Thankful for the Spirit of Christmas

This year's celebration really has been a grand Christmas for us. Although we have dearly missed our children and grandchildren, we have made it even more service-oriented than in the past. We won't tell you how, as that would spoil it, but part of it was tending to poor M who had a bunch of teeth pulled just before Christmas. She is doing better now and we look for full recovery before 2010.

As I was looking at some of the Church's videos on Christmas morning as I made breakfast, two really stood out for me. I love the message of this first, as it puts Christmas gifts in perspective:


And this other is one that I think I will review on a regular basis throughout the year - just to help maintain my perspective.

The One Log House

This was another item we thought was pretty cozy. A 3-room, 2-door, house built into a single redwood log.

This is the view from the living room looking back through the bedroom to the kitchen area.

Here is the couch in the living room.

This is the "dining room" across the room from the sofa in the "living room".

And here is the kitchen area, complete with stove top and sink.

This is the bedroom - sleeps 2 rather nicely.

Into The Woods

Okay, now that you have put up with some rather odd photos, here are some of the better ones. The redwoods really are very beautiful. The day we took these first couple of photos the sun was just coming out and burning off the very patchy fog, creating some pretty shots.

These didn't turn out quite as I had hoped, but I knew when I took them that it would be a dicey proposition. I couldn't get the right angle so that I could photo the web and spider so that you could see them. In person this was really a great sight.

Here are a couple of shots of the Eel River showing the mist as it was departing.

It never ceases to amaze me just how green everything is. But it should come as no surprise, as everything is not only green - but wet. We love to walk in the woods as it is so quiet and we are surrounded by ferns and clover. This first photo is of an interesting phenomenon - it appears that new trees are growing up from one that has fallen over, presumeably, but definitely not, dead.

And a final shot of the fog shrouded hills. This really does not do it justice as it was very beautiful.

Redwood Chain Saw Art

One of the great things one sees during a trip to the redwoods is the chainsaw art perpetrated on redwood logs. Some of it is really good. Here is a sample of some that we enjoyed.

Now there's something you don't see every day.

My apologies to all who came across this post that wasn't for a while. I don't know where it went between the time I finished it and when it supposedly got posted to the blog. Anyway, we'll try again here. This was just one of those interesting things one finds on a road trip. It was truly just out in the middle of nowhere (well, somewhere between the community of Pepperwood and the forest). It appears to be a large likeness of a corn cob carved out of wood, but the plaque is a non-sequitur - from Fortuna? Anyway, I am a sucker for anything that fits the title of this post.

Christmas Lights

Now that M is home we are putting up some lights on the exterior.








As you can see, I was not much help. We old folks get tired soon, I supppose.