Dual monitors

Today is the last day at the office this year, the last day at home this year and the last day of the year period. It is all relative.  It is already tomorrow and a new year for my daughter and her family living in New Zealand.
Anyway, a little bit of work to accomplish and then time to hunker down for the end of the year.  Speaking of work, I don't know how we all ever survived without dual monitors on my desk as standard issue.  Enough rambling.....on to the first day of the rest of my life....

Dual monitors

Magic Ring

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins has nothing on Joe and this Magic Ring.  For this is the very ring that changed my life so many years ago.  Gandolf was correct when describing the adventure ahead to Mr. Baggins--if you survive "you will not be the same."

Well over 30 years ago my adventure began.  It continues today and the end is nowhere in sight.  And I certainly am not the same.  This ring has carried me on the most amazing journey.  It bound my soul together with my better half and we naively jumped in with both feet.  What amazing experiences have we lived to tell since that humble beginning.  Five children (all boys except four of them), three sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, six grandchildren later we are still going strong.  Along the way we have lived the joys and the sorrows, the highs and the lows and the good and the bad.

Nope, Bilbo Baggins, even in all his 48 frames per second 3D glory, will never come close to knowing the real life magic that this magic ring held by Joe has brought into my life.

Magic Ring

Star gazing in my future

Looks like a little star gazing is in my future.  Just have to wait for clear skies and warm temperatures.

Star gazing in my future

Fire in the hole...

Almost a foot of snow on the ground outside and a fire in the family room.  Must be wintertime.  Keep the snow coming, especially in the mountains where we need it the most to support our summertime water needs.  The ski resorts need more of it also.  I went snowboarding this week and although it snowed all day long, the mountain needs lots more base build-up for a good season. In the meantime, keep the fire a burning...

Fire in the hole...

Little Stink

Here is one critter that deserves its nickname.  Certainly not one to antagonize as it is wandering around your campground.

Little Stink

Please take me home

The eyes seem to say it all...

Please take me home

For unto us a child is born....

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:  and the government shall be upon his shoulder:  and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The might God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

Merry Christmas 2012 to all!

For unto is a child is born....

All wrapped up

It's Christmas Eve.  Tomorrow is the big day, ready or not. Today is the last day to finish all the preparations for when the time arrives, the time for preparing is past.  May your day, week, month and life be merry and bright.  After all it is what you make of it....

All wrapped up and ready to go

Time and a season

There is a time and a season for everything.  I love this time of year as it is the perfect time and the perfect season for so many good things.  Giving, Sharing, Service, Love, Kindness........and even good food.

Time and a season

Getting ready for the big day

Just a few more days before the big day.  Just relaxing a bit before the long reindeer trip.

And I thought it was a long trip just to New Zealand....

Getting ready for the big day

Rudolph

Rudolph is happy.  Everyone is singing his song these days.  If you had such a big red nose maybe someone would sing Christmas songs about you all the time too.  But then again, it takes more than a nose....

Rudolph

Got your shopping done yet?

Tiime is short.  Here is the deal....Christmas comes next Tuesday whether you are ready or not.  Got your shopping done?  Even more important, have you given of yourself this season for someone in need?

Got your shopping done yet?

Snow Songs Needed

Waiting for the snow might not be enough.  The Indians were know to do their rain dance to encourage rain. Maybe we should start singing Snow Songs to encourage a white Christmas.

Snow Songs Needed

Still waiting for the white stuff

Still waiting.... Weatherman, when are you going to get it right?  Thought I would wake up to several inches this morning.  Not.  Maybe it is just waiting for Christmas Eve.....

Still waiting for the white stuff

Feeling lonely?

Feeling a bit lonely this time of year?  The solution = go find someone to serve.  Opportunities are all around you.  After all, when you are in the service of your fellow man, you are in the service of your god.  And the more you serve, the better you feel.  Merry Christmas!

Feeling lonely?

Holiday Heaven...

Christmas season!  Homemade treats abound everywhere.  Joe thinks he has died and gone to heaven...

Gone to heaven...

Knock, knock...

Knock, knock.  Come out, come out or I'll eat your house down.

Got any Christmas spirit to share?

Just keep my sugar loving grandkids far away.  They might eat your house down.  Some of the 165 pounds of sugar, 170 pounds of molasses, 110 pounds of special sugar used in the candies and window panes, and 85 pounds of corn syrup used to construct this gigantic gingerbread home might just be enough to take them a day or two to finish off this full-sized Montage, Deer Valley creation.

Merry Christmas, it is the season you know....

Knock, knock.... 

Back to work

The inevitable always arrives (by definition of the word, right?).  Unless you are filthy rich, retired or have some other kind of support system, you need a way to pay the bills.  So even after a stellar vacation break its back to work....  Not a bad thing if you enjoy your work.  If you don't, why are you still there?

Back to work

One more country

One more country added to my portfolio of countries visited.  This last trip added two--New Zealand where we stayed for a great visit and too short of a time and Austrailia which was just an 8 hour layover on the trip back home.  We left the airport and took a 5 hour tour of Sydney while waiting for our connection.

One more country

All good things come to an end...

Visiting a new, far away and exotic place was certainly a lot of fun.  We saw just enough to witness the impressive attraction of these New Zealand lands and would love to visit much more of the country many more times.  However, even the beauty of the limited places we saw did not hold a candle to the real benefit of the trip--being with family.  Being with family was the real reason we were there. The trip could have been to desert wastelands and we still would have called it a success.  Having family in such a beautiful place is just a bonus.  The only problem with the trip--like many, it was far too short.  We did not want to leave....

New Zealand sunset...all good things come to an end

Spider Web

I loved this spider web found next to the sea shell.  The shell itself has some spider-like qualities with the spines and the shadow looks even more foreboding.  It almost looks like the shell could be the spider....  The combination of the two just begged for a photo.  If you look closely you can see that the sun casts its shadow on the opposite side from what you would see in the Northern Hemisphere....What? :)

Spider Web

Sunshine on My Shoulders

"Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy."  "Sunshine almost always makes me high."  Words from a great song by John Denver are what come to mind again when I look at today's posted image.

"If I had a wish that I could wish for you, I'd make a wish for sunshine all the while."

Sunshine on my shoulders

Tomatoes all in a row

Springtime in New Zealand.  Perfect for the gardener.  My son-in-law loves to do a bit of gardening and has several spots around their home that have plants well on their way.  That includes several places inside the house where herbs are growing.  These tomatoes were nursed from seed and are doing great.  Unfortunately our short visit came to an end a long time before harvest season.  Well, not completely, we did enjoy some fresh basil, cilantro and arugula in some of our food that was picked right off the plant as the meal prep started.

Tomatoes all in a row

Between a rock and a hard place

Life is full of struggles, difficulties and hardships.  However, even it the midst of such challenges, growth finds a way and beauty abounds.  In fact, it is because of the hardships that things grow stronger and even thrive.  Much like this little green sea shore plant (and no, I do not know the name of this little plant) growing in the crevice of lava rocks on a New Zealand beach across the street from my daughter's home.  A bit of beauty manifesting its strength and conquering spirit between a real rock and a hard place.

Between a rock and a hard place

Lunch View

If your are going to sit down and enjoy some good food for lunch you might as well have a good view.  This is one we had in a small town near Picton, New Zealand.

Lunch View

Homemade - both the pizza and the oven

The best part about our trip to New Zealand of course was seeing members of our family who live there.  There were a lot of other next-best things.  Including homemade pizza cooked in the homemade (brick by brick by my son-in-law), backyard pizza brick oven.  Bread, pizza, etc. cooked in the pizza oven....a taste of heaven with family alright.  Man, I sure would like another pizza like that.....

Homemade -the pizza and the oven

Sea Food Plate

I guess the traditions may be a little different in New Zealand??  We found this sea food plate and silverware outside the front of a local New Zealand sea food restaurant.  I was not quite sure what it meant at first.  Then I looked a little closer and found the plant pieces and the silverware pieces are actually embedded into the sidewalk cement at the entryway to the restaurant.  It is a permanent display so it must have some decorative or traditional meaning.  After eating the food, which was great by the way, I forgot to ask around to see if there was any meaning to this or not?  I guess you will have to make your own judgement....

Sea Food Plate

Springtime on the Beach

Just one of the many quiet beaches we encountered on our New Zealand trip.  Beautiful, quiet and outright gorgeous!  Spent some time at this one while my son-in-law and grandson climbed out onto the island in the distance.  We almost missed this one and found it only because we took a wrong turn and ended up on a dead-end road with this beach as the treat.  Of course this land is so beautiful that we could get lost anywhere and end up with a treasure.

I also just discovered the HDR FX Pro app for my iPhone and this is one of the first scenic images I have processed with this app.  All the processing in the world doesn't come close to the effect of being there.

Springtime on the Beach

New Zealand Sea Shells

Sea shells are sea shells where ever there happens to be a sea shore.  In New Zealand it is springtime and nice beach weather.  We enjoyed several days there visiting family and exploring some new places for us (heck, its all new to us since this was our first visit).  Anyway, this image is just a shot of a spot on one of the beaches we visited where the ocean waves meet the seashore.  Again, the missing parts of this image include the salty sea breeze, the warm sun on the skin, the rhythmic sound of the rolling waves and the sand between the toes.  I guess the one good thing about just seeing pictures is that you don't feel like you need a shower when you get home to wash off the sand and salt.

Enjoy!  We did!

New Zealand Sea Shells

Beach Blossom Bee and Fly

I love these New Zealand beach blossoms.  So do the honey bees.  I can't remember ever seeing honey bees at the beach so this was a first for me.  The bees were all over these flowers.

Although this image shows the bee in the middle of the flower, what happens is the bees land and begin to do whatever bees do in flowers.  Pretty soon the bee has wiggled its way down into the center of the flower and looks almost buried because the stamen are so high and plentiful.  It was fun to watch them but they just would not hold still for my camera.  I got another surprise when I looked at this picture and discovered a tiny beach fly had landed on the flower just as the shutter snapped.

Now I just need a camera that also records the salt taste in the ocean air, the soft, rhythmic pounding of the ocean waves rolling onto the beach and the feel of warm sand between the toes......

iPhone 5 camera, Filterstorm cropping, saturation, curves and sharpness adjustments, PhotoStudio vignette and frame.

Beach Blossom Bee and Fly

Beach Blossom

While vegging at the beach in Nelson, New Zealand where it is now springtime, I came upon a patch of yellow flowers.  I have no idea what these flowers blossoming in the sand are called.  However they were calling to me to take one home in my camera.  Here is one my iPhone camera picked.

Beach Blossom

Gollum Welcome

Wellington, New Zealand is Hobbit crazy!  The town is relishing in the upcoming general release of the first of three Hobbit movies.  As you have seen from previous posts, even the airport has gotten into the act.  Today's image is the same figure featured in yesterday's post but from further away to show the scale.  This Gollum creature welcomes visitors to the Wellington Airport terminal.  If you search well on YouTube you can even find a time lapse video that shows the actual construction and hanging of these figures in this airport terminal.

Gollum Welcome

Giant Gollum

Even the Wellington airport got in the act with this gigantic welcoming Gollum creation.  And for those of you who have not seen the Air New Zealand flight safety briefing video I recommend you surf over to YouTube and look it up--a very well done Hobbit themed safety video destined to become a classic.  And yes, they do show it on the Air New Zealand flights.  

Gigantic Gollum

Hobbit House

Even the luggage carousel delivered our bags from a Hobbit house....

Hobbit house

A fish in the hand is worth two in the brook.

Today is the day!  November 28th in New Zealand (yes they are ahead of us by one day) is the world premiere of the new movie--The Hobbit--which of course, was filmed and finished in New Zealand.  So, of course, there were lots of Hobbit related celebrations being planned while I was in town.  Including this interesting character, quite "precious" he is.....

A fish in the hand is worth two in the brook

Wellington, New Zealand

The end of the road and final destination.  Wellington, New Zealand.  It is so windy here that even the town welcome sign was made to give tribute to the windy city.  Welcome to windy Wellington.

Wellington, New Zealand

San Fran

Yep, you got it.  I got to spend the day in San Francisco and therefore lost a day at my final destination after paying big bucks for the ticket and planning it for months.  Thanks United!

The only good thing about the change was that I got to fly a different airline on the long second and the third legs of my voyage.  The airline I flew was much better than United and never discounts their tickets enough for me to fly them otherwise.  The other great benefit was that by re-routing my original flight it not only put me on a better airline but it cut off almost 5 full hours of flying time.  Whew!  Now that is a big benefit on this old body of mine.  Memo to self, do not book an international flight through San Francisco again.  Too many delays and problems.

San Fran

Sourdough bread loaf

Have you guessed yet where my trip took me?  Here is another clue, a clue for one of my stop-overs.  Due to the cancelled United flight, I had to spend a day at this stop.  So I got to play tourist and this is one of the sights I saw.

Sourdough bread loaf

Consistency

No matter where you roam, one thing is consistent.  When you are in the US, you know what you get when you visit the Golden Arches.  No, I didn't really eat here.  I just stayed in the hotel next door and captured this image while waiting for the airport shuttle.

Of course this was not in the original plan--the hotel stay, I mean.  United Airlines cancelled the first of three flights of my itinerary.  They rescheduled flight #2 and #3 and booked me on a replacement flight #1with Delta Airlines.  However, this meant I had to stay at a hotel after flight #1 and wait an entire day to then resume my itinerary.  So, thanks to United, I lost an entire day of my planned vacation.  The replacement Delta flight was also delayed by over 6 hours.  Not a great way to start out a vacation.  Oh yea, because United blamed the cancelled flight due to weather conditions, they would not pay for the hotel I had to obtain because of the lost travel day.

Consistency

Juice!

There is juice that we are all hooked on these days--and I am not thinking of the orange juice of old.  I can't get too far from this kind of juice without losing my connections to the world.  Wait, do I really need these connections?  After all, isn't this supposed to be vacation time?  Ha, times have changed and, having changed with them, I am now just as hooked as the next person.  If I can't get this kind of juice then I carry an extra battery pack.  Sick, isn't it?  Yea, I know.......

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving!

Juice!

Melt in your mouth, not in your hands

Every traveler needs a few necessities.  The right snack pack is certainly one of those required items. For me, peanut M&M's rank high on the list.  This pack did not even make it out of the airport on the first leg of the trip.  Of course, there is much more to this story, stay tuned for more......

Melt in your mouth, not in your hands

Water bottle holster

I am sure whoever first put wheels on suitcases did not get enough credit.  That has got to be one of the most useful inventions after indoor plumbing.  Anyway, the designer of this roll along bag inadvertently created a unique benefit with the handle hole.  It fits my water bottle perfectly.  Not quite as nice as the wheels on the suitcase but a nice benefit, nonetheless.

Water bottle holster

Ready to roll

All packed up, with no place to go.  Wait, I do have somewhere to go.  In fact it is quite the adventure.  Where, you ask?  I guess you will have to stay tuned to find out.  Stay right here every day and enjoy the trip.

Ready to roll

Coming into the Light

Been in the dark too long?  Time to step into the light.

Coming into the Light

Barefoot in the snow

Barefoot in the snow?  Yes, for a few seconds at least.  Hmmmm, I wonder how dogs do it........

Barefoot in the snow

Roses in the Snow

Big snow storm dumped two feet in the back yard a few days ago.  Combine that with roses given to my daughter by the boy who will be going to the Christmas dance with her.  Result........

Roses in the Snow

The Looming Double Barrel....

One of the best slippery slide set-ups I have seen or experienced for just straight-shot sliding.  I don't know what they used for the slippery surface but it was not the normal plastic used in most large slides.  This stuff was slick and made for a great ride.  Spent awhile here with the grand kids and even raced them down a few times.  Fun times.

The Looming Double Barrel....

Cozy Night

Cold nights are here.  The fireplace is working.  What more is there for the late night wind down time?

Cozy Night

Mini iPad Giveaway a Hit

Yesterday our company sponsored an marketing event for key customers and potential customers.  Everyone in attendance received a new mini iPad loaded with content marketing and demonstrating our products.  About 180 Mini iPads were prepared for the event.  The big Mini iPad giveaway was a hit and the meeting was the talk of the town--well the conference anyway.....

Mini iPad Giveaway a Hit

Every playground needs a slide like this.

This is a slide that every playground needs.  It's high, slick, fun and double barreled .  We could not get the kids off this one.  Grandpa liked it too.

Every playground needs a slide like this.