Please Write

Just having a little fun. The Project 365 I'm doing makes me look for photo ops EVERYWHERE! I've had to be really creative now and then...

Tranquility

My Favorite Photo of the Big Freeze

Four full days without breaking the freezing point is unheard of in the South, yet from January 7 through 10, the temperature didn't rise above 32F (0C.) This created a number of challenges, particularly icy roads. This road just beyond my driveway is in the shade, so the ice was especially treacherous. Thankfully, it is little traveled, and after today's balmy 43F, has begun to melt away.

Lately I'm loving perspective shots. I'm learning to see things in unusual ways. Hopefully this new artistic eye will also manifest in how I view the challenges and blessings God brings to my life every day. I want to see Him with new eyes, always aware that He directs my steps.

Random Pictures from my trip to the Rose Parade

The Cal Poly float won both the Bob Hope Humor trophy AND Viewers' Choice award. The little white arrow points to Corinne...so exciting to see my daughter march in the parade I've watched my whole life!!

Auld Lang Syne

A trip down memory lane...


This is the house where I grew up. It was fun yesterday to tour Bakersfield and all the familiar places. No nostalgia, though, as the present is a happy time!

Happy 2010...

The Light of the World

Heavenly Peace

And the angel said to them...

"Fear not, for, behold,  I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people. Unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men."
                                Luke 2: 10-14

Joyeux Noel!

The Simple Things

There are three things I miss about Bakersfield: Smith's Bakery, Dewar's Candy, and Wool Growers Basque restaurant. Today I received a little taste of each. One of my students has a friend visiting from Bakersfield, and she brought me Smith's happy face cookies AND Dewars' peanut butter taffy chews. Heaven in a bite... Corinne made beans and cornbread for dinner, and by golly, the seasonings mimic the beans from Wool Growers! Life is good.

The Holly

Holly has an interesting history with Christmas. It was originally a plant reverenced by the Druids because it was an evergreen. Over time, Christians began to see a metaphor for Christ in the plant. The red berries represent the blood of Jesus by which mankind can be saved. The green is a symbol for eternal life. The thorniness has a double meaning: it reminds us of the crown on thorns Jesus wore at the crucifixion and it also illustrates the fact that God never promised his children a life without trials, but rather the grace and strength to endure and grow through them.