It's Christmas Day 2016

Merry Christmas to all my readers, it's  Christmas Day and early, I am waiting for the family to get up for breakfast and to begin our day. The eldest and family are all coming over for lunch, only a light one of finger food and to open presents under the tree, well sort of a tree, I wasn't expecting present opening at my house.  From there we will play a board game and continue on to their house for a main Christmas dinner with more friends, 15 if us altogether. This gives the eldest's wife a chance to duck over and prepare quietly.

Sort of a Tree

So I thought I would give America a miss today and continue next week. We have celebrated with mum at the nursing home and also taken her out several times in the past two weeks, but today will be my family day. My brother flew up from Melbourne and spent 3 days off and on with mum. She took a while for the memory to acknowledge him, but in the end was all smiles. So here are a few photos of mum's Christmas.

Nursing Home Tree

Mum with Santa

Nursing Home Wall

I must say the place looks lovely with all its decorations.

Yours truly

My brother took us all to a local cafe.

It has been quite a busy time with all that goes on at Christmas. Two of the grown up children have arrived, which is lovely.


I did a bit of decorating, played christmas songs, weeded the garden through all the heat and prepared finger food for the crowd.

I hope everyone manages to see or ring their families at this time.  I will see you in 2017 with more episodes for America.


Stay safe till next time, and have a Merry Christmas.

Back from America - Week 2 - San Diego

 After flying once more back to Los Angeles, we then picked up a car at the airport and drove to San Diego. The roads  here seem to be all 5 lane or more everywhere we went, so this was no different. Luckily John can convert easily to Left Hand driving but there is no way I would. Road rules like speeding are ignored, as are blinkers, even when we were speeding just to keep up, we were still being passed. We stayed at an Air B & B, which was a converted garage with a separate entrance. Very handy for us as we ducked in and out during the 4 night stay. The weather also was much warmer.

This was our 2nd visit to the area, and first thing we did was go to the Old Town, a tourist area, of Spanish influence being close to the Mexican border and a combination of shops and old original buildings.

 One of the many shops, this one an open air one, with many outdoor things. Local pottery, also.

  Interesting painted pots

3 pots for $24 and hand painted!

  San Diego had just finished celebrating the Day of the Dead so windows were still displaying that. This is a day where relatives that have passed are  honored and remembered and even parties held at grave sights. A chair where the loved one sat remains empty and favorite foods cooked. Remembrance flowers are Aztec marigolds.

Couple of ladies using succulents

Shop Window

This area being a desert, the gardens are usually succulents, and I rather liked them.

A lot of items are used to create the gardens which makes for easy cleaning in a public area. Restaurants also surrounded this area. Lots of color and a happy place.

Quite a bit of furniture was also painted and decorated. Thought these table and chairs would be a good idea for someone at home.

Love it

We chose a Mexican restaurant for lunch that had won all the best restaurant judging, for the past 15 years. Great food and  of course Margaritas are the go.

Cheers

 Along with all the old buildings is a complete Hacienda, La Casa De Estueillo,  which had  accomodated several extended families. U shape in style, the many rooms, open and looking over a large courtyard, and  a wagon in the yard.

Where is the horse?

This area is huge, so a long day, and interestingly while resting, we saw a cork tree which fascinated me as I have never seen one before. There were several in the centre village green, which makes you think wine was grown here at one stage.

Cork Tree - Bark actually feels like cork

So end of another day. Our next visit was to Balboa Park, another very, very large area.
 So till next time.

Back from America- Week 1 - Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens was originally a quarry for limestone. Robert Butchart in 1904 created a cement factory near the quarry and built the family home. Jennie Butchart started bringing in soil by cart to fill the quarry and developed that garden over a period of  23 years, consisting of "rooms". The Japanese Garden, the Italian Garden, The Sunken Garden, The Rose Garden and various other interesting areas. It was then taken over by their grandson, till he died and currently is owned by the Great Grandaughter. Not a lot of flowers to see at winter, but still an interesting visit.

Cup of Tea first in the Cafe.

 After having a great cup of tea in Canada at the cafe, USA not being big on hot tea, we started at the house and walked around looking at all the different gardens.

 The Butchart House

Behind the House was a lovely private garden.

Back Garden

 While we were there they were currently setting up for Christmas which takes 3 months to do. The theme being the 12 days of Christmas. Even a skating area was being developed.

The sunken garden, where workmen hitched Jennie up on a rope in order for her to plant ivy on the banks.

The Sunken Garden planted up with new annuals.

The Rose Garden would have been beautiful in full flower.

Recently Pruned for Winter

The Rose Arbor

Magnificent Walk

The Japanese Garden

The Dragon fountain

Moss on the trees was lovely - Japanese Garden

Setting up the Italian Garden for Christmas with fresh branches.

The Italian Garden is the only formal Garden and Jennie wanted it near her house, to make a courtyard.

Italian Garden

 The Butcharts' traveled extensively, all over the world.

Merry Christmas

Couldn't resist the Christmas photo on our way out. We missed out on the Christmas light shows, and what would have been amazing lights throughout the garden, as all was being set up. My brother who visited during summer had wonderful photos of the flowers. We enjoyed our day there and spoke to quite a lot of the gardeners.

 While staying at Tacoma near Seattle, we visited an area that was a National Reserve, a quiet place from all the hustle and bustle of the enormous amount of traffic. This area is known as the Point Defiance Park and quite a large area, bordering the Puget Sound.

Lots of walks and more moss covered trees. A Marina from which you could view a ferry, and the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Fort Nisqually, a living history museum, was set up in the Reserve with volunteers who dress up in the 1800 style and go about daily activities as seen back then.

Entrance to the fort.

Quite a few old buildings, there were blacksmiths, stables, an old homestead richly decorated, a general store, chicken shed, veg. garden and outside kitchen to the homestead.

Back of homestead

Various crafts happen in the buildings.

Checking out the frocks.

We even got to dress up in the style and take our own photos.

Not all a good fit.

Setting up John's camera on a timer we took our 1800 photo.

Hard not to laugh.

This area also had a rose garden.

Love These Arbors.

Till next time, where we discover San Diego.

We have been to America! - Week 1 - Seattle

Our youngest daughter and husband live in America, just out of Los Angeles. They have been there now for 4 years, so it was time to visit, see where they live, and get a look at the area. They both work and our daughter managed to take a week off for Thanksgiving, we haven't seen them for two years.

As leaving Australia for a week is not very economical due to the high cost of airfares we decided to have a 3 week holiday, visiting Seattle, Victoria Canada, San Diego and Irvine California.

On our way

 So after spending weeks getting the garden, " holiday ready", and packing and buying Aussie goodies for our daughter. Re-packing, organizing the complete holiday online, finally we flew to Sydney on a Sunday, it was cheaper, and stayed the night in a hotel at the airport. After all the work and traveling to get there, well worth an extra night for the long haul trip of  15 hours.

Sydney by Air.

Bright and early next morning, after a good breakfast we then flew via the International Airport to Los Angeles to arrive the same day we left. Again after being warned it would take several hours to get through American customs we planned to stay another night at an airport as we had to fly on to Seattle, the first leg of our trip. We didn't trust the connection would work and we knew we would be very tired and jet lagged.

First Night Los Angeles Airport.

 I chose Seattle as the last scrap booking show for the year was up that way, and as my brother had just come back from the area recommended the Boeing factory, and the Ferry ride across to Canada to Victoria and a visit to the Butchart Gardens. Perfect. We have been to the States before in 2000, and this was an area we hadn't visited.

 The scrap booking show was great, only a small one but any bigger and I would have had too much to see and take in, and would have  been a very long day.

Favourite Stand

 Saw lots of new products you don't see in Australia and a number of demonstrations and picked up quite a few goodies. It was a wonderful day.

Time out for a Cup of Tea

The Boeing factory I wasn't sure about but really enjoyed the visit. So interesting to see the planes being made in various stages, what is new, and the intensive safety things they do, makes you feel flying is ok.

Entrance

The factory is so large it made the Guiness World Book of  Records. The history of this place is amazing. Planes you see are all marked with the company that ordered it, from all over the world and we saw a Virgin Australia one. No photos allowed in the factory but a few old planes were in the foyer/shop area.

Liked this One.

View of the extensive factory area.

Shopping in the States is amazing. We choose a self contained accomodation which forces us to shop for dinner or lunch, and that is so much fun.

Anyone want some Chocolate

One supermarket owned by the employees was also a bulk food one. I have never seen so much bulk food containers as in this place. Must have been 8 or more isles of bulk food.

Looking down the Isles

Everything you can imagine in bulk. Cereals, 100's of sweets, chocolates, flours,  dried fruit, nuts, including mixtures, popcorn, trail mixes, teas, herbal and otherwise, sugars, all sorts of Rice, laundry powders, cleaners, spices and herbs, Indian curry ingredients in a special section, pasta, coffee many varieties of course, dried beans vast varieties. Some things were in little packets like UHT milk or I should say half and half, or coffee mate.

Both Bottom and Top and Behind different. Note lollies at back wall one of a few.

If you can buy it in a packet you can get it in bulk. You get what you want and tie it up with a flat wired label and write on the label the code number. This is weighed at the checkout and the code entered for price. You can pre-weigh before the checkout also. I am still amazed after choosing a few photos.

Pastas, Cous Cous, Cracked Wheat, price by the pound.

Being Thanksgiving means lots of Autumn decorating, and huge Turkeys, and shocked at the price of $80 for one, not even pre-cooked.  They even sell all the trimmings and side dishes, to take home and heat if you want to. Perfect if you are busy, a packet of mashed potatoes, another of broccoli baked with bacon, glazed yams, bean dishes, carrot dishes, and your set. Found this butter intriguing.

Everything Turkey Related

I looked at lots of Mexican products  as we love it, and bought some home plus a good cookbook that happened to be the months flavour, of a magazine company, focusing on  different types every month. Everything seems to be in different flavours, even tins of  Spam and Cornbeef.

Must have been 12 different flavours in Spam  and tinned Corn Beef.

Anyone???

To get to Canada, means taking the ferry across from Seattle, a pleasant 3 hour trip. We had a package to visit the gardens so a bus was waiting and many of us took it. Ride took about 30 mins. through the township of Victoria, the bus driver pointing out highlights. Lots of old historic buildings have been kept which makes Victoria a beautiful place. Winter was approaching but quite a few trees still in there autumnal colours. We should have planned a night there, as we didn't realise how little time there was while viewing the garden, then catching the ferry back, and the tickets were booked online.

Empress Hotel where we met the bus.

 You actually enter the township off the ferry so only  a short walk while waiting on the bus.

Parliment House

Gatsby Manor a beautiful Home now a Hotel.

Typical view of John.

 View from the bus

Cleverly Painted Window.

Went through China Town. Always seems to be one in every city.

Old school to teach the chinese language, to the local chinese children, from 1850's sometime, now a museum.

Entrance.

As this is quite long now I will leave it and continue in a new post. Butchart Gardens next. Hope you enjoyed our first look.

Till next time