Christmas this year.....

Christmas is kind of strange this year. We are travelling to Canada, which is very exciting, but also makes Christmas at home weird.

We are sort of parcelling out the gifts to the kids, so they can open them and enjoy them before we leave, because we are not taking them with us. My parents have gifts waiting for us in Canada, so we did not get the boys very much. Plus when we get back, we will celebrate with Hubby's family, too.

Needless to say, Christmas has taken on a Hanukkah feel at our house.

That's okay, we are open to diversity!

How do you harvest the wind?

When I was home visiting the fam, we went on a field trip one day over to Wolf Island. It was a fairly short drive and a short ferry ride over. The island is not big. Maybe 10 miles wide and 20 miles long. I suppose some people probably live there year round, but i think it is mostly summer homes and cottages. And windmills.

The island is covered in giant white windmills. Every direction you look. A wind farm.

They are for generating electricity. Not a foreign concept to me, but I have never seen one up close before.

They are huge and make the most amazing sound.

You stand there and stare up at it. The island is quiet really, just nature sounds, birds, bugs...

And hear the most amazing, quiet, powerful, whooshing.....

Harvesting the wind....

Grandma's and Grandpa's Garden...

My parents have the best yard. They do not live in Texas! This is obvious at a glance. I took a few pretty pictures when I was home and want to share. And it takes me to my happy place when I look at them.

Mom's Hydrangea bush.

And Dad's grafted apple tree. It has 5 or 6 different types of apples grafted onto the same tree.

Lavender, which I have never been able to successfully grow here in Texas.

And a whole lot of tomatoes, especially the cherry ones. There were more, but I think the kids cleaned off the plants before this pictures.

And the grass...... It has been a long time since I have walked barefoot in the grass and it felt good on my feet! The kids kept rolling around on the lawn. Look Mom, no fire ants!!

www.dragonflywillow.blogspot.ca

Well, here I am with the first of the Canadian edition entries.

I hope create some kind of an homage to my visit homeward. I am working on some pictures to post.

It is amazing how you acclimate to the weather where you live. It is pretty hot here, especially if you figure in the humidity, but after 105 F, 85 F doesn't feel too bad.

I love listening to everyone talk. I know I never sounded like that, ha! It actually is a little bit of a bummer that I have lost as much of my accent as I have. It'll be back for a while after I leave. I'll have to work on it some while I'm here.

Off to watch movies with the fam....