Another Bed & Breakfast

Sigrid & Edel at breakfast in Eureka Springs hotel

Sondra enjoys a meal at the Road Kill Diner

Overlooking Blue Spring near Eminence, MO

Steps on hiking path to Blue Spring

Sigrid, Sondra, & Jim at Blue Spring

Big Rocks State Park near Eminence, MO

Edel, Sigrid, & Sondra on the rocks

 Rocky Falls Park waterfall

Mill at Allee Spring near Eminence, MO

Maple leaf underwater in the Current River in Eminence, MO

Old hydro power plant on Maramec Spring

Trout at hatchery Maramec Spring Park

Maramec Spring

Small rapids just outside the mouth of Maramec Spring

Muskrat at Maramec Spring

Fall colors along Maramec Spring

The cast of characters on the driving trip. John Browning, Jim & Sondra Browning, Edel DeMaria. Sigrid Browning is taking the photo.

Onondaga Cave tour

Nearly two hours touring the cave

Picnic lunch at park near the cave

Edel by pretty fall leaves

It was a great trip even if it was cloudy most of the time. This is the third time John & Sigrid have made the trip. We enjoy it every time and always see something new along the way.