Christmas in Pennsylvania (and NJ)

All Christmas photos are here.

Photo Friday: Weather

I couldn't decide which shot to post, so YOU get two. I know - I look out for you.

Posted for Photo Friday contest: Weather.

Who says trees don't bleed?

We made our annual trek to Beck's Christmas Tree Farm in Stone Church, PA yesterday. Album here.

Bath time is lots of fun!

Villa Milagro Vineyard

A client and friend, Steve Gambino and his wife Audrey, announced the release of their 2005 wines. These are the first grapes to make it in the bottle ever from their brand-new vineyard in Finesville, NJ.




Rosie's - $12.99 a bottle
Carlo's Red - $13.99 a bottle
Luz - $17.99 a bottle
Mostly - $18.99 a bottle
Noche - $19.99 a bottle

For more information, contact Steve Gambino. Or visit their website (currently under construction) at http://www.villamilagrovineyards.com

Beth's 40th Birthday!!!

Beth's 40th Birthday

This'll get you into the Christmas spirit all right!

http://www.nbc10.com/news/10488589/detail.html?rss=phi&psp=news

James Kim: Father, Husband, Hero

Eleven days ago, a family traveling from Oregon on the way home to San Francisco went missing.  After an intense 9 day search, their vehicle is located on a snow-covered back road that they took a wrong turn onto.  Only the wife and two small girls aged 4 years and 7 months were present.  The wife/mother fed the kids all the food they had and then had to breast feed both children to keep them alive.  She did this in overnight temperatures of 20 degrees for 9 days and nights.

James Kim, the husband and father left on Saturday morning for help telling his wife he will return in a few hours if he can't find help  Today, on the eleventh day, his body was found "a long distance" away from the car by SWAT team members who were lowered from a helicopter.  There were literally 100s of rescuers out there, living on adrenaline in hopes to find him alive - they must feel horrible today.

I really feel a connection to James and his family.  First, I have watched him on CNET, secondly he has two little girls. I have been hoping he would be found alive, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.  I can totally see myself in what he did.  If I was in that situation, I would have done the exact same thing James did - he had to go for help - he had no way of knowing how long it would be until someone came.  He had to do whatever it took so his children and wife could live on. 

I guess that's my true definition of a father and husband and a hero.  Godspeed, James.  You died knowing that you did everything in your power to get help for your family, and they will know it forever.


http://news.com.com/James+Kim+found+deceased/2100-1028_3-6141498.html?tag=cnetfd.ld1

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/06/missing.family/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16070337/

When the moon hits your eyes....

... well the moon is white, isn't it? God, why do you have to be so critical? You don't respect me for my creativity anymore do you? When we first started dating - it was the #1 thing you loved about me.... never mind. Posted for PXITE.com contest.

Taken tonight from my driveway... hope you enjoy it.

Image data:
Olympus E-500
150mm
.040 s
f/8.0
ISO 100

Downey Woodpecker in a Black Walnut Tree

This female Downey Woodpecker and her family visited us today.

The Black Walnut tree across the street seems to be home to many birds and animals alike. I spotted some Nuthatches here too today. 

Our visit to Easton's own: The Crayola Factory

A great demonstration of how the crayons are placed in their wrapper.

Paige's snow man

See the entire album here

Thanksgiving at Home

see the entire album here 

My ladies on the way to see Little Bear

 

Thanksgiving at Next Level Development

The entire album 

Betcha didn't know...

Jaindl Farms, located in down the street from me in Orefield PA, provides the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner at the White House and has for over 40 years....

Wegmans sells Jaindl turkeys and Beck cooked her second one this Thanksgiving at our house.

http://www.jaindl.com/

Charles Wadsworth

"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong."... 

Death of a Green Beret

Before he died in Iraq, 'Toz' had an order for his Green Berets: Attend my Arlington burial, then take this $100,000 for a party in Las Vegas.

"If you are getting this e-mail, it means that I have passed away," the missive said. "No, it's not a sick Toz joke, but a letter I wanted to write in case this happened."

...read the rest here, it's a great story.

I guess this is a good a time as any to make my wishes public when I die. I feel very strongly that the funeral and gatherings should be a celebration of life. I want everyone to get up and tell a funny story about something that happend with us, make everyone laugh and help them remember the good times.

If you can't think of a funny story - you don't know me well enough!!

See you in 80 years at the funeral.

Sad, but true

Fainting Goats

I guess this is no good when you are being chased by a predator!

Cut it out!

In 1994 a group of doctors at Chenglepattu Medical College Hospital, India lost a pair of 7 inch long scissors while removing a tumor from a 33 year old woman. The doctors must frequently lose medical instruments, because they didn't seem to notice the missing tools. When Ms. Sigamani began complaining about abdominal pain after the procedure, the doctors figured that it was probably just run of the mill post-surgery blues and suggested she take pain killers.

Twelve years later the independent investigators believe they may have solved the mystery of the phantom pain and the lost scissors when they suggested that Sigamani have an X-ray.

The hospital denies having any medical records pertaining to the now-12 year old surgery, and has not asked for the scissors back.

via wired