Merry Christmas

Christmas Past

1956 - Jo's First Christmas

Christmas - 1984

Christmas - 1994

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas - 2009

Christmas - 2009

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Sugar Barge Christmas Party and a Full moon

We had a wonderful Christmas here at the Sugar Barge RV Resort.  Tracy and her brother Dave gave the workampers a wonderful Prime Rib dinner with all the trimmings.  Salad, roasted potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, two different types of tortellini, fresh rolls with butter and a double chocolate cake and strawberry cheesecake for dessert!  Wow, talk about a beautiful and scrumptious spread!  We ate, drank and had a great time visiting with the other folks who are staying here for the winter.

Dave, carving the Prime Rib Roast

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree...

The celebration included a gift swap.  It was a blast.  You had the choice of choosing a gift from under the tree or taking someone's opened gift and they would have to choose a new gift from under the tree. 

Bruce and Loretta.  Our workamping neighbors.

We had planned on going to bed early Sunday night, as we knew we had to work Monday morning, but "Santa Claus 3" came on so of course we had to watch it!  I really enjoy Tim Allen in the "Santa Claus" movies and had never seen this one before.  Our reward for being up so late ... a halo moon beaming overhead.  It took several shots to get one that actually showed the halo around the moon.  It was a stunning sight!

Halo moon - December 19, 2010

 This morning we were greeted by the sound of hundreds of geese flying overhead as we headed out to work.  Had to go back and get my camera to get a few pictures of them.

 

 


Happy Christmas to all!
Jo

"God bless us, every one!," 
Tiny Tim  "Timothy Cratchit"

The weather here has been gray and gloomy with more rain coming for the next week.  I guess it's better then the snow that is hammering the Midwest and the bitter cold that is freezing the oranges off their trees in the Southern parts of our wonderful Nation.

This past week has been a busy one.  With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas right around the corner.  My older daughter came for a visit and brought Christmas presents!   As we unwrapped the gifts I was shocked to find a Digital Photo Frame.  Wow, I've been wanting one of those for a long time.  Now I can load all my pictures and not have to worry about not having enough "wall space" and Paul and I can enjoy looking at our family and friends all day long. She included a digital key-chain so that I can carry my most precious pictures with me and share them with others.  Who would have thought that a "Grandma's Brag Book" could be converted to a key-chain!  Wow, we have come so far in our technology that it's scary.   I also received the most beautiful traveling mug to take along on our journeys and this really neat Olive Oil jar that stores and measures your cooking oil.  I had spotted hers last year and made the comment that I thought it was one of the greatest inventions since sliced bread!  I use a lot of Olive Oil for cooking, so it was the perfect additionn for my kitchen.

We spent a couple of days with my youngest daughter nearer the coast.  The weather there was a bit better with the sun popping it's beautiful warmth through the clouds.  Made her dinner and spent some time sewing.  It was a wonderful feeling to spend the time doing something that I also enjoyed doing with my Mom.  In our family, there is a love for creating!  Whether it's baking cakes and decorating them for a special celebration, making unique clothing for holidays, finding just the right material to decorate our homes, crocheting for family and friends,  creating our own recipes as we dabble in our kitchens, sewing baby clothes and my Mom's favorite, creating Christening gowns for many generations that became known in the family as "Ann's Angels". This past week I was blessed to help my youngest daughter create lined drapes out of a piece of fabric that was perfect for her guest bedroom and start a duvet cover for her new bed ensemble. 

Paul hung, or I should say, rehung the Christmas lights on her front windows.  She had hung the small white lights on her three windows, only to have the center strand of lights not work.  After an hour of trying to find the problem, Paul decided to start from scratch and rehang the lights in a different configuration!  Just in time for her to have a few friends over for a holiday get together.

While driving down to the Bay area, passing through the city of Freemont, California, Paul spotted what he thought was a long lost relative of the French General and Statesman, Charles de Gaulle.
What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a small piece of our journey.

Jo

"I have come to the conclusion that politics are too serious a matter to be left to the politicians." Charles de Gaulle

Moving Day

Not moving far.  We are still at Sugar Barge RV Resort and Marina, just moving to a "Workamper site".  One of the other workampers moved out so we will be taking their spot.  Most of the sites here are 30 amp, but the workamper sites are 50 amp.  Not sure we'll need 50 amps for the winter months, but you never know.  Once we get settled in, I can pull out the sewing machines and start my "baby" projects. Picked up some cute fabric to make a few sleepers and other things. I have a new grandchild on the way, due mid- February.

A sewing project from 2009

The weather has been cool, but from what I reading and seeing on the television, the whole nation is cold!  This morning watched the fog rolling off the delta but the warm winter sun quickly burned it away and they are calling for rain the rest of the week.  At least it's not a foot of snow!

Learning many new things that will benefit us for future workamping positions, nothing we aren't capable of doing, just new!  Register, boat and site rentals, RV site reservation program, driving a tractor, filling propane tanks are just a few of the new things we've learned. We are looking forward to exploring the area, fishing and enjoying all that life has to offer.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you're in the neighborhood, let us know, we always enjoy company!

Jo

Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
James Dean

Learning new things.

Well, we are slowly getting settled in at Sugar Barge RV Resort and Marina.  We've had a couple of days of training.  Paul is doing outside work: lawn maintenance, filling propane tanks, moving boats and trailers with a tractor, using the garbage compactor and whatever else comes up.  I'm doing RV site and boat rental  reservations, answering phones,  greeting customers, sales in the store and paperwork! So far so good!  Our work schedule will be working Sunday and Monday for eight hours and the rest of the week off to explore the area, visit with family and enjoy the camaraderie of the other campers.

Sugar Barge Resort offers RV camping, horseshoe pits, a playground, a small convenience store,  a swimming pool in the summer months, RV Trailer rentals, boat rentals, jet ski rentals, tent camping, fishing, a restaurant during the summer months and a beautiful banquet hall that overlooks the delta.

Sugar Barge Post Card

We've stocked the refrigerator and freezer with food for the next two weeks, got a P.O. Box as there is no mail delivery here on the Island and did a small trip to the nearest town to see what is there.  A grocery store, a few gas stations, a couple of restaurants, cinema and places to shop.  Who knows, maybe we'll take in a few movies while we're here!

I know that there is a resident ostrich and buffalo up the road, but haven't been able to get pictures as it has been raining for the last two days.  Also been told there are a couple of burros who will come eat carrots from your hand.  I need to put carrots on the next shopping list! There are also chickens, goats, and feral cats. We  hear coyote, an occasional owl hooting in the evening, turkeys, and Paul has seen pheasants, egrets and ducks. It's duck hunting season so, we are woken by the muffled sounds of gunfire from the blinds out on the lake.

This morning's overcast and foggy view of the lake. 

All in all this looks like it will be a good place for us to settle for the next six months.