Our Tree-December 17th

On Saturday we put up our tree. I should say, Jim put up and decorated the tree while I finished up the gift wrapping. As usual the tree is just perfect ( aren't all Christmas trees perfect?).

Alex's Christmas Wish

My sister works at the TV station in Watertown so this year Alex, her grandson, was the Christmas Greeter for their family. What a cutie!!

Light On The Lake & Jennifer and Jeremy & Emily's Trees

 Tonight we went to Syracuse and had supper with Jack and Jennifer at Jennifer's home.  Then we went to Lights On The Lake. After that we all went over to Jeremy and Emily's home to see their tree and decorations. It was a fun night.

Family Get-Together December 11th

Every year at this time we try to have a family get-together at my two sisters homes in Rochester and Sodus. Anne usually has everyone come for Saturday evening supper where Scott cooks his famous Italian Lasagna and Meatballs. Unfortunately this year we had to miss that due to some weather issues. We did make it to Helen and Bob's in Sodus on Sunday where we had a delicious meal of Ham, Turkey and all the fixings.

December 4th-Christmas Decorating

We spent the day putting up the Christmas decorations. We always get a live tree so that will come later in the month-closer to the 25th. The house looks quite nice with all the decorations , even with the ones the kids find annoying like the Teddy Bear who reads " Twas The Night Before Christmas" over and over unless you turn him off. I think he's cute and I bet there will be a little baby girl here next Christmas who will really like him too!!

Kane Mountain-December 1st.

 

Since we have been having such a beautiful Fall with sun and warm days we decided to take a little road trip with Jack to Kane Mountain in the Adarondacks. I brought my book with me and caught up on my reading while Jack and Jim hiked the mountain. While in the area we passed through Wheelerville and the Town of Morehouse (my maiden name) so we had to stop and take our pictures under the signs. After hiking we found a little out-of-the-way diner for some lunch before heading back home. It was a fun day.

Thanksgiving-2011

 Today Jim and I hosted Thanksgiving for my family and we had 19 in attendance. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures that day so I have used some from Jim and Cathy's Thanksgiving at Ohio and some from a dinner my Mom did the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The weather was beautiful and the food plentiful. We had a great time visiting and eating and everyone agreed they were not going home hungry.

Emily's Birthday November 26th

We celebrated Emily's Birthday a little early-November13th -because of Thanksgiving falling so close to her actual Birthday. This was our first Birthday celebration for our new daughter-in-law. She had requested soup and sandwiches for dinner followed by an Ice Cream Sandwich Cake for dessert. Jim made homemade Broccoli Cheese soup which was delicious. The cake was awesome and we all agreed she made a great choice.

Mom's 91st. Birthday-November 10th

 

Today we all surprised Mom by taking her to the FairGround Inn in Watertown for dinner followed by cake and ice cream at my niece ,Catherine's, apartment. Mom was quite surprised to see all of us and a good time was had by all.

Bus Trip To The Finger Lakes

On Saturday Jim and I took a bus trip to the Finger Lakes. We were up at 4:45 in order to be in Syracuse for the departure time. The first stop was in Penn Yan where we spent a couple of hours at the Windmill. This is a farm and craft market run on Saturdays only through the Spring, Summer and Fall. There are a number of large buildings as well as many open air vendors. They sell produce, baked goods and all kinds of crafts handmade by the Amish and Menonite communities.Jim really liked their windmill.  Our next stop was at Seneca Lake where we boarded Captain Bill's Cruise ship to enjoy a wonderful lunch accompanied by a Trio called the Boogie Woogie Girls. They sang all the old Boggie Woggie songs and were very good. We saw a lot of fall color along the lake shore and passed a salt refinery and Hector Falls. Our final stop was at a winery along the Finger Lakes Wine Trail where we did some tasting and buying. We arrived back in Syracuse about 5pm after a fun filled day.

Road Trip-Pixley Falls, Wetstone and Turbines

 On Monday Jim and I decided to play

hookey and we took a road trip. Our first

stop was at Pixley Falls State Park just South of Boonville. There were quite a few people there due to the beautiful weather and a "no school" day. Our next stop was Wetstone State Park just South of Lowville where we had planned on eating our picnic lunch by the babbleing brook. However, they had already closed most of this park so we had to settle for a table near the parking lot with a small creek nearby. This park was also quite busy with a lot of hikers.  After spending awhile here we headed into Lowville and had dessert

                                                        at "LLoyds of Lowville", a small diner that Jim has had on His 

                                                        "bucket list" for years. We then headed for home by way of Route

                                                         177 so we could check out the wind farm. They have put in a nice

                                                         observation center with information about the turbines. We had a 

                                                          nice day and just loved the spectacular weather. 

Windmill Maintenance -October 12, 2011

 Today SED came to do the annual

maintenance on the windmill. No

problems were found and the guide wires

just needed a small amount of adjustment. I

don't think I would care to have to climb to

the top of the tower and hang by a harness

to work on the turbine. I guess they get used to it after they do it awhile but I have to wonder how they felt the first few times. 

Mesquito Lake Camping Trip, Ohio

 Last weekend Jim and Josh

decided to get in one more

camping weekend while the

weather was still nice. This park is

about 30 miles from their house so it makes a nice get away without

having to drive for hours. Josh really loves to go camping and is a

great little companion for Jim.

Jennifer's Trip to Anaheim, California-SharePoint Conference

 Last week Jennifer went to Anaheim, California

to attend the SharePoint Conference . Since

Disneyland is also located in Anaheim she, of

course, made sure to spend some time there too.

Actually, part of the park was closed one night

to the general public and was open only for those attending the conference.  She said

this was great because the lines for the attractions were much shorther than they would have been had the park been open to everyone. She had a great time, learned a lot and enjoyed beautiful weather.

Jim's Trip To Fort Worth- Fireman's Convention

 

 Jim recently attended the Fireman's Convention that was held in Fort Worth,
Texas this year. Although he was kept busy
all week with classes he was able to get
out and take in some of the local sights. He
said he had a great week and learned a lot.

Chili Sauce-What a Heavenly Aroma

Today Jim made a batch of Chili Sauce using my Grandmother's recipe. This is the best Chili Sauce I have ever tasted. I think the recipes from our parents and Grandparents are so much better than the ones you see today. We had a super good yield and ended up with 15 pints. We're set for winter

Visit to the Park-September 2011

Today Jim took a walk down to

Pine Grove to check on his

Geocache. After he hiked

through the park to check out

the lake. Even the Burdocks are

pretty this time of year.

Jim's New Truck-Septemebr 2011

Jim has been saving for awhile now and was finally able to trade in his old van for a new ( to him) Avalanche.
Everyone seems to be quite pleased
with the new wheels.

 

Geauga County Fair, Ohio

 Every September Jim, Cathy and the boys attend the Geauga County Fair with their friends Asha and Brad and their daughters. The weather was beautiful and a great time was had by all.