Happy 2017!

Happy New Year, and where did December go?! Well, I know where it went: into a long drawn out celebration of Christmas that saw Malcolm meeting Santa at least three times, maybe four - I lost track, a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's, decorating two Christmas trees, Malcolm's first time ice skating, and way too many cookies.

No one fell down!

The trip to Bellevue was a good one. I managed to get in all my scheduled runs, including a 12 mile one on Christmas Day. We got to go to Sequim to visit my cousin and her family, a trip which included a couple of ferry rides in bitterly cold weather (Malcolm and I still went outside, of course!). Riding the ferry always feels like home to me. It was a part of some of my happiest childhood memories during our annual trips to the Olympic Peninsula, and it just feels like somewhere I am supposed to be. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it is the only feeling that comes close.

Home

It was only about 25 degrees in the sun, without the wind. And it was really windy.

As I have done for the past few years, I tallied up all my running, walking, and tennis playing over the past year. My walking miles have steadily decreased over the three years I have been keeping track - partly because I am now running for exercise and partly because I am no longer walking Malcolm to get him to nap. But I still managed to walk around 220 miles. And I played about 30 more hours of tennis in 2016 than in 2015, although it really felt like I didn't get to play as much as I wanted to!

The really exciting category for me this year was running. I ran my first and second half marathons (so, really, I ran a marathon, right?), and am now training for my third. On New Year's Eve in the morning, I counted up my miles for the month and realized that I was only 10 miles away from 1000 for the year. Yes, 1000 miles of running. That is more than I ran and walked in 2014, combined. And only about 80 miles less that running and walking combined last year. So, of course, I went for a 10 mile run. I was supposed to run 10 over the weekend anyway, but I had planned to go on Sunday. I cannot believe how far I have come in running. If you had told me 10 years ago, or even five years ago, that I would be signing up for multiple half marathons and running 1000 miles in a year, I would have thought you were crazy. I'm not particularly speedy, and I never will be, but I get out there and cover the distances. And I love it.

So, while there were plenty of things to hate about 2016 in the wider world, I am pretty happy with how my personal 2016 turned out. Here's to 2017 being better in all the ways that matter!

White Christmas (and Boxing Day, and day after Boxing Day...)

Late Christmas afternoon - everything is coated in ice. Heavy, heavy ice.

For the first time in 86 years, Arkansas had a white Christmas, and that white was not just a small smattering of snow - we had at least 10 inches. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Uh, yeah. It would have been great except for one small, itty bitty problem; the snow came after a quarter inch of ice had covered everything.

The same crepe myrtles from the first picture, the next morning.

The winter we lived in Brockport we often had more than 10 inches of snow, and life went on with barely a hiccup. It took 3 feet of snow in one night to cause any real problems. Arkansas, however, is not western New York. There are very few snow plows, for one thing. For another, most of the trees down here are not accustomed to heavy ice and snow, and as you can see from the picture above, they tended to flop down towards the ground. These are crepe myrtles, which are both flexible and resilient. We lost a few branches on a couple of the ones in our yard, but otherwise our trees were pretty much unscathed. The same cannot be said for many of the pines in the area, or the power lines.

A sight I never thought I would see in Arkansas - 10 inches of snow!

Our power went out for a couple of hours in the afternoon on Christmas Day. Since Maumelle has buried power lines and our power had never been out for more than an hour or so since we moved here, we figured it would come back on soon and life would go on, with a fun little tale to tell Malcolm about his first Christmas. We started a fire in our fireplace (the first since we moved in), played games by flashlight, and waited. Our biggest problem was figuring out what to do about dinner, since we were supposed to have roast chicken and apple pie, and the oven, being electric (a remedy we dearly wish to correct one day), was non-functional. Eventually we broke out the camping stove and threw together a sort of stew/soup in the garage (yes, we were being safe while cooking with gas - plenty of ventilation). Just as we were sitting down to eat by the light of the emergency lantern and candles, the power came back on, which seemed to prove us right about Maumelle's robust power grid.

 Although it was too late that day for the chicken, I got the pie in the oven, put Malcolm to bed, and we all sat down to watch a DVD. Which is when the power went out again, at the same time as there were strange blue flashes in the sky. That's funny, we thought. Wonder what that is? we thought. Hey, the neighbors still have power, so ours will probably be back soon, we thought. It had better be, we thought, since the temperature is supposed to get down into the 20s tonight.

More of the pretty, sparkly, troublesome ice.

Uh, no. Eventually the neighbors lost power too, and it became apparent that we were going to be cold and dark for the night.  My biggest concern was keeping Malcolm warm. He isn't really old enough yet to sleep under a pile of blankets, and he can't tell me if he is too cold (well, he can cry and fuss, but since he does that when he is hungry, bored, cold, hot, etc. it isn't the clearest message). In the end, I slept in the living room, in the recliner, with him in my arms, because it was the warmest room in the house. It worked better than I had expected, and I didn't get uncomfortable until 6:30 or so, and then we joined Benjamin in the bedroom.

Malcolm the snow elf, in several layers of clothes, and a cold Miikka.

When we all finally got up, the power was still out, our supply of wood was dwindling, and to add to the mess, our land-line phone was out, and our cell phones had no service. Inconvenient to say the least, especially because my parents were supposed to be flying home that day, and couldn't check on their flight. Eventually, after Benjamin and I talked to some neighbors who had reports of roads being passable once you got off our unplowed hill, and after the cell phones came back enough to call the airlines, my parents made it out and to the airport. Their flight left a little late, but they did make it home.

Our street as seen from our driveway.

That just left Benjamin, Malcolm and I, trying to stay warm and wondering about just how long it would be until we had power again. When I eventually got through to the power company's automated line, the only message it had was that this was a big storm (oh, really, I didn't notice) and that it could be up to 7 days for power to come back. Uh, what? If it had been just Benjamin and I, it wouldn't have been pleasant, but it would have been manageable. With Malcolm, there was no way I wanted to deal with that scenario.

Looking down the big hill.

We had just made plans to decamp for the night to a friend's apartment that had power - literally just minutes from walking out the door - when our power came back. I have never been so happy to hear the whir of our heater fan! Benjamin was more excited about the lights, I think, but I can live in the dark as long as it is warm.

In a way, we were right about Maumelle's power being robust - many areas of Little Rock were indeed without power for 6 or 7 days. Southern trees, ice, snow, and power lines are not a good combination.

Sunrise several days later.

 So, Malcolm's first Christmas was a white one, with a bit of adventure thrown in. Too bad he is far too young to appreciate any of it. We will tell him about it in years to come, and he won't believe us, I am sure, since it is likely to be another 86 years before there is another white Christmas in Arkansas!

Snoqualmie Falls

Eesh. I didn't realize it had been a week since I last posted. Not intended at all! Anyway, onward to this post.

One of the things we did while in Bellevue for Christmas was take a trip up to Snoqualmie Falls and the Salish Lodge. The primary objective was breakfast, and that was good - I had a salmon hash - but a very important second was the falls themselves.

No picture can really show how impressive the Falls are. They are taller than Niagara (if nowhere near as wide)! There is a power plant attached to the Falls, and as an elementary school student, I went on a field trip there, not that I remember much about it other than it was impressive.

They are great place to take out of town visitors (and the restaurant is pretty good too). The hiking trail that leads to the bottom of the falls is currently closed (until 2013, according to the website I linked above) while they are going construction, but you can still get some great views from the viewing platform or from the sight-seeing train, which doesn't run during the winter.

Pretty, sparkly lights!

As promised last week, here are some sparkly lights to brighten up what is a gray and gloomy January day (well, it is gloomy and rainy and cold here in Little Rock anyway). This display is put on every year at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens, and never really gets old.

I think we went the first year it opened, when it was just a few flowers in the darkness and a small cart selling powdered hot chocolate. Now, it is over half a  million lights over several acres, with a full espresso stand. As Benjamin said, you know when you are in Seattle when there is an espresso stand at the light display.

The pictures don't really do the lights justice, although I was pretty pleased with how well the night light setting on my camera worked this time. The flash only went off a couple of times when the lights were bright enough to make it think it should be lighter than it was. Otherwise, it was mostly just a matter of keeping my hands steady while I shot the picture.

Sprinkled among the flowers were critters and creatures of all kinds, like this spider and the frog in the top picture. Did you spot that one? For the kids, the garden had a sort of scavenger hunt map that listed all of the 30+ animals, and even without the map, I had a great time trying to spot them.

One of the coolest things about the display is that it is not Christmas specific - there was only one Christmas tree in the whole display. That means that it is not at all exclusionary. Bellevue is very multi-ethnic these days, and when we went on Christmas night, there were people from many different cultures and countries visiting, some of who do not celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah.  What a great way to lighten the darkest part of the year!

A few Christmas pictures

This year was our turn to travel during the holidays, so that meant a trek up to Bellevue and my parents. I love being home for Christmas, but I hate the actual travel. Bah humbug! Anyway, here are a few pictures from Christmas morning (I did not include the people, since I love my mother and do not want her to disown me).

We kept the fire in the fireplace going for most of the day, since Christmas in Bellevue was, as it usually is, incredibly cold and damp. The figures on the tables are the wonderful manger scene/creche that my mother and I collected throughout my childhood. I know you can't really see them, but they are in a medieval Italian style. There is an elephant too, which we decided is totally appropriate for the wise men.

My mother's tree was lovely, as usual, but rather restrained compared to past years. The first year we were in the house, my parents went out to the mountains to chop down a tree and came back with one that was as tall as the (two-story) house. Another year, the tree came out half way into the living room.

And this is Winston. He really had nothing to do with Christmas, but he is a fat cat, and therefore belongs on the internet. He has actually lost a few pounds since I saw him last.

Next time - fancy Christmas lights.

Eureka Springs, part 1

Crescent Hotel from the back, and down the hill.

My parents came to visit over Christmas, and to do something different and get out of town for a bit, we took a trip up to Eureka Springs. None of us had been there yet, and I was assured by several co-workers that it was definitely worth a visit.

From the front - well, it used to be the back, but now that we all have cars...

We stayed at the Crescent Hotel, but in a modern cabin/condo, not in the actual hotel building (so no, we didn't experience the ghost that is said to roam the building). We ate at the hotel a couple of times though - the Christmas Day brunch was very good - and met the two hotel cats, Casper and Jasper.

I can has Victorian mansion?

On our first full day in town, Benjamin and I walked from the hotel down to the main shopping street.  Along the way, we passed this house, which is for sale, and which I would buy if we won the lottery. I love the little turrets and the big balconies, and the color scheme. Oh, and the view out over the valley and hills. There are a lot of houses like this in Eureka Springs. I only include one here because this isn't an architecture blog, and I don't want to start drooling again.

See those stairs in the back? We went up those next.

Part of the path we followed was along an old boardwalk sidewalk that led down and then up some of the many hills. The streets are all pretty narrow and it is easy to imagine the town without cars at all. The Google directions to the hotel had us driving what turned out to be little alleys - we didn't actually go that way.  The way we did end up driving was still winding and full of narrow streets and 90 degree turns. Wow! I would not want to drive there in an ice storm!

The town is also full of neat stone walls - structural, not just decorative. This one used to shore up the hill for a house that has been torn down. You could still see part of the basement.

Of course, some of the walls were used for decorative purposes too. Careful Humpty! It is a hard landing.

A lot of the buildings had old advertisements painted on them. You can tell that the Coca-Cola sign wasn't the first to be painted on this wall.

Eureka Springs is home to one of only four surviving Carnegie libraries in Arkansas (the one in Little Rock was torn down in the 1960s. Tsk.) We peeked in the window, but they were already closed for the holidays. Ah well.

Tomorrow: Our visit to the countryside.

Holiday Wrap-up

So, Christmas is over for another year. My parents have come and gone; the tree and lights (well, all except one string above the window) have come down; the presents have been unwrapped and assimilated. My big present was a sewing machine - something I have been wanting for a while. I have already bought a pattern and fabric for a skirt that I hope to sew some time this week or next weekend. The cats got a great big climbing tree to keep them occupied. So far, only Oliver is taking advantage of its multiple levels, but hey, if it keeps one cat out of trouble. Benjamin got a new, very spiffy racquetball racquet - I was tempted to get a lesser quality one, so I would have some advantage over him, but I was a good Hopey and didn't do that.

Putting away Christmas wasn't very difficult this year, emotionally or physically. We didn't decorate much, so there wasn't a lot to put away. For some reason, I wasn't particularly into the whole thing this year, so I am not sad to see it go. Not that I didn't enjoy it, I just didn't get very excited. And I am actually a bit relieved that I have to work this week (although I am not going to complain about having Thursday off), because I really don't want to sit at home.

The picture is of the Arkansas Capitol at night. Thank to my Dad for taking it - I kept wanting to, but the lights haven't been on when I've been here. It took the work crew about a month, all of November really, to get the lights up. I wonder how quickly they will come down.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas! To send you off for the holidays, I am posting some pictures of the Arkansas Capitol, all dressed up for Christmas. (No protests or calls for atheist or Jewish symbols here).


This is the 2nd floor of the rotunda, with its tree and other greenery. School choirs have been singing here for the past couple of weeks. I went with a co-worker to hear her daughter and choir sing - the sound rings gloriously, but gets a bit too muddy. Ah well.


These steps go up to the 2nd floor from the first, and they too are heavily decorated. Take a look at the next picture and see just how big the balls and baubles are. Some of them are bigger than my head!


These snowflakes are great. They are suspended before the decorations on the first floor by a fine net of fishing line. Here is the first floor decorations. One day I went in to use the post office, and there was a school group taking pictures on the bridge. Neat.
That's if from me for a little while. Have a lovely Christmas - I hope you are with family and friends and are warm and safe!

It's that time of year

Christmas is starting to pop up everywhere. At the grocery store today, the sound system was playing bad versions of Christmas carols. Yesterday at Barnes & Noble, there were large tables full of gift ideas and cards and calendars. The catalogs have started to arrive. I am trying to ignore Christmas for now - it is easier now that I am working - but I have to admit I did do a little shopping this weekend. I bought two new sets of Christmas lights - LED lights that are supposed to use about 90% less energy than traditional lights. The last time I bought lights was back in college, when I had my first apartment and my first tree! I also bought a box of cards, since I found one that I liked. But that is it. I know what I will be getting Benjamin, and most of what I am getting my parents, but I haven't done the shopping. Actually, I won't be doing much shopping anyway, since I hope to be giving things that I have made myself for the most part. And no-one I know really needs any more stuff anyway.

Which brings me to the answer to the question, "What do you get the person who has everything?" - something for someone else! Every year, we make it a point to give money to one of a few charities in honor of our friends and families. A couple of our favorites are Heifer International, Habitat for Humanity, and any local food banks. Whatever group you use, you can check to see how well they use your money at Charity Navigator - they rate groups based on a set of criteria that include how much money actually goes to the people they claim to serve, how much the CEO gets paid, etc.