MERRY CHRISTMAS, FELLOW RIDERS....:-)

I would suppose that everyone is gearing up for the holidays with only 2 more days before Christmas.  We have been very busy here and in the middle of the busyness, we were able to make a quick trip out of town and get a few other things done; like watch my secretary throw up a couple of decorations.

Here is a picture of a nativity scene sitting on the floor in front of a room divider.

And a tiny Christmas tree sitting on the electric fireplace in front of a window.

Off to the mall we went.  Out of town was the best option seeing as I had been under steam and meat for several weeks!  It was time to hit the road and do a little Christmas browsing.
 

I was on the hunt for some new jeans for the guy whose legs seem to go on forever.  He was smiling like an expectant mother.....:-).

Well, time to eat!  You know how we are by now......:-)

There is a potato under all of that ranch and cheese.......:-)

But I gotta tell, you nothing made me drool like this double over stove display in a window at the mall.
If  I was 10,000 richer, I would snag it in a minute!

After a loooooong search for pants that would accommodate the legs that stretch into never land, we finally found the right size at the Men's WearHouse.

He's gonna like the way he looks.....:-)

I really enjoyed sitting down for a spell and listening to different people sit down and play different songs on the piano across the hallway.

After a stint about town, we decided to make a run past the theater to see if anything interesting was playing.  NO.  We headed home.

When we got back to town, we made a run through a light display that was located in the city park.

I remember when they started doing this a few years ago.  It used to line one of the main streets in our city and went almost for three city blocks.  Now, everything looks pretty spread out.

My lens is not a good one for night shots, but I had to get a picture of that tree......:-)

And the wooden soldiers.......

Several days later we had a Christmas party at our house and dinner was included at a restaurant of choice for our SW team members of our ministry.  We have done this for a few years now as sometimes we are still in Canada when Christmas comes around.  This time we got to go with them.....:-)

And went back to the house to open gifts.

It has been a full few weeks and Christmas is just two days away.  It is hard to believe that in just a little over a week we will be in 2015.....wow....  When I was 5, I was sure the world would have ended by now!  hahaha.....

Anyway, "Raspberry" and "Rascal" are asleep while Ruby turned into the Christmas Scooter; courtesy of Scootard.....:-)  I hope to get a little rest before this year is out.  Who wants to enter another year...tired?!  haha.

Thanks for traveling with us and doing life with us throughout this year.  We look forward to seeing all of your again in 2015.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

We Be Chillin!

Living in the Southwestern part of the US can be very unpredictable in regard to weather.  We had been enjoying a couple of days that landed the temperatures in the 70's.  Nothing like 70 degree weather in late fall.

Chris was anxious to go for a ride.  I, on the other hand know the weather patterns in this part of the country and was not too keen on the idea of going.  Nevertheless, I geared up and got ready to head out for our ride.

  It was already 2:30 in the afternoon and the sense of "foreboding" was getting heavier as we traveled toward the gas station.   Rascal needed a "drink".....:-).

We hit the highway and no sooner than we did, the wind shifted, the temperature dropped and that sick, sinking feeling of "this is a mistake" took over my brain!  Fortunately, once we were able to come to a stop on a side road, I was able to put my insert into my gear. Chris seemed to be doing well as he has a stronger tolerance for the cold than I do.

I got my jacket a bit more insulated  That helped a bit in regard to the shiver I was starting to experience.

Before pulling off again, I took a quick look in the mirror to see if I was "still there" or if I had turned into a fudge sickle yet!  Misery was slowly creeping into my bones and the wind was sucking the heat right off of me.  We had gone about 15 miles at that point.  The plan was to ride for a couple of hours.

The plan was to ride to and through the wild life refuge.  We made it to the back gate and snapped a quick picture.

After another several miles of shivering and misery, I made the announcement....." I'VE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE! I'M FREEZING!"  yep, that's me...making a run for it! I was soooo cold, that I was starting to "get warm" which is the first signs of hypothermia.

 We headed back toward town which was close to 25 miles away.  By now, I can't feel my hands. We headed for a dollar store to snag some hot cocoa mix.

Well, a fictitious form of hot cocoa.....  No real cocoa powder to be found at this store and it was too cold to go on a hunt for any.

Rascal was put in the house in the storage room next to Raspberry.......

And Ruby was put in my office inside the house........:-).

I never did drink the hot chocolate.  All I wanted to do was get into some warmer clothes and thaw my feet out.  Now, I can start to thaw out!

Two days later, I'm still thawing out!  I guess I could have put some lotion on those legs before posting this! haha .  Anyway,  I think I'll pass on that kind of adventure in the future....:-(.

See you next time!