Winter Wonderland

 This was one morning last week when the temperature was below -25C. Living on a hill, we usually stay about 10 degrees warmer than other locations. Yesterday we were 16 degrees warmer than Mom and Dad's place.

 My kitchen windows face east. I never tire of looking at the sunrise. During the summer I don't enjoy as many sunrises because I'm still in a slumber state!

 This is looking to the southeast.

 The sky was lit up to the northeast as well. The time was around 9 am.

 On the weekend we received about 12" of snow. After the snowfall, the sun has been extremely bright. Everywhere I look there seems to be diamonds just laying on top the snow.

This picture was taken at about 3 pm. The sun is already sinking low to the southwest. The bright sunny days and beautiful sunrises make winter a bit more bearable.

Winter at the Whitmore's

Over the Christmas holidays Curtis had some time off work so we finished Chloe's room. A new coat of paint was added to match the new bedding she received for her birthday in July, window cills painted, baseboards and trim added and French doors for the closet.

 The wall with 2 windows is purple and the rest is a sage green.

 Winter is always a great time for soup. Pumpkin Thai was on the menu.

 Tried a new recipe, it's called cranberry banana bread. A very tasty combination.

 The snow makes everything sparkle.

It's always a good time for target practise.

White Christmas

Since we live in an area where winter is one of the main seasons, we bundle up and enjoy the snow and cold. Winter is a beautiful time of year. The kids have a tunnel and a fort built.

One of the kids must have taken this picture. I guess that's what happens when I leave my camera out.

Christmas tree lights are the best part. We love just sitting in the living room with the soft glow and visiting.

Curtis being silly sporting his new jeans.

These are my favourite socks for winter.

The kids received a present for them both. They worked together opening and playing with the helicopters.

Christmas Day was spent at Mom and Dad's.

The adults played a game where we each had one minute to see how much we could unwrap. These gloves made the task very difficult. There were I think 5 boxes one inside of each other. Mom said 3 rolls of duct tape were used to ensure the empty boxes were tightly sealed. Steven ended up with the last box. It was fun to play and watch.

Notice the cheering in the background.

Victoria opening her mystery envelope.

The kids reaction as snow came their way.

Chloe and her doggy. She bought him some toys for Christmas and he loves them.

Hawaii Part 2

 This was what the hiking trails looked like. Rocky and bit slippery.

 Maui traffic. We found it easy to navigate around the island.

 We found this remote beach with beautiful sand and blue water. I put the camera back in the car and we went swimming. With both of us being raised on the prairies, we are not familiar with the ocean. We were out swimming and a wave came and rolled us both over under the water. Sand was everywhere. So the next while I spent trying to wash sand out of my swimming suit.

 We drove up to Haleakala National Park to hike down into the crater. The elevation was around 10,000 feet. I had a bit of altitude sickness. Once at the top of the crater, we started the decent downward. In 4 miles, there was a 3,000 foot elevation change. I felt much better at the lower elevation.

 The beauty was incredible. It did take us longer to hike back up.

 We visited a winery while on the island. Very interesting piece of history and how the different wines are made.

 Just over 1,000 miles were put on this car in a week. Curtis enjoyed driving it. The island is populated with Mustang convertibles.

 It was worth it to visit Pearl Harbor again.

 Bunker fuel that is still leaking from the sunken vessel.

 Last time we were in Oahu, the aviation museum was not open yet. A neat place to visit. This aircraft hanger is huge.

 The bullet holes are still there from the attack.

 Now that is a system of wires. I would not make a good pilot or aircraft mechanic. Too many wires and buttons.

 A foot print was made int he concrete  outside the hanger. I think the date was 1947.