Great Woodland Adventure

I’m finally catching up on photos I took when Amber and Abby visited us in June of this year.

After we hiked back from Hickory Nut Falls, I walked down to get our car from the parking lot and drove up to pick up Cindy, Amber and Abby, then we drove back toward the entrance for our last stop at Chimney Rock that was especially for Abby; The Great Woodland Adventure attraction.

The Great Woodland Adventure was mostly an educational hike through the woods that was geared toward preschool and elementary school age children. Abby had a good time, learned some things and even the adults enjoyed the walk through the woods.

Great Woodland Adventure at Chimney Rock

 

 

Great Woodland Adventure at Chimney Rock

Abby gets to see what the fur of different woodland animals feels like.

Great Woodland Adventure at Chimney Rock

A little out of focus, Abby sits atop a giant frog.

Great Woodland Adventure at Chimney Rock

Amber and Abby get to see what it feels like to be a tree…with a face…made out of resin…that other people have slobbered all over. But it was fun 🙂

Great Woodland Adventure at Chimney Rock

Part of Abby’s “assignment” on the trail was to observe attributes of plants and animals and answer questions that were posed on signs nearby. She was quite the little biologist.

Great Woodland Adventure at Chimney Rock

Abby is dwarfed by a huge boulder in the woods.

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Hickory Nut Falls

I’m finally catching up on photos I took when Amber and Abby visited us in June of this year.

After we finished hiking to the top of Chimney Rock and I finished climbing even higher  to Devil’s Head and Exclamation Point, we took the elevator down to the bottom of Chimney Rock and then hiked down toward Hickory Nut Falls to have a little picnic lunch and get up close and personal with the 404 foot waterfall.

 

We stopped along the side of the trail to enjoy a picnic lunch that Cindy had prepared. The ants and spiders were happy to join us.

We stopped along the side of the trail to enjoy a picnic lunch that Cindy had prepared. The ants and spiders were happy to join us.

Not a great shot, but it helps give you a sense of how highHickory Nut Falls is on the mountain.

Not a great shot, but it helps give you a sense of how highHickory Nut Falls is on the mountain.

Sign at Hickory Nut Falls on Chimney Rock

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

Another shot of Hickory Nut Falls from a distance

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

My Ansel Adams version of the previous shot.

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

Here’s a shot of Cindy, Amber and Abby hiking up the trail to the base of Hickory Nut Falls.

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

From left to right; Amber, Abby and Cindy with Hickory Nut Falls in the background.

Hickory Nut Falls at Chimney Rock

And finally, a photo Amber took of me at Hickory Nut Falls.

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Why Cats Drink During The Holidays

Cats drinking in bar cartoon

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Top Ten Favorite Holiday Songs

The holiday spirit is in the air…or at least the holiday songs are on the air. If you listen to the radio, watch TV, or walk through a store or mall, you’ve most likely heard some holiday songs. Over on radio station Magic 107.7 they’ve continued their tradition of programming nothing but holiday music from Thanksgiving Day until Christmas Day, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I think it’s safe to say that if you were to listen to their broadcast continuously during that time period, you would hear every version of every holiday song ever performed.

I mean, I’m sure there are some exceptions. I’ve yet to hear “I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus”, “Frosty The Hitman”, “I’ll Be Homeless For Christmas” or “Santa Claus Is Gunning You Down”, but most every other song is on their rotation.

That got me to thinking about my Top Ten Favorite Holiday Songs and what they might be. My tastes are pretty eclectic because I enjoy holiday songs by some of the older artists and some newer ones, some older versions of songs and some contemporary ones. I love listening to Mannheim Steamroller perform seasonal songs, and some old traditional ones like Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas”, but I also like Rock n’ Roll holiday songs and the satirical or humorous songs like, “The 12 Pains of Christmas”. So, I decided to list my Top Ten Favorite Holiday Songs under 3 different categories: Top Ten Favorite Traditional Holiday Songs, Top Ten Favorite Rock n Roll Holiday Songs and Top Ten Favorite Humorous Holiday Songs. Some will be just the song itself, but some will include a specific artist if that artist’s version is my favorite. Here we go:

Top Ten Favorite Traditional Holiday Songs

  1. “Sleigh Ride”
  2. “Jingle Bells”
  3. “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas”
  4. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year”
  5. “A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives
  6. “White Christmas”
  7. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
  8. “Winter Wonderland”
  9. “The Christmas Song” (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)

And my Number One Favorite Traditional Holiday Song:

  1. “Merry Christmas, Darling” by Karen Carpenter

merry_christmas_darling_carpenters650px

 

Top Ten Favorite Rock n’ Roll Holiday Songs

  1. “I Wish Every Day Could Be Like Christmas” by Bon Jovi
  2. “Jingle Bell Rock”
  3. “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree”
  4. “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys
  5. “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney
  6. “Santa Baby” by Madonna
  7. “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time” – Band Aid
  8. “Snoopy’s Christmas” (Snoopy vs. The Red Baron) by The Royal Guardsmen
  9. “Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town” by Bruce Springsteen

And my Number One Favorite Rock n’ Roll Holiday Song:

  1. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey

mariah_all_I_want_for_xmas650px

Top Ten Favorite Humorous Holiday Songs

  1. “Dominick the Christmas Donkey”
  2. “(I’m Gettin’) Nuttin’ for Christmas”
  3. “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”
  4. “You’re a Mean One Mr Grinch”
  5. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
  6. “The Chipmunk Song” (Christmas Don’t be Late) by Alvin & The Chipmunks
  7. “The Chanukah Song” by Adam Sandler
  8. “The Twelve Gifts Of Christmas” by Bob And Doug McKenzie
  9. “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer”

And my Number One Favorite Humorous Holiday Song:

  1. “The 12 Pains of Christmas”

So, there are my lists. I’m curious to know what your favorites are. Do you share any of mine? Do you have some I didn’t list?

 

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Amazon Fire TV Stick

The new Amazon Fire TV Stick was delivered to us today (thank you, Amazon, for arranging Sunday deliveries with the USPS) and I’ve set it up on the TV in our room.

Back in October, I believe, Amazon announced the coming release of their Fire TV Stick and for 2 days only offered it for $19 instead of the regular retail price of $40, so Cindy and I ordered two of them; one to use here and one for me to take with me on the road when I’m traveling.

Now we can watch streaming videos from both our Amazon Prime account and our Netflix account on the larger TV screen instead of the smaller laptop or iPad screens. What a difference!

Amazon Fire TV Stick Box Unopened

Amazon Fire TV Stick in opened box

Amazon Fire TV Stick in palm of hand

Amazon Fire TV Stick plugged into HDMI slot on back of TV set

Amazon Fire TV Stick screen on TV

 

We’re late adopters, having passed on earlier opportunities to buy a Chromecast or Roku stick, but it looks like we’re going to enjoy our Amazon Fire TV Stick.

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Girl Scout Digital Cookies

Girl Scout Cookie TimeI believe we have reached the peak of achievement in technological advances. At least we have if what was announced last week is true; that Girl Scout cookies will now be available to be ordered online!

The girls stopped going door-to-door years ago, and I think that was a good thing but I missed the ability to place my order from the convenience of my front porch. Then the girls’ parents began bringing order sheets to work, but if none of your co-workers had a daughter in the Girl Scouts then you missed out. Then they began setting up tables outside of grocery and department stores and if you were lucky enough to be going into one of those stores on a weekend that they were there you were good to go but if not, well you missed out again.

So I was thrilled to read last week that Girl Scout cookies will now be available online and be shipped directly to my door. And I’m also thrilled to know that there are several safety factors built in to the process. For instance, you have to receive an email invitation from a Girl Scout to order from her (and, since I don’t currently know any of my family or friends who have members of the Girl Scouts in them, I’d appreciate anyone reading this who does adding me to their email list) and only the Scout’s first name will be used. In addition, all online transactions are encrypted for the safety and privacy of both parties.

Girl Scout Thin Mint CookiesWhen I was younger and could eat as many sugar-based products as I wished, I would buy a case of Thin Mints, put them in the freezer (the cold REALLY brings out the mint flavor) and then eat a sleeve of them each night after dinner with a big cold glass of milk. These days I don’t do that anymore, but I still enjoy a few of those frozen Thin Mints as a snack or dessert.

So, thank you, Girl Scouts for making your wonderful cookies available for online ordering. I’m convinced we will never be more technologically advanced than we are now. 🙂

 

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Introverts, Unite!

Introverts Unite

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It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

XmasShoppingWithBatman650px

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All I Want For Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

I’m working on a post about Holiday songs that will be ready  in a couple of days, but until then I thought I’d post my favorite Rock and Roll Holiday song video by the wonderful Mariah Carey.

It’s three weeks until Christmas Day and chances are I will listen to this song each of those 21 days.

Isn’t she just adorable in that little elf outfit? 🙂

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Reading Old Comics – Batman Model Kit Ad

I’ve been reading some of the old comics I read as a kid (a sure sign I’m getting old and reaching the end of my years) and it has been fun to re-live the enjoyment I experienced as a 6 to 17 year old.

And it’s not just the stories and artwork within the comics, but also the ads for things like making money selling Grit Newspapers, 200 plastic Army Soldiers, How to Hypnotize People and, of course, X-Ray Specs. I remember a long, spirited debate among my male peers as to:

  1. whether those things would actually work when we looked at a girl
  2. if they DID work would we see underwear, skin or bones
  3. and which of us would actually spend the money to order a pair in the hopes that they really would let us have x-ray vision

which none of us ever did, lol.

But when I came across the ad below for Aurora superhero model sets it reminded me that I used to build quite a few models when I was a kid of 9 to 11, usually cars and airplanes, but I also built this Batman model along with the Superman and Superboy models shown. I did not build the Wonder Woman model because, well, you know, in my young mind those were for girls, lol.

Aurora Batman Model Ad in Comic Books

 

Many thanks to my mom and dad who, even though we were a middle class income family, always found a way to buy me things like books, comic books, science kits, art courses and models…really anything they thought would contribute to my knowledge, entertainment and acquisition of different skills that I might use in later life. You never really appreciate those acts until you grow up.

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