12 - 25 - 2010

Christmas in Afton

For starters, it was very, very cold. Much of the time, the temperature was below zero. Grandma Olson loved it!

We were greeted by Santa's Little Reindeer...


...who, of course, wanted at all times to have her nose in a book. Grandpa read and sang to her I'll Love You Forever--over and over and over again. Something about that story made her very somber.

Her sobriety disappeared, though, when it came time to attack the presents. Hallie quickly added an new word to her rapidly-expanding vocabulary: "OPEN!"

She's a true Olson/Hansen or Hansen/Olson. She loves books. That is her new kitchen in the background, the assembly of which took Clay, ailing from the flu, a full day to complete.

He was sooo happy...

Books are great, of course, but sugar-coated breakfast bombs run a close second...

Mother and Daughter appeared pleased that Santa left behind some of his chocolate-chip cookie dough.

Grandma is noticeably absent from any of these pictures. Her hands made it, though. Here she teaches Hallie the intricacies of the "Sing-A-Ma-Jig" from Aunt Kirsten. Hallie learned quickly to sing along.

Clay was thrilled with the fly-fishng gear bag that Jodie gave him. He gave her a sewing machine.

Hallie, in her Christmas dress, pilots her new push-toys around the house (and around and around and around...)

And finally, a moment of genuine cuteness from the star of the Christmas morning show

GINGERBREAD HOUSES

12 . 13 . 2010

Family Night tonight brought Dustin, Nichelle and the kids for an evening of serious construction work. This was the most fun we've had in a long time, trying to keep up with Tyler and Tanner. This was Tanner's completed masterpiece.

Tyler was really tired after a day of school followed by a good workout at dance class, but she still managed to produce a lovely little starter home...

Grandma helps Tanner construct 'Santa's Sleigh'. He was excited beyond the limits of our endurance!

The Olson family strikes a pose with their handiwork.

Tyler and Tanner with their assistant contractors.

Never let it be said that Boise is always the "Sun Belt of Idaho". The weather forecasters were only nine days off in predicting the 'storm of the decade'. It didn't arrive last week, but it sneakily dropped in on us last night. Dobbie was a bit stumped when it came to finding a place to do his business.

Nope, we're not like Afton, Wyoming yet, but nearly 7 inches in one night is close to a record, and it is still coming down.

Thanksgiving 2010

Just a few pics of Thanksgiving with the Jenkins clan in Boise.

We had about 25 people there, lots of food, good times.

Tyler and Tanner left their Mom at home to recover from her surgery while they indulged in turkey and fixins.

Dobbie and his pal, Kirsten, discuss whether or not he'll be allowed to escape from captivity in her shopping bag. He was not a happy animal.

The kids enjoyed some basketball while the old folks cleaned up.

The Goliath Project

The idea was to make a full-sized (9'9") Goliath so the Primary children (11-year-olds) would get an idea of the immensity of the challenge that faced David in the Bible story. They were then to use home-made slings to attack him with marshmallows. Mother Nature did not cooperate--the wind shredded him before I even got him stood up and it blew so hard that the marshmallows were like feathers floating around. This was the only picture I managed. However, all was not lost--the leftover marshmallows were tasty.

Corrections to the Alaska Post

This is the photo of Tod and Jennifer photoing Art and Genel. See the post below.

This is Mount Elliot. See if you can spot Mark near the summit. See the post below.

May in Alaska

Oops. Messed up and don't have time right now to figure out how to fix this. This picture is the "Baldies" entry described below

and this is the one about Mom and Dad kicking back.

The post really should begin here (someday I'll figure this stuff out):

We never expected May (or any other time) in Alaska to be like this--sunshine, clear skies and temperatures in the 70s all week long. Everything was more pleasant than we ever could have hoped.

Approaching Juneau, Mom the Sun-Worshipper was all smiles.

Kip and Sheri took in the scenery from the bow of the Rotterdam.

Don't know where Genel was for this dance, but the rest of the girls were having a good time.

Mom and Dad kicked back in the sunshine.

Two baldies in Juneau. I'm not sure why Mom included the pink fur lingerie in the picture unless, well, I guess I won't go there...

Genel and Art being photographed by Tod and Jennifer being photographed by us. The Stokers seemed to enjoy this pose all throughout the trip.

Downtown Juneau. I guess "quaint" might be a good word, but it is certainly an unusual state capital.

One of the views from downtown Juneau. You won't see this in Des Moines.

Mom and our boat at the dock in Juneau.

We moved farther north to visit the Hubbard Glacier. It was cooler there, but still very pleasant. This is Mt. Elliot, the second tallest peak in North America. Nobody has confirmed it yet, but we're pretty sure Mark climbed it before breakfast on Tuesday.

Some of these chunks of ice had seals on them, taking in the sunshine.

This is the glacier from about four miles out. It is seven miles wide at its face and about 76 miles long. The face rises about 350 feet above the water. I didn't take any pictures as we got closer because I took so many last time we were here.

A picturesque lighthouse on the bay at Sitka.

Grandma and Grandpa checking out the historical markers on Castle Hill, Sitka. This is where the sale of Alaska from Russia to the United States was finalized.

Just a walk in the park in Sitka.

Mark and Pam and a totem pole.

Tod and Jennifer and our friend, the Sitka seal.

Mom spent a lot of time looking for wildlife...

...until she finally captured a sea creature.

Our vessel, the M.S. Rotterdam in the bay at Sitka. It is a pretty sight, but the swim from ship to shore and back was tiring.

I know this is a lousy photo of Tod and Mark, but it gives an idea of the excellent location of our assigned dining table. Later, as we left Sitka for Ketchikan, we ate dinner as we watched several whales spouting and waving their tails.

Creek Street in Ketchikan.

Self-explanatory. Mom and animals. Even those that are carved from stone. Yes, we do have a very similar photo of these two from our last visit to Sitka.

Self-explanatory. Mom and flowers. And totem poles. It is amazing that the Alaskan flora looks so much better than ours. It is not amazing that Mom looks so good--she's just like that.

Self-explanatory. Mom and wolves. Who would have guessed?

All of the communing with nature seems to have turned Dad into something of a tree-hugger.

Even our cabin steward recognized how much Mom loves animals, so he left her this cross-eyed towel-rabbit. No, we did not have it for dinner.

Alaska waves farewell until next time...