12 17 - Packing

Trips are great.  Packing is a pain in the neck.  We travel enough that we are pretty good at it, but it still takes about two days to get organized and pack, especially when we will be gone as long as we will this time.  Also, we have to pack for both hot weather and cold weather.  When we get to Rio de Janiero, it is supposed to be about 90 degrees.  By the time we get to crusing Antarctica, it will be between 40-50.  We have been warned that the wind on deck will just make you freeze, so I have packed my big, heavy winter coat, hat and gloves, in my big suitcase, right next to my shorts and flip flops and bathing suit.  At least we will end in Easter Island where it should be a very pleasant 75-80 degrees every day.  Bon Voyage!

12 16 - Cantata

This morning was the annual Christmas Cantata at church.  This blurry picture is our director, Patrice.  I love the cantata Sunday and was glad that I was back to be able to sing in it.  Patrice is a fantastic director to sing for.

12 15 - Brookridge Elementary

This is the front door of my kids elementary school.  It is about 8 blocks from our house.  The kids walked to/from school for the majority of their time there.  I am just chilled by the similarities between Sandy Hook elementary and Brookridge.  Both have about 600 kids.  Both are in an afluent suburb (Overland Park is kind of that way).  Both, parents moved to the area because of the excellent schools (definitely yes, for us).  I have been almost glued to the tv coverage of the shooting, but finally I reached "too much" and had to turn it off.  It is horrible beyond any words possible.

12 13 - Most Obnoxious Christmas Display Ever

This picture does not begin to show just how obnoxious this Christmas Display is.  Locate at 103^rd & Metcalf by Vince & Associates, it has grown to almost a block long.  If flashes and blinks.  To make it even worse, you can tune your car radio to a specific channel and find out that the lights blink in sync with the music.  Every year, this place is routinely voted the Most Obnoxious Christmas Display in Kansas City, but they keep putting it up, bigger and worse.  Gross.
 

12 11 - Working Appliances Again

This guy is our new best friend – sort of.  We realized last week that something must be wrong with the dishwasher. Stuff was not very clean and the arms were not turning. Saturday, Ray broke the nose piece on his glasses. Sunday, in the middle of doing laundry, the dryer would no longer start. Sunday night, in turning off the water to the outside hose faucets, the connection in the basement started pouring water (onto a box of blankets). Monday, the appliance repairman made his house call to us. Today, and $600 later, we have working appliances after replacing the motor and water pump in the dishwasher, and the door switch connection in the dryer. Glasses were fixed for $50. Plumbing was fixed with a crescent wrench and a prayer that it holds. Better that it is happening this week rather than after we leave again. But ugh and enough!

12 10 - Christmas Crafts

On our recent transatlantic cruise, I went to Arts & Crafts class every day.  One day we made an origami card holder that was just the size to hold the room key or a gift card. (yellow one in the picture).  The ladies that I sat by each day immediately thought of using scrapbook paper and making Christmas money holders.  My kids are getting checks for Christmas this year so I chose four sheets of paper and made the holders.  Since we will be gone to Antarctica for Christmas, I decorated the holders with penguins and gift stickers.  It was great fun and highly amused me for the morning.

1209 - Christmas with Darth Vader

There is an office building in Overland Park which is commonly called the Darth Vader building because of its color (black) and shape (like his helmet).  Every year at Christmas, they put lights in the window to show a giant wreath.  A few years ago, the building was sold and the new owners were not going to display the wreath because of the cost of the electricity and hassle.  There was such a huge pubic outcry, that they quickly changed their minds and installed the lights.
 

12 08 - Is that a Kangaroo?

Okay, this is really a picture from yesterday, but it is too good to not post.  Driving down the road (I-35, south of Wichita, Kansas) on the way back to Overland Park, my husband says, ‘Is that a picture of a kangaroo?’  Sure enough.  It is a billboard advertising ‘drought tolerant sorghums’ from Alta Seeds.  Why a kangaroo?  Because most of Australia is a dry desert?  Who knows, but it made us look at the billboard.

12 07 - Electronic Chemicals

This truck was in front of us on the drive back to Kansas.  What are ‘electronic chemicals’?  It is liquid and the truck says that the tank is ‘teflon lined’.  I feel a google search coming on, as inquiring minds want to know.

 

Note:  I looked it up and am still not sure what it is.  The best that I can understand is that it is the chemicals used in the manufacture of semi-conductors and other electronics.  Once the explanation started talking about thermodynamics and free molecular particles, I got a little lost.  KMG is one of the companies that manufactures and ships electronic chemicals.

12 06 - Christmas in Billings

Today, we drove to Billings, Oklahoma so Mom could take care of some banking business.  I have to say that in 59 years, I don’t think that I have ever been in downtown Billings, Oklahoma.  I am sure that I did not know that they put a Christmas tree in the middle of the intersection in the middle of Main street.

12 05 - Red Spiderweb Tree

Every evening when we left Mom’s place at The Commons, we saw this tree covered in red lights.  By day, I think that it was just a Bradford pear or some other landscape tree.  By night, it looked like a cross between a string Easter egg and a spider web.  But I liked it.

12 04 - The McRib is Back!

I have to be pretty desperate or starved to actually eat at McDonalds. However, we make an exception for the McRib. When you drive to Oklahoma from Kansas, you don’t have a lot of choices on where to stop and eat lunch. This mural is the inside of the McDonald’s in Emporia, Kansas. I was actually impressed by the decor of the inside of the restaurant, and the McRib was good.

12 03 - Books, Books, ebooks

Today, we went to the Plaza branch of the KCMO library to get a library card.  Since the library serves the whole metropolitan area, we are eligible for a card.  Our sole purpose in getting a card from them is to be able to check out ebooks via the Overdrive software since Johnson county dropped their subscription to this service.  This is the branch library where Beth used to work.  This is the display at the entrance.  It is real books, just old books, probably pulled from the collection.  It is a pretty cool way to recycle books.

12 02 - Watching

Another picture from last night’s performance at the arboretum.  Now this is correct bell playing – bells up and watching the director.  Yea for me!

12 01 - Holiday Fun

For many years, my handbell group, the Heartland Ringers, has performed at the Luminary Walk at the Overland Park Arboretum.  It is fun because we play fun Christmas songs and dress in ‘holiday attire’.  For us, that means, fun shirts and silly hats, as shown by Karin and me.