Home

phewww....we arrived home in Adelaide at 12.30pm.....my gosh...we left our lovely friend Marilyns home about 5.30pm and arrived at the airport in LA at 6.30pm. The flight left LA on time at 8.30pm with a stopover in Auckland, NZ which we had not idea of when we booked the ticket 5 months ago....then a stopover in Melbourne and then home to Adelaide....so 26hours from the time we left Marilyns. We did get a few hours sleep but not a lot. Then we had to go grocery shopping when we got home as we had cleared out the fridge of absolutely everything. Boy did I need a few hours sleep after that, and I did have a good sleep. I did not want to wake up but forced myself to wake up so I would get some sleep tonight and hopefully start the day out "normal" tomorrow.

Hollywood

Marilyn, Glen and I went to Hollywood today. We walked the "Walk Of Fame" and have taken many different photos but didn't get to spot any "stars" until we were driving along Hollywood Boulevard on our way to a screening of Craig Fergusons show when we pulled up at some traffic lights. As I looked at the car next to me I see a familiar face and I pointed at this guy in the car thinking for a moment that I am not really seeing who I think I am seeing. I am saying to Marilyn who is driving and Glen behind me in the back seat "that's Eric Roberts"...LOL..pointing at him and smiling at him he smiles, nods and points back at me as if to say "yep its me"....LOL...OMG I can't beleive it....and bugger me dead but I dont have the camera in my hands and by the time I have shuffled through my handbag he has taken off. I just cant beleive I got so close and didn't think quick enough.

So after that excitement we went to the screening of Craig Ferguson Late Late Show. We had a great time....laughed and laughed....even if it was on cue...seriously, he was funny even though I had never heard of him before...a great Scottish accent.

















Yes some of us had to get to Hollywood the "hard way" but as you can see I made it!!!! The "casting couch" was damn hard too!!!

Back in Long Beach

Yes we are back in Long Beach CA. Twelve weeks is nearly over. We have had a wonderful time here in the States with all the wonderful sights and terrific friends we have met and stayed with across the country. We feel so privileged to have had this opportunity.

Canyonlands

Well I just don't have enough words to describe yet another magnificent place. I keep saying awesome, gorgeous, beautiful, amazing, terrific.....what else can I say? Fabulous, breathtaking, unbelievable, spectacular....JUST BLOODY BRILLIANT is probably what us Aussies would say!!! I took 219 photos today and yesterday 274.Gosh knows how many Glen has taken...mine are "happy snaps" and I just aim and click.So here we go....there are a few this time to look at....if you double click on them you will see them better.



Mesa Arch - WOW what a view - If you click on this photo you will see two people sitting on the top in the middle. As silly as I think they are Glen had just walked along the top of the arch - he set up his camera on a tripod and I just had to click the button to take the photo. You will all have to wait til he processes all the photos to see it.



















Khristina eating a healthy lunch of baby carrots, celery, snap peas and philidelphia cream cheese.



This cute little bird was hanging out for scraps. Does anybody know what this little bird is called? I have now been told this little bird is a Titmouse. Thank you "nskog" but you are set to no-reply so I couldnt reply to your comment.




We walked for about an hour and a half...well trekked up and down rocks...well huge rocks. It was like doing a step aerobic class. But good fun. We both really enjoyed it. You have to follow the piles of rocks "cairns" to get to the view points. At times it was a bit of hit and miss where the rocks were with the snow in places.












The sunset on our way out of the Canyonlands towards where we are staying tonight. Beaver in Utah.

Arches National Park, Utah

Arches National Park is another gorgeous place to see in Utah. We spent most of the day there and would love to be able to go back but alas, time is running out. Only 7 days to go before we fly home. Tomorrow we are heading to Canyonlands.

Park Avenue




There was a lot of ice around and the red dirt had blown over some patches. Glen found out twice how slippery It could be. We cracked up laughing because he had a previous hard fall earlier and I had just slipped where he was and I had warned him but with the dirt covering the ice and sunglasses on it was hard to judge. We did get a good laugh out of ourselves though.





Windows




Double Arches



Glen and I looking back across to the other side which are the previous photos. We climbed as far up and back into the arches so that we could get this terrific view.



It was after 3pm when we got to Delicate Arch and we decided not to do the 3 hour hike to the Arch but did a short hike to an area that we could get photos. These are all my happy snaps, but hopefully when Glen does get his organised you can see the better photos.

Grand Junction to Arches National Park, Utah

On our way from Grand Junction to Arches National Park it was so cold that most of the scenery was of snow, ice and fog. All the trees along the way were like popsicles. It really was very pretty and very cold. Minus 13 celcius while we were driving this morning.

Snow-Mobiling

What great fun we had today snow-mobiling. We drove about 40 minutes from Silverthorne to a place called Green Mountain. We then went on a private tour with our guide Mike and his dog Gibson. Mike does snow-mobile tours in the winter and water rafting in the warmer seasons. We had such a good time so if you ever are in the area and want to give it a go, contact Mike!



Gibson travelled on Mikes lap the whole trip. We went for 2 hours up into the mountains and then stopped for a short time where they have a tent set up and have hot drinks for us. There they have a huge flat area where we got to put our foot on the gas and let it rip. Glen of course had a much heavier lead foot then I did....well I would have gone faster but I am not that game. Glen said he reached top speed of 60mph where I got one stretch at 55mph. Most of the time it was about 40mph for me.

Glen ready to go snow-mobiling.



Glen amongst the Aspen trees - The aspen reproduces exact specimens of itself on top of the same, old roots. They can eventually spread over a large region. The aspen tree is usually the first growth after a fire because the root system is protected, being so far under the ground.





Mike took these photos for us using Glens camera.







Gibson loves the snow. Here you can see Gibson jumping for snow balls Mike was throwing up in the air and then digging down into the snow searching for sticks. Gibson was just have a ball in the snow...and eating the snow.




The other tour guide had a chocolate labrador who thought he was going to ride with Mike and Gibson...he jumped up on the snow-mobile and wasn't going to get down..lol



This photo was taken along the road on our drive to Grand Junction where we are tonight.

Snow-Tubing

Today we drove to Keystone, Colorado (90 minutes west of Denver) and went snow-tubing....LOTS OF FUN....gives a bit of head spin when they "spin" you....ohhh myyy I could only do it twice and that was it for the spinning...lol. The altitude (11,900ft) sucks the oxygen out of you too - especially for us "lowlanders"! Over the hour there it felt like I had been jogging for a whole hour...huffing and puffing.

We're currently in a hotel in Silverthorne at what they call "the summit" of the Rockies and will be heading off in the morning for some snowmobiling and hopefully some fantastic views over the mountains.

Here is Glen being pushed off backwards.







Glen taking this photo from mid way down the slope on the tube and Khris at the top looking down.




Catching the escalator back to the top.



Khris being pushed off backwards.





Resting on the way back up on the escalator.



Looking out from the top where we did the snow-tubing....aren't the mountains just beautiful.

Denver, Colorado

Today we drove about 1160km from Tracy, Iowa to Denver, Colorado. When we left this morning at 9.30am it was minus 18 degrees celcius....brrrr....the temperature stayed below zero until 2pm. When we drove over the Colorado border towards Sterling we viewed a lovely sunset. Tomorrow we plan on heading to the snow to do some snowmobiling.

Brrrrrrrr

Today the temperatures were a low of minus 18 degrees celcius to a high of zero. Tomorrow the low is minus 14 degrees celcius to a high of minus 12 and getting worse during the week. It is probably a good thing we ae heading out tomorrow to head down to Colorado which will be a little warmer. If you can say warmer when the temperature is zero (freezing)...lol

Today in Tracy, Iowa

Today Pat and I did a bit of sewing. We made a notebook cover from a pattern from "This and That". Very simple to put together. I will take a pic at some stage and put it up when I can. We also went shopping at Pats mums Quilt Store which she runs from home about eight houses away....how convenient!!! OMG I got some good fabric deals. $2.55 yard for Quilters Calico . For us Aussies theis fabric is small florals which sort of look like the 1930's flowers not like "calico" in Australia. Take a look at the website for more great specials. She had a quilt called "Crackers and Cheese" made up in these fabrics which really looked good so I had to have that pattern too.

We just had some fun with the "cat from hell"....their cat "puddy" doesn't seem to like anybody...not even the owners...lol...thank goodness they have had his front claws removed as he "attacks" anybody who walks near him....he was hilarious...he even stalked Glen at one stage to "get" him. Just when you think he likes you he "attacks". And he lets out the most deadly meowwwwww as he attacks...LOL..."puddy" had us in fits of laughter.

Arrived in Tracy, Iowa

Today was a better day for driving to Tracy, Iowa. Although very cold and minus 9 degrees celcius, the roads were clear and we made better time. We woke late and had a late breakfast at IHOP. We arrived about 2pm at Pat and Bruce's house. We took a quick drive to the lake nearby and got to see some bald eagles from a distance. Glen couldn't a good photo to put up unfortunately, but he counted nearly 30 eagles in the trees along the river. Dinner was roast beef, mashed potatoes, beans and "noodles and gravy"...now this was a first but OMG they were so yummy. Then we had a really yummy chocolate cake with butter sauce poured over it for dessert....NO CALORIES at all...lol. There is a blizzard warning in effect from late Monday until early Tuesday morning, so we will be watching the weather before hitting the road again. Because of the weather we will give South Dakota a miss and head to Colorado and hopefully do some ski mobiling in the Rockies.

Below is a map of where we are and the next leg of the trip (click to enlarge). Only 11 days left before heading home ! Where has the past ten weeks gone ? !!!

Toronto to Illinois

Today we said goodbye to our friends Bev and Graham in Don Mills, Toronto and into Michigan, across to Indiana and into Illionois over about eleven hours. Four hours were through heavy falling snow. We took things as carefully as we could to ensure we got here to Molina, Illinois safely. We did see at least a dozen cars off the road, but fortunately no serious accidents. Tomorrow we head off to a town called Tracy in Iowa to visit with an online friend.

Today in Hamilton, Ontario

Bev and I drove to Hamilton, Ontario to meet Linda from an online group. We were going to have lunch at the "Outback Steakhouse" but unfortunately it was not open for lunches. Would have been interesting to see how authentic the meals were...LOL. We did however have a nice lunch at Montana's and we then went on to visit to quilt stores. I was again very good and only brought an Aunt Philly's toothbrush rug tool and pattern. We then went to Micheals again were Bev had a great time buying. I got some more scrapbooking items for half price. OMG unreal prices.

At the Beach Today

Yes today at the beach we played in snow not sand!!!




Looking out of Bevs window.

Weight Watchers Here I Come

Tonight we went out to the little local eatery and had meat pie, mushy peas, chips and gravy....OMG it was GOOD. I had to show them how "we" in Queensland eat it. Lift up the top of pie, put the mushy peas on top then put the lid of the pie back on. Then pour lots of gravy all over the pie and chips. Graham had to take the incriminating shots so that when I get back home I remember that I need to go visit the local WW group.





Yeh I am washing it all down...LOL



Graham and Bev looking so innocent...LOL

Visit with Bunny

Yesterday on our way to Toronto we stopped over for lunch with another lovely friend Bunny. She lives in Williamsville, NY and was on our direct path so we couldn't not stop and put the face and voice to yet another wonderful online friend. Bunny does the most amazing art. She is so talented. Painting, drawing, quilting. Truly amazes me how talented she is. She has shown me the easiest way to do hand applique. She uses freezer paper and a glue stick. She doesn't claim this technique but because she has rheumetoid arthritis she has used this technique to make things easier for herself and others. And I can say it sure does look easy and I will most definately be trying this out when I get home as I have put of hand applique because its been so difficult. Our visit was really lovely and Bunny was a wonderful hostess. She spoiled me rotten with lots of her lovely patterns so I will have lots to do when I get home. She also gave me an apron and some lovely cards she with pictures she had drawn and had printed on them. You can seem Bunny's designs on her website.

Toronto

Yesterday we arrived at our friend Bevs in Don Mills, Toronto. The snow is fairly thick here and looks so pretty. We went and had dinner out lastnight at the local fish and chips place and you wouldn't beleive what they had....MEAT PIE!! For us Aussies we just love our meat pies. So both Glen and I wanted meat pie....but you wouldn't beleive it...they had sold out!!! The waitress said every Tom, Dick and Harry had come in during the day and taken every last meat pie. So we will be heading back tonight for meat pie, mushy peas, chips and gravy...LOL...on top of that surprise the waitress was born in Melbourne Australia and had moved to Canada with her mum and dad when she was seven. So we had a good old chat.

More Friends

Today I got to meet three more online friends....woohooo....Dianne, Judy and Jean met Glen and I at Dunkin Donuts for a coffee and then us girls left Glen for a day at quilt stores and Joannes. I was very good and only got a couple of patterns and some scrapbooking supplies so that when Glen prints off the photos I can scrap them. I wont be holding my breath for Glen to print them and will bet you I print them off before he does. I forgot my camera and so did Glen so I am waiting on Jean to send me a copy of the photo she got of us girls today.

West Monroe, NY

Yesterday we drove from West Buxton, Maine to West Monroe, NY state. Most of the day was spent driving but we arrived about late yesterday afternoon at Deb and Phils. We were here on our last visit. since then a lot has happened. Deb lost her nephew who she raised as a son. Sam was only 17 and died of a heart attack. Yes, a heart attack. Such a shock and of course there were lots of tears being the sook I am. Deb has now gotten into photography in a big way and has opened a Studio so Glen and Deb have talked photography all night and day....lol....today I wasn't feeling well so I stayed home and went back to bed til after lunch and Glen and Deb went to the studio. Tomorrow we are going to have a photo taken at the studio as Glen and I really dont have a good photo of ourselves so now is the chance to have it done. I will also be meeting up with some other girls in another quilting group so will go out for lunch and of course some quilt stores and leave Deb and Glen to talk photography.

Long Island, NY to West Buxton, Maine

Yesterday we left Long Island to head to West Buxton in Maine. On the way we made a stop at Bethel in Connecticut and had lunch with Karen and Bill from an online broup. We went to their local diner and had lunch and chatted. We didn't have a great deal of time but we at least I can now put faces and voices with thier names. And beleive it or not, I forgot to take a photo. But Karen did give me a lovely sewing kit made with bee fabric because the group is called Beehive.

We arrived at our friend Mary Ann's in West Buxton about 6.30pm and had some lovely soup for dinner with a sandwich. Glen then had brownies for desserts....lots of brownies for desserts...he was pretty impressed with them. Mary Ann hasn't been well and the girls in my CRAFT group made a Healing Heart quilt for her so she knows all her freinds are there for her when she needs a cuddle.

1st January 2009

Isn't it wierd when you have to start writing another year in the date. Today Eileen and I went out to Michaels and got 40% off nearly everything....cards, notepads, beads, magnets, lots of goodies....scrapbooking papers were 30% off. So when I get home I am hoping Glen will be organised and print photos for me to do a scrapbook.Saying that I am still waiting on photos from three years ago to be done. So I might have to just do my own and not worry about his. I got to meet another online friend from quilting group. Kim, Eileen and I had lunch and shopped...chatted and laughed. It was again wonderful to put the face and voice to the emails.



Here are some photos of our day out with Eileen and Gordon in New York.

Christmas tree, Prometheus and the skating rink Rockefeller Centre



Prometheus



Eileen and Khris in windy NY



Elmo and Khris



Tomorrow we head north towards Maine. We are expecting to see lots of snow up there. How exciting. We have had snow here in Long Island and the temperature was minus eight degrees celcius.

...............HAPPY NEW YEAR...................

We had a nice quiet night watching the New Years Time Square celebration on the big screen at Gordon and Eileens. Cheers!!!

Snowing in Long Island

Today is snowing...wooohoooo....its just beautiful. Eileen and I went out for a short trip to Joanne's and got caught getting back with the traffic. There were a couple of accidents along the way. Nothing too serious thank goodness, just enough to clog up the road and make the trip home very slow.

My CRAFT group had an Advent Swap for Christmas. We send 24 little pressies and 1 main present for Christmas day. My partner was Karen in Sacremento and this is all my goodies I got....I was soooo spoilt.

Oops...... forgot .... speeding again !

Khristina had another run in with "the law" that she "forgot" to mention. On our way to Lancaster in Pennsylvania (on the Turnpike) the state police stopped us for speeding. Luckily the "trooper" only gave Khristina a written warning - so no ticket ! Funny thing was she cried after she was let off ! She really has to learn to cry first - not afterwards
Anyway, I get to pay out on her because she's been caught more than me !

New York, New York - The Big Apple

What a day!!! Up by 7am and back to the hotel about 8.30pm....phewwww....but what a day!!! An amazing place. So BIG, and BUSY....the BUSTLE and HUSTLE...move it or lose it...or get stomped on! We a sightseeing tour on the big red double decker buses. Some have no roof on them and you get a wonderful view of all the city sights from up high. It was pretty cold though, about 8 degrees celcious today which is about 46 degrees farenheit.

We did the "Uptown Loop" which included Central Park - which always reminds me of the "Home Alone" movies;`Dakota Apartments which is where John Lennon lived and was shot;American Museum of Natural History;Grants Tomb.

We also did the "Downtown Loop" which included, Time Square,The Empire State Building, the World Trade Center site and on top of that we had a cruise on a short stretch of the East and Hudsons River to cruise past the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunatley you can no long enter the Statue of Liberty due to 9/11.

Taxi's...we have never seen so many yellow taxi's in one place at one time. OMG they were everywhere. So of course we had to buy a yellow taxi as a souvenir and red double decker bus. Sitting at the top of the double decker bus and right at the front I was "back seat driving" but not for our bus driver....lol...but for all the other maniacs on the road...lol...I literally felt like I was on a roller coaster ride, not knowing what turn would happen next and if I was going to be flung from my seat.

Philidelphia to New York

Today we had to say goodbye to Dianne and Artie and drive from Philidelphia to New York. We are currently in a Comfort Suites motel room and tomorrow we plan on getting a bus into New York city to see the city sights.

Philidelphia

Yesterday we arrived late in Philidelphia at our friend Diannes home. Today we rode the what they call the "L" which is an elevated train to see Independence Square. Unfortunately all the tickets had been given out by 8.30am but we did get to see the Liberty Bell and the outside of Independence Hall. The security to visit the Liberty Bell was tight checking all bags for weapons. Dianne's home is a what they call a "row" house and is right around the corner from where some of the scenes of "Rocky" was shot. The Pet Store which is now called JM Tropical Fish was actually owned by Dianne and Artins friend. The shop is no longer operating but we got to stand right outsided the store. Her house is also around the corner from where part of the movie "Shooter" was made with Mark Wahlberg in it. I must say its a pretty interesting neighbourhood. Quite a rough neighbourhood and very different to what we are used to. I am sure if I didnt have Dianne with me I wouldn't feel comfortable walking the streets on my own. Today we got to meet Pam from my CRAFT group and her children. We had a wonderful time with everybody and once again it was wonderful putting faces and voices to my internet friends.



Dianne, Pam, Khristina



Pam and Khristina

..............WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY........

We would like to wish all our friends a very Merry Christmas and thank you all for you friendship throughout the year. We have been so very fortunate and priveleged to have met such wonderful friends along the way on our trip and will cherish you all for a long time to come. Meeting everybody has bonded our "internet" friendship and I know I hold you all dear to my heart. For a giggle skip over to see us our Christmas dance.

Mike, Rose, Glen and Khris at the Gibbons home in Maryland, USA.



Today we tried a warm drink called "Wassail". Here is the defininition from Wikepedia.

The beverage typically served as "wassail" at modern holiday feasts with a medieval theme most closely resembles mulled cider, historical wassail was completely different, more likely to be mulled beer or mead. Sugar, ale, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon would be placed in a bowl, heated, and topped with slices of toast as sops.

Happy Birthday Rose

Today Rose had her birthday. Our friend Karen Mallory made Rose a lovely doll for her Birthday/Christmas present as we transported it from California to Maryland for her.

Frederick Quilt Store

Yesterday Rose and I went to a quilt store called Pins and Needles. OMG there was yet another terrific sale on fabric. Santa knew I had been a good girl all year so let me take advantage of this great sale and I got some gorgeous Christmas fabrics for $3 per yard. How good is that! I brought some fat quarters in some newer ranges of fabrics and we both brought some patterns. Rose had a field day and brought fabrics and books too. I will take a photo soon of the fabrics and post it later. We then got home and made a "no sew fabric gift bag". We have yet to finish it as we didn't have "grommets" which are the little metal rings that they use for the holes in the bag.

Gettysburg

Today we managed to climb out of bed by 9.30am. We have both been enjoying the sleep ins we are getting. Eventually we headed off with Rose to Gettysburg. This is an amazing place full of history. The Gettysburg Information Centre is amazing with the Museum and the Gettysburg Cyclorama painting which is just phenominal. They have it set in a circular theatre that you can walk around in and the narrator tells you the story of what happened at Gettysburg. They have props in the front of the painting which give you a 3D affect and you really feel as if you are there. We really needed more time in the museum but unfortunately we just didnt realise that we needed more time there. We went for a quick drive to see the many many monuments that are scattered throughout the battlefields. These photos are from my little camera as you could be waiting for a while if we wait for Glen to organise all his photos.

Major General G Meade





42nd New York Regiment - Tammany Regiment



Pennsylvania State Monument at Gettysburg has both the names of its generals carved into the top and their likenesses sculpted at the corners. The base is surrounded by tablets bearing names of less-decorated but equally brave soldiers who fought in the battle.

Huffing and Puffing and blowing the house down

The old fairy tale of the wolf huffing and puffing and blowing the house down is what today reminded me of. Wow, the wind was really blowing today, so unfortunately we chose not to go to Gettysburg. It really wouldn't have been fun trying to walk around there today. Tomorrow is supposed to be better so we are planning on visiting Gettysburg tomorrow.



Rose and I decided to go to her local quilt shop, well as local as she can get. I was very good and only brought twelve fat quarters. You brought five and got the 6th free.I got to meet a fellow blogger Toni who also is a Quiltville/Bonnie Hunter fan. Toni is also on two Yahoo quilting groups I am on.Isn't it wonderful how the internet has made the world so much smaller and we can get to meet people from other countries due to meeting online. Although Toni and I didn't realise we were in the same groups as they are rather large groups.

Just a giggle for you

New Windsor, Maryland

Yesterday we made it to our friend Rose's home in New Windsor, Maryland. Today we had a nice day sleeping in and resting. Rose and I did some stitching. I finished stitching down the binding on my Carolina Crossroads quilt and another healing heart quilt I am giving to a friend. Tomorrow we will head out to Gettysburg

The Amish

It was amazing to see so many buggies and all the Amish out and about around Intercourse. The buggies even have indicator and brake lights and are obviously just part of normal traffic.


The smaller kids looked cute in the traditional clothes. They all live such a simple life in a really picturesque environment - kinda made us envious in a way, although it would be waaay to hard to live how they do.

You can pick the Amish farms by the lack of power lines and the clothes lines full of old fashioned garments. The younger people sometimes use large scooters (leg powered variety) to get around, but older kids also use the horse and buggies.

Aparently when kids turn 16 Amish youth are allowed to live outside the bounds of their faith, experimenting with alcohol, premarital sex, trendy clothes, telephones, drugs, and wild parties("Rumspringa"). By allowing them such freedom, their parents hope they will learn enough to help them make the most important decision of their lives - whether to return to traditional ways or not. Apparently all but 5% of them return to traditional Amish life !!

Cold Dry Intercourse

Today was dry and cold in Intercourse. We had a lovely day throughout the local area and got to see lots of buggies and Amish people. Glen did get some photos along the way. I had a lovely few hours browsing all the craft shops....and oh boy, there were some wonderful primitive crafts in Intercourse. I found so many things I would have loved to buy and bring back home, but alas, I had Glen hovering not far away. I did however get a few smaller things that I know are going to fit in the luggage. Found some prim snowmen that were half price, so couldn't resist them. Purchased primitive teatowels, a metal hanger for them with a little barn star on it. I found a gorgeous red cardinal bird made by a local man I just had to have. You all know how much I adore the red cardinal birds. I couldnt' resist getting some more fabric either from The Old Country Store. Glen and I both admired the quilts in the museum and oh boy, did they ever have some gorgeous handmade primitive santas, dolls and other goodies. But wow, were they expensive up there. I couldnt justify paying a $110US dollars for a very small sized doll even though I would have loved to. I tried to convince Glen it would be a good Christmas pressie but it didn't work...he would be converting right back to Aussie dollars and at $160 I dont think he fell for it...agghhh

Some of the lovely quilts at the museum. There is a close up of each one to see them in details as best as my little camera would do.

Wet, soggy Intercourse

We arrived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania yesterday and today we headed out in the wet, soggy, rain for Intercourse, Bird-In-Hand, and Paradise. If you click on the Intercourse link it will explain how Intercourse is believed to have gotten its name. Yesterday our drive took about eight hours from Clark Lake to Lancaster and it cost $24.50 in toll fees. Agghhh that is about $35.60 in Aussie dollars. Imagine all the fabric I could have brought...lol

It has rained non stop all day. It really has put a damper on all the lovely shops I want to visit. I did however visit a couple of quilt shops. And yes, I brought more fabric. It was Moda fabric and the price was only $5.47 per yard. How can one pass that up. And it was a lovely muddy coloured range of fabric. I brought some cute Pot Holders made by locals which I really thought deserved to be brought. Something a bit fussier then I would make. I visited The Old Country Store and spent ages going through everything in there.They had fabrics for just $6.50 a yard and I didnt buy any because I had alreayd brought fabric across the road. But I did buy some little kitchen tools made from cherry oak. They are handcrafted and so cute. I will take photos later. No photos got taken today with all the rain coming down. We passed many horse and buggies but with all the rain it was impossible to get photos.

Off to Pennsylvannia.....

We're on the road again tomorrow...... heading to Lancaster, Pennsylvania - which is Amish country. There is a winter storm heading east, so we will have to drive about 8 hours so we arrive before it does. Could be snow, freezing rain and icy roads - but as long as we get to our destination all should be good. A couple of days there and then to Rose's in Maryland (north of Washington DC). NJ and George have spoiled us again and we look forward to calling in again when we head westwards after new year, it's so nice here by the frozen lake with the snow......

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I always think of that song Let It Snow by Bing Crosby when I see snow or anything that reminds me of snow. What a lovely snowy day today here in Clark Lake, Michigan. It really is just gorgeous, so we had a PJ day today here at NJ's. Well I did. I was feeling very tired and slow, so we stayed home, ate, snoozed, read some magazines and chatted. NJ did a bit of sewing and getting her doll patterns organised. She put the patterns onto template plastic for when she is ready to make them.

Ice Cream Parlour

The story of the "Dare to be Great" challenge costs $30 = 21 scoops of icecream to be eaten by one person in less than an hour. If you can do this you get it for free. 209 attempted this in the last six years and only nine people have managed to accomplish it.

NJ and George took us to the Icecream Parlour which has the BIGGEST parfaits and sundaes we have ever seen. We came here on our last visit three years ago and of course we forgot the camera, but not this time. We think they have actually reduced the size of them since last time.

George had his "usual" a double dip chocolate soda.



This is NJ with a "Turtle Sundae" which was huge and she actually finished it off.



Glen had a "Topper Parfait which really is bigger than this photo looks and I had a "Junior Fudge Brownie" which I could barely finish, but Glen finished the last bit off.



We had a day out today and went to a store called Whole Foods. Its a gourment store with so many gourmet foods and more than I thought possible. NJ really went to town buying yummy cheeses like camembert, brie and more...she got lots of different olives and marinated sweet peppers. Tonight we have eaten so much and we both feel as if we will burst. We didn't get home til 9.30pm so it was a late dinner. We went to see NJ and George's grandson play ice hockey which really was fun to watch even though they are only 13 years old. I get pretty excited....lol...they won 3 to nil so it was even better. George had to drive home in the snow which really was not too bad but you could not see the line markings on the road and I am so pleased it wasn't us having to drive as we really wouldn't have know where to drive. It was about 17 degrees farenheit which is about -8 degrees celcius. We are thinking there has been about three inches of snow already. I am thinking it might be a nice snowy day tomorrow and I can get a lovely photo with lots of snow.

brrrrr

brrrrrr.....its pretty nippy here in Michigan. This afternoon it was minus 9 degrees celcius (16F)....George and NJ took us to Cabela's, a huge sporting goods store that has an amazing display of stuffed animals. These were full life sized stuffed animals thoughout the store. These photos are from my little camera so not the best but will give you an idea.