Olympic Fever

We have been avid followers of this year's Winter Olympics taking place in Vancouver, BC. We are quite fond of this great city which is known for its natural beauty as well as for its cosmopolitan flavor. In the "olden days", when the Canadian dollar was at its lowest and we were able to take advantage of a very favorable exchange rate, we made frequent, sometimes weekly, visits to our northern neighbor. Bellingham is a little less than an hour's drive from Vancouver's downtown. Our favorite places to visit include Chinatown, Stanley Park, Queen Elizabeth Conservatory, the University of British Columbia, and Vandeusen Gardens. The annual Missions Conference is held at Canada Place where much of the hustle and bustle of this year's sports extravaganza is taking place. Because of our proximity, we are able to watch the Olympics on the Canadian channel as well as the U.S. channel. It's been interesting to observe the differences in the style and scope of the reporting. The emphasis is very different!

I have a good friend who lives in Victoria. She needed to make a trip to Seattle to pick up her husband who was flying in to SeaTac today and on her way home, she was going to stop by here and pick up a package that her sister (who lives in MN) mailed to her here to avoid the outrageous mail rate involved in shipping "internationally".

When Mary arrived, she presented me with a wonderful gift:


So...do you think these might get me across the border safely should the U.S. win the hockey game against Canada?

A Friend Loveth At All Times

A true friend knows just when you need extra encouragement, even when she hasn't spoken to you for 4 days....she just knows when she walks by those flowers that "Ridgely needs these today." What a blessing friendship is.

The Winter That Never Was

I've changed the background on my blog. Snowflakes no longer seem appropriate since the temperature in Bellingham has hovered around 50+ degrees for the past two months. My hellebores are in bloom and we've seen several flowering cherries around town that are in full bloom. The Indian Plum is out and Joe's Garden is tilling their fields. All systems are go for the onset of Spring.

Other than this dramatic change, not much new is happening at 3105. We get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and repeat this process. Some knitting and quilting has happened, but I'll blog about that later when I actually get around to taking pictures of it.

Meanwhile, Puxatawny Phil doesn't know beans...spring is here already.

A Must See

We went to see "Avatar" in 3D over Christmas break. We were absolutely entranced. Although the story is fairly predictable (Tinkerbell and Peter Pan join the Sierra Club, dance with wolves and take on George Patton) and despite the fact that there is some unsavory language in places, it was still a magical masterpiece. We were mildly concerned about the length, about 3 hours, but I don't exaggerate when I say we were never once aware of the time. I don't think I moved once in my seat, I was spellbound. If it weren't so expensive, we'd see it again and again! We give it 10 stars out of 5! It's that good!

Post Christmas Catch-Up

For a number of reasons, I wasn't able to blog much during the holidays, but now I have the time and the technology at my disposal, so here's the recap! The reason for the season! We've had this set ever since Jess was a toddler and she would set it up herself and "play" with them all season.
This is our gingerbread cabin! It's 3 years old and still hanging in there. The dear woman who makes these is an accomplished artist with this medium. This year she had even more elaborate houses. I love the fact that she designed it so we could put lights on the inside of it. The little "white thing" in the window is a teeny tiny creche scene carved in ivory that we found at an import store years ago!

This scene is repeated every year! Well, the Christmas tree is different and so are the cards, but it's generally the same.

This is my favorite of all the ceramic Christmas decorations that Wally's Mom made for us. She was a consummate painter of detail. I wish you could see the faces. I keep adding "stuff" to the scene. This year I found birch trees (on the right) and fuzzy snow-covered firs (on the left in the back).

My puppy has a new Christmas hat. This little cutie has magnets in his feet so he sits on the lamp next to where I set on the couch. Our work schedule precludes having a real dog, so Wally bought me this several years ago.

The neighbors got a new ping pong table for Christmas. Let the games begin!

Christmas week was cold and clear. We walked along the bay one day and although it was warm in the sun, the frost still clung to anything in a patch of shade!

Christmas isn't Christmas without cookies. Jess decorated these for me. Great job!!

We had a surprise visit from our dear friends, Bekele and Trunish, who now live in Vancouver, BC. They originate from Dilla, Ethiopia. We hosted two men from this town for about 3 weeks in 1990. That was a fabulous experience!

This ornament was made for us in 1986 by our Japanese exchange student, Nami. She lived with us for 3 weeks and we became EXTREMELY attached to her. It was so, so difficult to put her back on the bus to the airport to go home. We have kept in touch all these years. She is now married and the mother of 2 teenage children and lives in Nara. I hope we can reunite with her some day!

Th...th....th...aaat's all folks!

It's the Bearded One's 63rd Birthday!

And yes, Virginia, he does have a chin! Photo on the left is at age 2, photo on the right is age 17. Happy Birthday, Wally! You're cute as ever!

"For Unto Us A Child Is Born...

...a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) Tonight we will attend a candelight service in honor of His birth. It is through our Lord Jesus that we have restored fellowship with God, the assurance of eternal life and the reality of transformed hearts and minds. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Merry Christmas to all!