Macy's Parade, French Turkey and More

We caught some glimpses of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The crowds were incredible! We got an appreciation for the reason for the giant balloons. That's all you can see when you're a couple of blocks away.

We were amused by what people would do to view the parade--stand in dumpsters or on homemade stilts. We followed the parade route to Times Square....

...and then made our way to Chelsea Piers and the Hudson River. We got a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty (on the left) and....

...saw the Empire State Building again.

We were so thankful for the companionship of Jini. Jacob was an incredible tour guide.

I was amazed to see blossoms on the trees. Apparently, the weather was unseasonably warm.

We were intrigued by the glass buildings (the one on the right reminded us of a ship) as we continued our journey to the High Line. The High Line is an old railroad line that has been developed into a park.

We got a little bit closer to the Statue of Liberty (in the distance on the right).

We enjoyed the views of the Hudson River, New Jersey across the river and the West side.

On the left is the pier where the Titanic was to have landed.

You could see the old train tracks in the midst of the foilage.

We passed cobblestone streets in the old meatpacking district turned fashionable hangout as we walked to Chelsea Market. We loved Chelsea Market, a quaint enclosed food court and shopping mall located in the old Nabisco factory. This was where the Oreo cookie was invented and produced. We sampled some delicious ice cream.

We wanted to spend more time exploring the market but it was time to head back to Harlem and Thanksgiving dinner! Lester, Jacob's friend and landlord, had made reservations at a French restaurant which was near the LDS church and the famous Apollo Theater, an almost exclusive African-American music hall. Our Thanksgiving dinner was definitely a unique experience. We loved the ambiance of the little restaurant, the slow pace of the meal allowing for lots of time to visit, and the delicious food.

After a much needed rest in the evening, we continued our explorations. We visited the Rockefeller Center. As we arrived, the building across the street put on a fabulous light display to Christmas music.

We rode the elevators to the top of the Rock and witnessed an ethereal view of the city. Back down on the ground, we soon found ourselves in Times Square again.

On Black Friday, Jacob took us through the impressive design shopping district, by Washington Square Park, and past New York University....

...and on to Broadway where we actually did some shopping! We were amazed at how quickly the people standing in lines were able to make their purchases.

My new hat from Uniglo and Jim's new down jacket kept us toasty warm for the rest of that bitter cold day.

We ambled through China Town and caught the subway to Brooklyn Bridge.

The buildings near the bridge were stunning.

It was cold and windy on the Brooklyn Bridge but we were impressed by the architecture....

...and the view of the East River. We found our way to City Hall Park with its gas lit lamps and surrounded by government buildings which date back to 1812. The park itself has been in use since colonial times.

We walked by St. Paul's Chapel which was built in 1766 and is Manhattan's oldest building still in use. George Washington attended services here. It is located across the street from the World Trade Center site. A large sycamore tree in the church yard was knocked over with the blast and protected the church and graveyard from destruction on Sept. 11. An artist made a cast of the tree's roots. The Trinity Root is now on display at the Trinity Church to commemorate Sept. 11.

The beautiful Trinity Church was constructed in 1846.

We continued our tour down Wall Street where we saw the site of the inaugaration of George Washington as president of the US and the US Stock Exchange.

Exhilarated by all that we had seen but hungry and tired after hours of walking, we turned to retrace our steps up Wall Street. The Trinity Church framed by the buildings on Wall Street gave us the perfect parting photograph to top off our New York adventure.

Thankfully, we found a cab that transported us to Jacob's favorite Indian restaurant. It was cozy, the service really good and the food was hot! Just what we needed on that cold and blustery evening. After dinner, we went back to Broadway to find another show. We saw "West Side Story". It was good but didn't quite move us like "Wicked" had. After three hours of little sleep, we arose to prepare for the journey home. Thank you, Jacob, for a memorable visit to New York City! We hope there are many more to come.

Thanksgiving in New York

Our Thanksgiving holiday was filled with adventure. We visited our son in New York City! We stayed in a fantastic bed and breakfast in Harlem. The kitchen was stocked with breakfast food. Other amenities included a flat screen TV, computer and sumptuous bed.

The manager greeted us with a bouquet of flowers and Godiva chocolate!

After getting settled in, we connected with Jacob's friend, Jini, and then took the subway to meet up with Jacob near his work. It was great to see Jacob! He was excited to show us his city. He loves living and working there. We did a lot of walking that first night. We ate dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant. We visited the beautifully renovated Grand Central Terminal and....

...saw the glowing Empire State Building.

After a much needed good night's sleep, we took photos on the front steps of our bed and breakfast....

...and then headed to Central Park with Jini to ride bicycles. We explored the whole park trying to find landmarks from the movie "Enchanted". We were amazed at the fall colors still evident.

We discovered a statue of Christopher Columbus, the Bandshell,

Bethesda Fountain and Terrace,

an Obelisk (erected in Egypt in 1500 BC and moved to the US in 1881),

the original compost pile (according to Jim),

the beautiful Harlem Meer and, surprisingly, rock cliffs,

Jim's smile,

the Ravine in the North Woods, several cathedrals....

...and stunning buildings on the perimeter of the park,

an ornate bridge,

a marionette theater (the Swedish Cottage) in the Shakespeare Garden (dedicated in 1961, the 300th anniversary of his death),

the Belvedere Castle (belvedere means the lookout)....

...from which the views of the Turtle Pond and Great Lawn in Central Park and of New York were breathtaking,

and the beautiful Bow Bridge over The Lake. A light rain started falling as we concluded our tour and made our way back to the rental place (a parking garage). What a grand adventure our bicycle ride through Central Park had been!

Lunch at a delicious bakery revived us and we continued our tour. We saw Carnegie Hall where we stepped in the foyer to let Jim sing. Now he can say that he sang in Carnegie Hall!:) We found the Metropolitan Opera....

...giant pumpkins at the entrance to a bar, and the LDS Temple.

We discovered an ancient church with red doors.

We walked back through Central Park--taking a short cut to our destination, the Apple store, to run an errand for Jacob.

It was interesting to watch the carriage drivers texting and talking on cell phones!

The Apple Store was actually underground. The entrance was covered by a glass box. I wish we had gotten a picture! We completed our errand and returned to our accommodations to prepare for a night out on the town. Our Mexican dinner was fantastic! As we made our way to the Gershwin Theater on Broadway to watch "Wicked", we stopped for photos in Times Square.

What a great way to end a perfect day. "Wicked" was FANTASTIC!

We couldn't wait to see what the next two days of our stay in New York would bring.

The Mysterious Marauder?

We think we may have discovered the mysterious marauder. The night before we left for New York, we heard cats making a commotion in the back yard. It was late, we were tired and, thinking it was cats making whoopie, we ignored the noise. Our phone rang at 11:30 pm. It was the neighbor wondering whether the chickens she heard squawking their heads off were ours. Hers were sleeping peacefully. Jim ran out to check. He found a fox dragging off one of the chickens. A quick inspection showed that the fox had dug a hole into the coop. He had dragged out both chickens. Jim grabbed the closest weapon on hand, a pitchfork, and chased the fox away. He returned both chickens to the coop. One seemed to be injured but still alive and the other already dead. Jim went back to bed.

We left the house before 6 am the next day to catch a plane wondering what had happened to our poor chickens. It had been too dark to investigate and time had been limited. Jim sent a message to our caretaker who later informed us that the fox had evidently returned and eaten one of the chickens. The other was dead. We haven't seen hide nor hair of the fox since. The rest of the chickens have been safely secured.

So Thankful for Family

The hardest part of having an empty nest is that we are so far from family! We are thankful for every opportunity that we get to spend with family members. I had the chance to take a trip to Utah the week before Thanksgiving week (while Jim was traveling in China and Japan on business) to get my family fix.

When I picked up my grandchildren at their other grandma's house, I was greeted with cherished hugs from Maggie, Nathan and Matthew. When Becca, the youngest, saw me her face lit up in recognition. She ran to me. I picked her up and got a cuddle that would melt any grandma's heart. It made my day.

Dinner the first evening was at a Chinese restaurant with three of my daughters. Since their Dad was in China on his birthday, we decided that we were appropriately celebrating his birthday. We wished he could have been there to celebrate with us! We called Tori and told her that we had a seat for her and that we would be thinking of her on our girls night out. We spent two wonderful hours visiting and laughing.

Elly dropped me and the four kids off at the library while she ran an errand. She was concerned about leaving me alone with the kids in the library for a half hour. I assured her that all would be well. There is plenty to keep one busy in the library! Little did I realize.... The minute we entered the library, the kids took off in four directions. Maggie pointed out "Mom's books" (the biggest reserved section that I have ever seen). I noticed the sign as we entered the children's section of the library reminding patrons to be respectful of the library experience of others. Becca ran to the window and started calling for mommy, at the top of her lungs. I quickly helped Maggie pick out her books and then tracked Becca down. Maggie picked out books for Becca while I helped Nathan and Matthew find their books. I chased Becca down again and then sat down to look at books with Maggie. Becca disappeared again. I found her trying to put an unchecked out book on the return book ramp. She screamed when I took the book away and tried to run out the front doors. Matthew offered to watch her. I sat down to look at books with Maggie again. I soon noticed that Matthew was pushing Becca around the library on a reading chair. Although this was not a quiet library activity both were occupied and I ignored it for a while. Soon Maggie joined the activity and the disagreements started. The time to leave had come. As I was gathering up the books, I heard Becca crying. I found a concerned librarian hovering over the three children. I think we had caused more commotion in the fifteen minutes we had been in the library than the library had seen all year! I'm sure those librarians were happy to see us walk out that door.

Elly forgot about Maggie's preschool class. The teacher called to remind us that it was picture retake day and that she hoped Maggie could come. Elly was at work. When I told Maggie it was time to get ready for picture day at preschool she wanted to know if that meant she got to wear makeup. I told her "no" but that we did need to wash her face, comb her hair and change her shirt which was streaked with the hot chocolate she had had for lunch. She let me wash her face but refused to let me comb her hair or change her clothes. Elly will remember the day she forgot preschool every time she looks at that poor ragamuffin, Maggie, in the preschool picture.

I tried to fix dinner that night. The simple meal of cheese sauce, broccoli and potatoes took much longer to prepare than anticipated. Although there had been several interruptions, I couldn't figure out what the problem was! To add to the chaos, the kids decided to start playing in the kitchen to remind me that they were hungry. Elly came home and saved the day. She recognized that the burner was malfunctioning. After changing burners and still getting a watery sauce, she deduced that I hadn't put in the full amount of flour after doubling the recipe. Of course, trying to add the extra flour resulted in a lumpy sauce but I was supposed to be walking out the door to make my appointment with Cami and everybody was starving. We ate the lumpy sauce and the overcooked broccoli and potatoes. I left the house wondering how I ever fixed dinner with five hungry children at home!

I was happy to drop Brian off at the car dealership to pick up his car that had been repaired but was late meeting with Cami for her birthday shopping spree. Happily, Cami and I discovered that the store didn't close until a half hour later than anticipated. We had plenty of time to do all of our shopping and had a great time doing it. I spent a short night in Cami's apartment before returning to Elly's home the next morning.

I promised to take the girls to play on the merry-go-round while their mom ran errands. Matthew decided to join us. Nathan was not in the least bit interested. The traffic was slogged down by construction and it took us forever to get to our destination. We arrived about lunch time, decided to take a quick ride and then return home where we were to meet Elly before she went to work. Thankfully, Elly joined us at the mall. We had time to not only ride the merry-go-round but to eat lunch, play on the playground and do a little shopping as well. We had so much fun together that Matthew couldn't wait to get home and raz Nathan about missing out on a fun activity.

Later, after Becca's nap, I took the kids to a warehouse filled with trampolines. How crazy can a grandma be? I managed to get a few pictures but soon realized it was practically impossible to take them and keep track of the little girls, too.

I honestly can't say who was more exhausted by the time we left that place an hour later but I'm thinking it was probably grandma.

Jim's Birthday Bash

Jim's birthday bash was fabulous--in spite of the fact that it was completely spontaneous. After spending the week zoned in on writing a talk and preparing a lesson to present in church on Sunday, I had neglected to make any birthday party preparations. Jim was going to be in China on his birthday (Monday, Nov. 16) and, knowing how much he loves a party, I approached him on Thursday with the idea of having some friends over the following evening to celebrate his birthday. Jim was so excited by the idea that he even offered to make the phone calls! I, being the generous wife that I am, (and still fully immersed in that talk and lesson) let him. Jim made some phone calls and was happy to find Vicki and Daryl at home to accept his invitation to dinner, keeping the birthday celebration a secret so we could have a "surprise" party.

Vicki and Daryl were the perfect birthday party guests. They loved being a part of our "surprise" party. They even agreed to join us in the birthday march!

The seven minute frosting (Jim's favorite all his life) didn't get too hard or slide off the cake--another sign of success!:)

We even had candles--a rare occurrence. But only because Jim had made a last minute run to the store before the party to buy the forgotten candles and had placed them carefully on his cake.

Blowing out the candles brought lots of laughter. I forgot to take the picture of Jim blowing out the candles the first time. We replaced them, re-lit them and tried again--for posterity. I couldn't get the camera to take the picture the second time and thought I'd missed it again. We did a pretend-Jim-is-blowing-out-the-candles picture but he was laughing too hard to make it look authentic. We checked the pictures I had taken and discovered that the first one had actually caught enough of the action to suffice.

Happy Birthday, Jim! You're the best husband ever. Thanks for being so patient with your crazy wife.:) Thank you, Vicki and Daryl, for being such great friends.

The Spooky Halloween Marauder

As usual Whiskers (that cat that adopted us) was driving me crazy by scratching on the window begging for food yesterday morning. So that I wouldn't have to put up with his antics while trying to enjoy breakfast, I went out to feed him. The box with the cat food sits on the back porch next to the cat dish with a carton of magazines on top. Both had disappeared! This was the sight that met my eyes.

Usually, I expect to see this.

As I looked out into the darkness, I discovered the carton of magazines but couldn't see any sign of the box with the cat food. Spooky.

Later, after it got light enough to see, I searched again and found the food box about fifteen feet away from its usual location, upside down in the trees. The lid was nearby.

The food was still in the box. Whatever went to all that trouble to try to get the cat food must have been a very disappointed critter. What do you think was the mystery marauder? A herculean racoon? Hope your Halloween isn't quite so spooky!

Maybe these fall photos I took while on my walk last week will calm your fears.:)

The ward trunk or treat certainly got us in the Halloween spirit last night. We're looking forward to doing our traditional trick or treating tonight taking loaves of nut bread to friends and neighbors.

We hope your Halloween is filled with plenty of fun!

Another Fabulous Discovery on the Backroads of Idaho

The forecast for last weekend was sunny with temperatures in the 70s! We couldn't pass up the opportunity to go camping in spite of the fact that it was the middle of October. Jim picked out the location because he did a lot of camping with the scouts when we first moved to Idaho and, therefore, knows lots of cool places to camp. It was late when we finally got on the road. This is what the landscape looked like after we exited the freeway and began meandering down Blacks Creek Road--not very promising--but I could tell Jim was excited about the place we were headed.

It soon grew dark and I could no longer see the scenery. We drove on that dirt road for about two hours before finally coming to our destination (just as we were about to give up hope that we would ever find it)--Rattlesnake Creek Road. There was a campground at the end of it but we soon grew tired of driving on the narrow dirt road and pulled off into the first "camping" spot we could find. It was pitch dark and we couldn't see a thing. We could hear the rushing water of Rattlesnake Creek. As we turned on the outside lights of the camper, we discovered a fire ring! We built a fire, roasted marshmallows and consumed a couple of Nutella s'mores to celebrate our arrival before turning in for the night.

The next morning, we discovered that we were in a narrow canyon. The ghostly spikes of dead trees from a previous forest fire cast an eery spell on the fall landscape.

After a hearty breakfast, we climbed on our bikes to explore the rest of the dirt road leading to the campground. We stopped often to catch our breath (with the excuse of having to take a picture :)). The gradual uphill climb for two and half miles was a bit taxing.

You can't tell from the look on his face but Jim really was having a great time. For some obscure reason, his smile for the camera doesn't look like one at all. Rattlesnake Creek was beautiful!

We could see snowcapped mountains in the distance.

The road was surprisingly busy. We encountered several hunters. Some even stopped to ask if we knew the best location for finding deer. I'm afraid, being the avid hunters that we are, that we weren't much help.:)

We wore our reflective vests so we wouldn't be mistaken for deer.

We finally found the campground! It was very primitive. There was no latrine in sight and the only picnic table was quite charred.

However, the view of the distant mountains was fabulous.

The ride up to the campground took over an hour. The ride back to our camper took about fifteen minutes. We hardly had to peddle at all as we sped downhill. We did stop to take a few more pictures because the sun was just right.

I was quite pleased with our discoveries of the morning. As we headed for home, Jim assured me that there were more hidden gems to come.

To humor Jim, I donned the hunting cap for a picture but refused to wear it. Are you surprised? We encountered fantastic views of rock formations and fall colors as we drove to the tiny town of Prairie.

We passed the town in a blink of the eye but had to stop to take a picture of the view of the Trinity Mountains.

After our picnic lunch outside of Prairie, Jim informed me that the best was yet to come. I was stunned at the views that met my eye as we rounded the next corner. You really had to be there to appreciate the stark beauty of the immense vista.

We wound down the steep road into the ravine where we stopped to photograph the beautiful south fork of the Boise River.

As we continued our journey home we marveled at the vivid yellow leaves,

the tip of Arrowrock Reservoir,

and the spectacular fall colors.

We ended our tour with a stop at the historic site, Bonneville Point, where in 1832 the Idaho explorer, Captain Bonneville, first saw the wooded Boise valley. He had been traveling through the desert for many weeks and was excited to see so many trees. Legend has it that he exclaimed, "Les bois, les bois, voyez les bois" or "the trees, the trees, look at the trees" and thus Boise received it's name. Thirty years later, the old Indian trail that Bonneville followed was used by thousands of Oregon Trail emigrants. We followed it for a few feet and marveled at the view of Boise, city of trees.

Thanks Jim for another grand adventure, in true traditional style!