Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!!

 didn't do much wandering around to neighborhoods looking at lights.  this guy is cute though.  he is at either Bass or Cabella's.  all the dead animals in those stores.  pretty sad to think of how many animals must have died to stock these various shops across our nation.
 slept in as hoped today.  put a turkey in the crock pot and finally made my way with Blossom to the University Lake dog park.  there is a moose chilling there.  i may have gotten a shot off but then the batteries all died on the phone and little camera that i'd taken.  that happens when it gets a wee bit chilly here..under 10F.  so not many photo's today.
 these funky ones below and the bear above are with the app.  of course, i paid a small fee for the app and it said it would be ad free if i did and that more options would open.  so far that doesn't seem to be the case and they want more money to be ad free.  really this is the option i was looking for so i will not be paying more.
 these are pretty fun though.
 chatted with my sister and a few friends, one friend stopped over for a bit and otherwise...a chill day.
 literally chill i guess.
 here i am with Blossom at the dog park.
 lots of bulbs out there.  so festive!!
 a few more artsy shots...
 had to do a walrus.  he looks good
 the rest are from CA.  above is 151 Dumond Dr, Laguna Beach.  this is the beach house my Grandpa built! sadly after Gramps passed away the place was sold.  soon after that i moved away.  what was the point anymore.  they have fixed it up a bit it looks like.  the front deck is new, the garages are both back to being garages.  not sure what they did with the little apartment that was downstairs.  perhaps they made it all fit together and that is the downstairs now . maybe just a guest suite.  the guy popped out on the deck but didn't seem to show any interest in our interest in the place.
 sat up a bit last night watching a few episodes of, "an idiot abroad".  so funny...i was busting up.  i'd guess he is a bit like i would be traveling abroad, but he is incapable of holding in his feelings or expressions.  thankfully, for him, he has that lovely accent so he doesn't get killed.
 i will watch a few more of those on netflix tonight i think.  always good to laugh.
 these are all at Victoria Cove in Laguna Beach.  that is where the beach house is.  we all had a beach day Saturday while i was there.
 "and all went to be taxed, every one into his own city, and Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem".  hadn't realized the degree of run on sentences that occur in the Bible.  since it is Christmas i was thinking it was time to reread the St Luke version of the birth of Christ.
 above is the pool at Victoria cove.  i think it was built many years ago but a hole was put in it i believe in the 1950's as polio had become an issue and concerns of spreading polio.  i have no idea if that is actually true but that is the story i recall.
 rarely have i seen it as full as this.  by tide shift it had emptied out
 "to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with child. and so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. and she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger: because there was no room in the inn. "  every sentence starts with and...it is just one super long run on sentence.
 "and there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night, and, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the flory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid, and the angel said unto them, Fear not;for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people"
 finally a period!!
 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord, and this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger,and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men".
 this is the tower, which is really the old walkway up the cliff to a home on the hill.  tide was pretty high and it was fun watching the waves crash.  my sister in law was with me.
 i'm reading from the Bible my parents gave me when i turned 8 and was baptized.  of course, i had my records removed from the Mormon church in my late 30's and the last official contact i had with the church was a note revoking my baptism.  so i have been un-baptized.
 "and it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. and they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger, and when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child, "
 not sure how information was transferred in those days.  how far did news travel? how long did it take to pass along messages.  what was the view of "the world" then.  was it still flat?  so many questions.  i always had so many questions...
 "and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds, but Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart, and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them"
 never realized how very vague this story was.  what things? how many things did they see and hear? what was said, what was seen?
 "and when eight days were accomplished for the circumcision of the child, his name was called, Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb"
 mention of the circumcism seems to have always been left off of the Christmas stories i recall being told.  anyway...i think they did usually stop at that point.  then it gets more detailed as to travels to Jerusalem and such.
 so there it is...the birth.  that is what is celebrated this time of year, though from what i've read, the birth actually took place at a very different time and this date for celebration was probably selected to correlate with the solstice celebration and eventually eclipse it.
 i was always a fan of the sermon on the mount.  haven't done much scripture reading in several years. the words have gotten smaller.
 let us all celebrate.  each in his or her own way.
 taking a walk over to Treasure Cove.  always out to explore!!
 my memories of heading over there as a kid are very different. we did have to wait for a low, low tide. i remember going with my brothers a few times,looking for shells on the beaches.
 my childhood memories seem to be mostly with the two brothers just above me in age.  then i have memories that include my sister and the brother just above her. have thought several times over the last weeks what were memories of my eldest brothers and there are few.  always so odd that we were all only 10 years age difference but our experience was very different.  we were just the kids in the back of the station wagon to the eldest and they were the guys in the front of the station wagon.
 i do have memories of interacting with several of their friends.  i recall Christmas mornings being made to wait for the three eldest to wake up before we could start the morning of Christmas present opening.  we could check out our stockings before they woke up but then we had to wait...teenagers like to sleep in.
 i would have been 9 when the eldest left for a mission.  most of my memories of them seem to be after they had returned and married and had kids.
 i was 13 when the first grandkid was born...i was the baby sitter.
 loads more CA pictures to share and still many from Oct/Nov as well.  i'll just add them in as i'm able.  fun to be able to return and see my nieces and nephews grown up and living happy and productive lives.
 you never have enough time to catch up with everyone...it is a big family
 i better get to bed.  Santa is on the way.  he may just decide to stop by my place.  hehe.
 a few of my elder brothers
 the story of Guns...i really don't know it but the brothers closest in age have called me Guns or B.B.Guns or Snugs (cause that is Guns backwards) or Gunzerelli ( which isn't spoken but is sung out in a rather high pitch) my entire life.  some stories are out there about why that is, not sure really. some say one of the brothers couldn't say "baby" clearly so it came out as BB.  i could imagine Jeff picking up on that and going with it.  he's called me guns a little.  not sure that the eldest two ever called me guns.
it's in my email address, which means some folks think i am a member of the NRA, not.  my brothers do have a habit of calling my name out loudly in public places.  i respond, it was always my name, always what i was called so why wouldn't i respond. it was funny on my brother Tom's last visit up here we were at the local Museum and he called out, "Guns".  a lot of heads turned.  that was the first time i realized that in our new society my nickname could cause trouble.  haha.  Joel is on the Left in the above picture and Ross is on the Right.
off to bed...Merry Christmas.  May it be Merry and full of love and laughter.

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