The Week Before Xmas 1

After arriving in Kirkland (Seattle) we led a go-go life in the week before Christmas. This household of eight - Dot and me plus our two daughters and their families - seemed to be en route for this or that escapade almost continuously! And it was great fun as you'll see from the various photos attached. Owing to the mass of experiences, I've decided to make two posts for my blog ... although this might take a little while as the frenetic pace of life continues. For example, yesterday we watched an ice-hockey match between Seattle and Spokane, a somewhat Bogan event which lasted only 1 hour but the Americans conspired to extend to two and a half hours with all sorts of stoppages and intervals. My foreign readers might like to examine Bogan culture at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan. And tomorrow, at c. 7 am we're heading to a ferry terminal in Seattle to catch a vessel taking us to Victoria on Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) to celebrate Bec's birthday and our 40 th wedding anniversary. This trip will take two days if (a) we can get into Canada and (b) we aren't hemmed in by storms or sea ice! It is after all mid-winter.

This first post will explore a visit to a gingerbread village, a tour around some amazing Christmas lights, bouncing on trampolines, and a Christmas Parade in the adjacent city of Bellevue - all dated 19 to 21 December. Well, the gingerbread exhibition in the foyer of one of Seattle's swish hotels was a joy to behold, even if it took half an hour of queuing to get close to the food! Yes, these displays were edible ... but I guess none was there for that delight. What we saw was an abundance of imagination and creativity - even down to the Christmas tree decorations shown first. The effort put into the 'villages' was inspiring.

 

 

Many homes have elaborate Christmas illuminations, but none I've ever seen match the display shown in the first three photos. The house was surrounded by a huge garden and the long line of cars drove around and through the exhibit in a circular route. Everything shown here was put in place by one household! And, again, it showed great creativity. The last two photos were taken on the way home and show more normal displays, with the last being opposite Em and Greg's home.

The following day we headed off for Elevated Sportz, which was in reality a ginormous bouncing arena. Here's Max about to plunge into a foam ocean.

Here Bec and Max try throwing basket-balls into hoops while bouncing.

While Ella and Flynn also bounced into the pit.

And here Flynn tries a slam dunk!

While Max plays a game of dodgeball! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgeball for  an explanation of this game.

And so we move to Bellevue's parade - which only lasted about half an hour. It was, however, an interesting spectacle of traditional American culture surrounding matching bands and cheer-leaders, all dressed in fancy uniforms. Alas, the crowds were 5 or more people deep on either side of the shopping centre and we were at the back trying to get a view of the action! At one stage we were also covered in fake snow!

However, I did get a clear view of this polar bear ... although there were plenty of other people wearing animal suits of various kinds. We also met religious fundamentalists who seemed to be campaigning against this form of Xmas presentation claiming it to be sinful. But religious enthusiasm is seemingly part and parcel of US life. Yesterday we saw a mobile home being used by dudes promising instant conversion to Judaism - and they were approaching ordinary pedestrians on the street!

AS

Arrival in the Pacific Northwest

We left Armidale a week ago on our long trip to stay with Emily, Greg and their kids Ella and Flynn over Xmas 2016 in Kirkland, part of greater Seattle in Washington State. It wasn't just me and Dot making this excursion because we met up with Rebecca and Max in Sydney to fly here with just one stop at Honolulu in Hawaii!

In fact, we had a 5-hour stop-over in Honolulu and rather than twiddle our thumbs in an airport terminal - not the world's most exciting opportunity since they're nearly all the same - we cleared immigration into the USA, checked our luggage on to Seattle after clearing customs, and wound up on a local bus for the long trip into town. Still, the ticket cost next to nothing and the trip was relaxing and we wound up standing on the edge of Waikiki beach. What's more it was sunny and warm, with heaps of people in the water or even walking the streets shirtless .. well, not the women.

So, basically we just strolled around soaking up the atmosphere and sampled local ice-cream and drinks and enjoying the warm weather. This aspect was high on my mind because we knew that we were heading into mid winter, grey weather, lots of drizzle and even snow. For the record, it's snowing as I type this message.

Honolulu lived up to expectations and reminded me of many pleasant moments in this part of the Pacific.

Surfing the waves

Dot and I once stayed here.

Guess who!

Strangled to death!

Bec and Max looking summery.

AS

Balletmania

I've now been to see a ballet for the third time in my life, and that was just yesterday in Seattle where the Pacific Northwest ballet company put on a matinee for Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. Five of us made the trip from Kirkland, Emily (our hostess) and her daughter Ella, Dot and myself, and Bec.

It might have been dull and drizzly outside, but inside the theatre it was magical. We weren't allowed any photography of the performance, which was very good and elicited much applause, but I did sneak a couple of shots of the theatre before the ballet commenced:

Guess who was in the audience: LR Bec, Ella and Em.

At the end we explored the many exhibits featuring scenes from the ballet, usually with Ella, who goes to ballet classes, in the pictures:

And, can someone help me interpret this photo?

The two previous ballet performances took place in unusual locations / circumstances and a long time ago. 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of my initial experience when I was on a student tour of Russia - then the USSR. We wound up at the Maly Theatre in then Leningrad (now St Petersburg) to see Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and we were seated in what we later discovered would have been the Tsar's royal box.

Ten years later the second experience occurred in perhaps even more unusual circumstances, but in the same country. I attended the International Geographical Union conference in Moscow and its opening ceremony was inside the Kremlin in the Russian parliamentary building. After the usual speeches that accompany such events - for example I was in Kyoto three of four years ago listening to an address by the Crown Prince of Japan - the stage was cleared and on came members of the famous Bolshoi Ballet to perform selected scenes from famous ballets.

So the dates were 1996, 1976 and 2016. I look forward to seeing more ballets in 2026, 2036 and 2046, by which time I'll have reached my own centenary. Hint to Emily and Rebecca ... and perhaps Max, Ella and Flynn.

AS

Christmas Lights

One Armidale's traditions is for many homes to decorate themselves with Christmas lights. OK, the purists among you  will object that homes can't decorate themselves, but you know what I mean. And, the best display I've ever seen popped up just a 100m from where we live. Have a look at this cornucopia of lighting, which must cost a fortune to run.

The home is just an ordinary weatherboard dwelling on a busy street corner, but the time taken to assemble the display took a long time and great creativity. There was even an illuminated bin on the kerb outside - not pictured here - where citizens could leave gifts for disadvantaged people!

Seeing this lighting reminded me that a week ago I saw the unveiling of the town's synthetic Christmas tree in the main shopping Mall - except that when we there it was still daylight. So I drove another kilometre to the town centre to witness it in all its after-dark glory . Many people dislike it and pine for a traditional 'tree', but for me it was rather pleasant and innovative. Anyway, have a look and make up your mind.

AS

Another Christmas Party

After saying good-bye to Honey it was then time  to say hello to another Christmas party! This time it was Armidale Rotary North's event at the showground, and it was a fun occasion with heaps - perhaps I should say mountains - of great food, drink and company. We even had a trio playing and singing through the evening. There were Christmas crackers with the usual awful jokes like: What do you call a man with a spade on his head? ... Doug. Or, what’s furry and minty? ... A Polo Bear. We exchanged gifts, many comprising food .. which doesn't augur well for one's waistline this festive season. These were handed out from large boxes to which we all contributed by a subordinate Claus dressed from head to toe in the usual red.

The trio:

Nibbles and booze:

Overflowing plates:

A Subordinate Claus:

AS

Vale Honey

Yesterday was a sad occasion as we said farewell our lovely cat, Honey. She was well over 15 years old (or roughly 107 in human equivalence) and had been in ill-health for some time. She collapsed on her tummy with legs splayed outwards with increasing frequency, found moving increasingly difficult - including jumping on our bed, chair or laps, and seemed to sleep most of the time.

So we rang the vet to put her to sleep, and he agreed to come to our house to perform that ritual and then remove her for cremation. We will scatter her ashes over her favourite spots in the garden. Dot cradled Honey in her arms while the operation took place to give her comfort and it was all over in a few minutes.

Knowing this impending outcome, I took several memorial photos of an animal we adored:

RIP

AS