Merry Christmas

Part of this year's baby boom

Grace and me with my mother

Two of my sisters - Rosemary on the left and Joan on the right

Adam wearing one of his gifts

Adam in new coat and hat

Adam with "Hung Bao" and new pants

Adam in yukata from Japan

We went to my sister Joan's house on Christmas. We all ate too much turkey and the usual trimmings and had a good time getting together with extended family and their SO's and SE's. My mother was there - out of the nursing home for the day - and there were numerous nieces and nephews with their children - including three newborns.

Front View

View of back yard (through screen)

Partial view of living room

Kitchen

We just got the news yesterday that the lender has accepted our offer for the house we are trying to buy. We should be able to close on it in just a few days. We got a great deal on it. It is just under 1900 sq feet (53 pings) with a two car garage and a basement that are not included in the 1900 sq ft, and a yard that is over half an acre in size. The house is seven years old, has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, and a large living room and kitchen. Adam will be staying in it until we decide to move back to Ohio.

Merry Christmas

Our makeshift Christmas tree with presents under it.

Winter Wonderland

It snowed all day yesterday and most of it stuck. I may have to chisel my car door open to get into the car. I took these pictures outside the place where I am staying. The weather was so treacherous yesterday that I didn't even go outside. There were lots of snow related accidents all over the Columbus area yesterday.

Nearby McDonalds

Parking area outside my building

My building. I'm on the bottom floor.

My car which I bought from my brother-in-law. The snow is frozen to the car.

Unusual movie theater

Adam and I went to see the movie "Quantum of Solace" and the theater we went to was set up like a Las Vegas showroom with long narrow tables in front of the seats and waiters bringing popcorn and drinks, or food and beverages - including alcohol - to the people watching the movie.

Sarah Elizabeth Thompson

Adam and I drove up to Michigan (3 hour trip) to see my son Tim and his wife Skyla and my new granddaughter Sarah Elizabeth Thompson who was born on November 21. We had to cut short our visit because a big snowstorm was moving in the next morning, so I didn't get as many pictures as I wanted.

Sarah slept almost all the time we were there, but I understand that she keeps her parents hopping during the night every night.


Sarah was born five weeks prematurely. She weighed only 5 1/4 pounds
(less than 2 1/2 kg). She is so tiny that I felt like I might break her when I held her.

The proud parents. They put their Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving - apparently a family tradition of Skyla's family. I've never known anyone to do that before.

Lucy who lost her status as "only child" is now Sarah's staunch protector.

Watching football

Adam and I went to my oldest sister's house to watch the football game between Ohio State University and the University of Michigan. It is the biggest rivalry in sports and is always shown on national tv every year. As diehard Ohio State football fans, we always look forward to watching the game every year. Our team won with a score of 42 to 7, so it was a very satisfying experience for us.



My brother-in-law Mike with Adam.

Adam needs to shave.

My youngest sister, Rosemary, watching us watch the game.

We needed the heater to keep warm because it was so cold outside.

My favorite grandneice Brittany. She gives the world's best hugs.

The pugs like to sit behind you on the sofa and nuzzle your neck from time to time.

As soon as I walked in the door of my sister's house, I was assaulted by these two yippy-yappy pugs jumping on my legs to welcome me. They're cute but too friendly .

The windows of my rental car were all covered with frost and it took a long time to thaw them out.

These pictures are in reverse order to how I wanted them to be. I'm still learning how to do this.

Adam

The place where I am staying. Will post interior pictures in future.

My sister Joan, her husband Larry and their youngest daughter Katie went out to dinner with us.

The wind chill made the temperature feel like ten below zero C.

I had a late breakfast with my youngest son, Adam, and we spent the rest of the day together.

It's snowing!

The snow was coming down pretty briskly this afternoon, and it was really cold outside. It accumulated enough to cover the ground (and my rental car behind me) in just a few minutes.

Passing Through Los Angeles

Not so much hungry as craving some real American food, I ate dinner at Denny's, a restaurant where you can eat breakfast 24 hours a day. I had been fantasizing about a Moon Over My Hammy sandwich - a breakfast sandwich with sliced ham, scrambled eggs, and cheese - and it was delicious with the side of hashbrown potatoes.

. This is a famous sign for a strip club just down the street from my hotel, and across the street from Denny's. It has been shown in lots of movies and television shows about LA.


Sadly, no pictures can be taken inside. I didn't go in; I was too tired from my long flight and lack of sleep.

The house where I grew up

http://maps.live.com/?v=2&where1=4262%20Kerr%20Dr%2C%20Hilliard%2C%20OH%2043026-1028&encType=1


Click on "Birdseye view" 4th house on the right side of Kerr Drive from Dexter Ave.

Aerial view of my home town

http://maps.live.com/?v=2&where1=Hilliard%2C%20OH&encType=1

My Home Town Hilliard, Ohio USA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilliard,_Ohio