a little more of our Christmas holiday

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— Christmas Day view out the hotel window at the Cape Fear River and the Battleship North Carolina.  The day was clouding up as is obvious

 But still a very nice view of the River and the 421 bridge- we rode top down most of the way to the beach house— it was that nice.

 Now the 26th after a little rain Christmas Day afternoon and evening was some extremely nice.
(You may note the sand buildup at the bottom of the stairs.  There had been serious over wash of the dunes and a little debris was under our deck)

 Apparent recent erosion of the beach left a bit of a drop off to the "wet-sand-beach"

 and there is not much left of the old pier, except this remnant of a piling and a sign warning of underwater remnants of pilings.

Merry Christmas

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Christmas in Wilmington:  a little different, but that is part of what we have decided to add to our Christmas  Celebration.  Photo is looking "up - river" or North-west  along the river walk -- the Hilton, where we stayed it the tall white building in the distance.

 We walked along the river walk for quite a distance and it is a very nice walk and the sunset was beautiful, especially over the old US 17 bridge.

 the candlelight service in the First Baptist Church was beautiful - and the soloist for "O Holy Night" (one of my favorites) was very good.  The church is 200 years old and has balconies - we were upstairs -duh- and by time service started the place was full.  I had been to that church before for a funeral for a friend and thought it would be a nice service - it was.

 We then walked around the old part of town which was quite full of Christmas Eve celebrants, had a wonderful dinner at one of the many restaurants still open.

 and got our photo taken in front of the riverside Christmas tree- the hats are not ours but loaned for photo purposes by the Russian and his girlfriend who took our picture.  He said he was Russian, because I asked - as we say he did not sound like he was from Kinston - his girl friend perhaps, but not him.

Back at the hotel - we then skyped with our Grandchildren and watched them open presents it was a different and very merry Christmas

Merry Christmas --

and this afternoon = to Oak Island - for a couple of days 

packaging food

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yesterday Patt and I participated in the morning shift with about 150-200 people in our shift as part of our church's efforts to package 60,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now.  We were in the church youth building gym at various sorts of assembly line activity to package individual meal packets.  Note Mike and Robin there in the foreground as they are part of one of the teams packing the meals for shipment.

 there was a mix of old and young as soy meal, rice, dried vegetables and a packet of vitamins was poured down a funnel into plastic bags.

 it was repetitious and simple activity, but the coordination and assembly of the work stations and raw material supplying was a real work of art.

 after the initial bagging of the food, it was taken by "runners" to weighing stations to ensure accuracy of the quantity.  --- real quality control ! - for real.

 At the workstation where Patt and I worked (when we weren't taking pictures or walking around "helping out") were a fun group of young people -- a WFU grad elementaryschool teacher, a personal manager from NCSU, a college student (whose brother played baseball at Enloe-she had on his shirt), a data management guy and someone else - as well as the little girl scout who helped us out too.  Note the "runner" preparing to take a tray of packages to the quality control stations.

 And how about the headgear Patt and I wore.  We thought it was really nice and if it were not for the need of these hats by the following shifts of workers, we just may have kept that headgear for future use and appearances in public.

a few left over photos from China

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I was sorting through my China pictures to make a slide show and thought these were worth and extra look to share with you all.

Below is a photo I took on the day I rode the electric motorcycle to Shuangliu and was on the divided highway - 4 lanes each way - as I best recall- it may have been 5, but not less than 4 lanes.  The roads are big.  Anyway a bus - seen here was making a U turn in the right lane- sorta backed up traffic for a bit and made for interesting movement around it while it went through its motions.  A couple of things to note -- check out the lane discipline of the yellow crane truck and the green bus next to me - that bus was a standing room only one too.  Also note the woman disembarking passenger from the U -turn bus.  I do enjoy weaving through traffic when it is stopped like this.  There are some type B persons who will wait - but us type A s -- well Chinese driving offers opportunities to truly move forward.  yes that is a concrete mixer up ahead on the right.  Traffic is intense.

The sign below was in the park I went to in Shuangliu.  Check out directive number 4.  Actually all of them are pretty good and are good advice when in public generally.  To save you a trip to the dictionary a "pericarp" is basically a fruit skin like and orange pealing.  Sometimes the person doing a translation just has a dictionary - and on occasion is entertaining.  there are web sites devoted to Chinglish as it is called
Check out this NY Times (I just googled Chinglish) Ihttp://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/05/03/world/asia/20100503_CHINGLISH-10.html


you can double click the photo and make it larger to read the "rules"

and below is an advertisement for a restaurant.  The specialties are of course chicken, duck, fish and rabbit.

Redux

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a few updates here:

1.  per previous post the reviews of the cooking adventure went extremely well.  The bean pork chop onion green pepper casserole was great.  Next time I will back off on the bbq sauce - or change the sauce -- it was one those in the bottle grocery store and was just not what it needed -- other than that -- a do over and the left overs were really good run through the ole micro wave.

the pie was good - not great -- so the work effort on cooking the pumpkins will not be repeated - at least by me.  nothing like good ole canned fruit ?  is pumpkin a fruit or vegetable or nut or what - legume per chance.  Bet you do not know just what it is.

and the Christmas decorations for Patt.  Below is the next item for her.  I just KNOW she will love having rudolf's nose so bright on the grill of her car to go with deer antlers over the doors - just like this one in a parking lot I was just in .  I bet I waited - oh - well not several hours for the owner to show up so I could ask just where one could buy such wonderful items for a car.  I mean they are lucky people were not out stealing that right off their car.  I was tempted, but knew Patt would be afraid of the potential owner tracking me- her down.

check it out.  good stuff huh  ?  if I find the store want an outfit for your car ?- serious inquires only please 

this is getting good

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that my friends - well I may be a bit light headed, let me back up - not sure I have so many friends who read this so---  -- well my relatives,  check out the pork chop baked bean beauty in the oven.  Yes -sir-reeee- bob,  looked it up on "the google" found a recipe which I immediately knew would do -- (you have brown sugar, green peppers, and onions in something and well that makes a good start).  This is sill in the oven -Let you know later how it turns out but I am thinking it is going to be good.  I am also thinking I keep this up and Patt may yet let me keep on being retired- which I have mentioned to you all is a very good state of being).  

 and just because I can -- how bout these --- real pumpkin too, none of this canned stuff.  Well actually if the taste is not a WHOLE lot better, it will be canned pumpkin next time.  Used a different recipe -- has mace and vanilla in it in addition to ginger and cinnamon and the other usual stuff.  If I remember I will let you know how they turn out. -- those lines on the pie at 5 o'clock are where testing indicated not yet done.

field level -- yes a good place to watch a game

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In a previous post I mentioned that Mark and I went to watch ASU play the U of Maine, what I did not mention was that we had a pretty good view of the game.  Like field level -- yes indeedee field level.  Using a media pass, we were there.  Note below, a famous sports photographer along the sidelines with the seemingly large number of persons with business on the sidelines.  I think a lot of them were just wanting to have a good view of the game.

 Above I am - along with everyone else enjoying a commercial break in the action.  Note the TV time guy in the red hat talking to the officials regarding media time outs.  I wanted to discuss that with him too.  But we did indeed have a good view.

 and despite not having one of those monstrous camera lens, I did get a few good action photos.

Speaking of monstrous cameras, check out the guy to my left and the guy in the background.  We are talking some serious take a close up in a hurry here.  That is snow on the "grassy bank" behind the running track.  A little cold but not nearly what it could be and has been up here.

and just because we could we went to the other side of the field -- directly behind the visitors bench is not such a good place to watch the game from,

 but you could hear the coaches yelling and such.

 Back on the ASU side, as we went past the student section while holding a camera we brought out some serious, "take a picture of me" moments.  You would have thought they were creating a scene for a famous photographer  hoping for the chance of making the cover of Sports Illustrated  or something.

 and I was not the only famous photographer - note the use of the iPhone by brother Mark, - also in the foreground, that fancy lens was nothing compared to one or two that were about the size of a small truck.

 We did watch a bit of the game for a sky box 

 and the opening moments of the ASU band post game concert.  --The band is awesome and if you get a chance do go hear them.

 Especially when they play Tennessee Waltz 

and when the sunset sky is so very beautiful 

 indeed the sunset was beautiful and rapidly changing.

Patt is sooo happy

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I just ordered a set up like this for our house.  It will be installed soon and I just know how happy Patt will be now that I have finally decorated for Christmas.  it plays music, and has moving parts too.

overhead view of the old hometown

Last Saturday the 4th Mark and I flew up to watch the ASU Mountaineers  in a game against the University of Maine (quick what are they ? ).  This was round one of the playoffs for their  football Division.  

Leaving the airport we flew over the ole home place where we grew up.  The big field is slap full of bamboo and trees it appears.-- that field you see is the ball field across the creek.

Stephen note the angle of the wing.  You would have really liked how Mark would turn the plane on its side so I could get a good look at subjects on the ground.  We made some tight turns too.

 a closer view of the house and barn, gives further proof to the growth of the bamboo I fear.  An on the ground survey just may be required since I believe I do have some free time coming up  ( You had better believe that )

And younger brother Kelly and Beth's house is below, just down from the pool - that former knitting mill in the distance is larger than I would have thought.

And behind the church and down to the next block is where Barbara and Eric live and squirrels are becoming an endangered species.

 and the Christmas parade marched around the court house for us.  and I as well as the brothers have marched in that parade more than once as a band members.  I was a player of the trumpet and baritone horn- well actually I was one who attempted to play which ever instrument I was using.

 Marie and the Mark's house is just on the far side of the cul-de-sac behind one heck of a big grocery store.

 and what we have here is the University where Niece Kate is making straight As.  Her dorm is right off the wing tip.

 Then it was on to fly over the home of the Deacons and there to the left is where our basketball team may some day beat another team.  We are hopeful that it will be this year.  the Football stadium is just to the right in the photo and home to high school playoffs Saturday.

and this is a practice airport - forgot the name of it- that Mark wanted to use for practice landing on a small airport.  It was indeed small --   It certainly is not an international airport and parking is limited - though the black angus cattle grazing in the foreground must be used to planes as those grazing did not look up.  The ones lying down did glance our way. 

Oh Maine is the Black Bears and they did indeed whoop us Mountaineers - game photos to follow.  Guess who had a "media pass" and was on the field for part of the game?