SHORE ACRES STATE PARK

Coos Bay, Oregon You know what they say about "all work and no play"! Well this excursion Sunday after church to the Shore Acres Christmas light display was definitely not dull! We'd been planning this trip ever since we heard about it from Grammy and Grandad after they'd been there the weekend after Thanksgiving. We even treated ourselves to dinner out at a local Chinese restaurant after arriving in Coos Bay. We wanted an Italian restaurant we'd found, but it didn't open until 5:00 pm and we didn't want to wait.
Josiah and I had so much fun taking pictures. His camera definitely takes better pictures in the dark. It has a red light instead of a flash. The picture above is the only one I've posted taken with our camera and regular flash.

It takes 70-80 volunteers working 5 weekends and several weekdays in October and November to string the lights.

One of our favorite places was the lights reflecting in the Lily Pond.

SHORE ACRES STATE PARK

We just couldn't spend Dennis' whole vacation sawing up storm debris, so we started the week out by going down to Coos Bay to Shore Acres State Park to see their light display. Wow! Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, more than a quarter million LED lights are displayed. It attracts between 40,000 and 60,000 visitors each season.They even serve free hot spiced cider and cookies in the Garden House pictured above.
We had a great time and even made the long 3 1/2 hour drive back home by 11:00 pm.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

WHITE CHRISTMAS!

Grandad with great granddaughters, Emma and Mandy, are listening with rapt attention to the Christmas story on Grandad's new Go Bible.

Our family Christmas the evening of the 23rd, was definitely a bright spot in our weather ordeal! We were very concerned no one would want to come because we had no electricity, let alone be able to make it up our hill, and it would have to be cancelled. Just the thought of that made me really realize just how much my extended family means to me. My sister, Sherri, and I put our heads together and came up with a worst case scenario plan involving ferrying people up the hill in nephew Jeff's 4 wheel drive pick-up and chains. Also doing our annual cheese fondue on the BBQ side burner. All was unnecessary as the electricity came back on that afternoon and the neighbor had plowed the road and our driveway! Tom and Sherri brought Grammy and Grandad so they wouldn't have to navigate the icy hill in the dark, and we had a wonderful time together!
Christmas Eve brings more snow and the icicles continue to grow!

Those double scoop cones are really boxwood in pots. In the background is the downed Japanese maple tree.

Christmas morning started out with a beautiful sunrise over Mt. Pisgah, and brought yet more snow during the day. It was beautiful...the white Christmas we always dream of!
Zooming in on Mt. Pisgah...this view out my kitchen window makes cooking a pleasure instead of a chore!