Christmas Morning: Snohomish 2021

Before the chaos of Christmas morning descended upon us, I got a few shots of battle field before everyone appeared. You may think that I'm out here at 5 AM or something since it is so dark. But no. Being at 47 degrees north means that it is dark pretty late. This was around 7 or a quarter til.

Christmas Eve: Snohomish 2021

Every home has its traditions and when families are assembled from different backgrounds, there are multiple traditions to follow. As a result, there are things to open and food to eat on Christmas eve as well as Christmas day at our house here in Snohomish.

Christmas Memories: Santa Fe

For some people, the holiday season is just another cold time of a cold season.

Christmas Memories: Staunton, Virginia

Another Christmas in Staunton, I think one of the last we spent at home, Cathy and Robert visited as did Jeanne. Roo, of course, had to be in the middle of everything.

Christmas Memories: Staunton 2007

Back when we owned (well, us and the bank) a house and had a dining table that was clear, we celebrated Christmas with lots of food, friends and family.

Christmas Memories: Melbourne 2016

The arcades in Melbourne are always decorated for the season. It is just like being in, say, England, except it warm outside (and the accent is different, the age of the building is much younger, etc.).

Christmas Memories: Stockholm 2015

Since looking at more leaves and berries is boring, I've decided to revisit more of the Christmases of the past. Today we have a short look at our trip to Stockholm in 2015. We start with folks buying fresh trees along the street.

Shopping in Melbourne

We checked into a hotel in Melbourne for the night. The next day we headed into town for a bit of light shopping before the ferry. The department store Myers does a series of seasonal windows (much like Harads in London or Marshal Field in Chicago) every year and I made a few videos of the people (especially children) enjoying these displays.

How We spent Our Christmas

Summer has just begun here in Australia and Christmas Day was an abrupt introduction to the season. It was 36 C and cloudless. That's about 97 F for those who don't convert easily. Perfect time to go to the beach.

Wishing you the best...

From the multicultural Coburg, Victoria...have a safe and happy holiday with your friends and family. Peace and joy to all. And the chips aren't bad either.

About Stockholm

I write this from the airport, having finished a breakfast sandwich and some coffee that would have powered the entire 7th Fleet for a week. The instant caffeine headache is slowly subsiding. It seems like a good time to post a few thoughts on our first visit to Sweden.

Waiting for the tram on Strandvägen.

Stockholm Stadshus

Stockholm City Hall from the "inside.".The building is an open rectangle.

The Stockholm Stadshus (City Hall) is an impressive structure. Outside, it has a great tower in one corner and sits directly across the lake from our hotel. Inside, however, it is a special place.

The LogInn Hotel

MS Kronprinsesse Märtha, a cruiseship ordered in 1928 was built by the "International Ship-building and Engineering Co" in Danzig. It was delivered in the summer of 1929 to Stavanger, Norway.

The MS Kronprinsesse Märtha.

Vasa!

In the early 17th Century, Sweden was at war with Poland. King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, decided to build a ship that was to be a game changer. Very few ships at this time had two decks of guns. He wanted that. He wanted a heavily armed ship that was fast. As you can tell by trying to push your hand through water palm-first or to the side with all fingers following in a line, a narrower ship is going to be easier to move through the water faster.

Boxing Day Update

Katla on the prowl.

On Christmas and Boxing Days we had some down time and enjoyed the cats we are sitting. One cat, Katla, is, oddly enough, allowed outside. Above is Katla prowling her domain.

Gamla Stan

The Christmas Market in the Stortorget Square in Gamla Stan.

Old Town is a fun place. Lots of old but well maintained buildings and delightful stores. Above is a view of the annual Christmas Market. Although we've been told (repeatedly) on the web that the Stockholm has some of the best markets, it didn't seem to be anything special. Compared to Vienna, it is small. The selection on Gamla Stan is very good, not extensive. Lots of toys and candy. Some choices of mulled wine and sausages, but these are more limited. Of course, compared to the gigantic "market" in Hyde Park, London, this is a backwater. The one in London is what it would look like in the US if we did such a thing - overdone, extensive, exhausting, wonderful, impressive, and expensive.

Exploring Stockholm

View of Gamla Stan (Old Town) from Södermalm.  Please note that this was taken near mid-day.

Stockholm is a beautiful city. In spite of the fact that the winters are dark and (typically) cold, people have been living here a long time - since at least the 6th Century BC. Wikipedia claims that the name first appeared in print about 1252. Today, Stockholm is a large city (about 2.2 million in the metro area), the largest in the Nordic region.

Beverly Street on a Saturday Night

Beverly Street on a Saturday night.

Just a little bit to add to the earlier post about the beginning of the holiday season. It seems we are getting carriage rides in town this December. As you can see above, the horse-drawn carriage is about to negotiate a turn. A delightful evening out.

'Tis the Season

Now that a) I have at least an interim solution to the image exporting issue, and b) it is now officially Christmas season, it is time for a post on enjoying the sights of the season.