Happy Birthday, Monsieur Matisse!

"I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish."  Henri Matisse

There it is!

I just located this photo of Julia's and my wedding anniversary dinner in La Conner on December 2 this year. 

Now

The room was white, with large windows. Except it wasn't a room, it was a frozen field at midnight with great white swans picking among the corn stalk stubble. Except they weren't swans, they were the ghosts of women with empty arms searching for their former lives. I can see them clearly now, with my eyes closed.

Julia is on the Radio

Hear three women (including Julia!) being interviewed about SCND, a movement in the 1980's to stop nuclear proliferation...

Select this podcast.  Skagit Citizens for Nuclear Disarmament - December 16, 2015

http://speakupspeakoutradio.org/all.html

Holiday Greetings from our Good Friends in Sarajevo (and Zagreb)

He,he!  A Christmas tree!!!! says Almir

Almir in Trg Ban Jelacic (square) Zagreb

Dragana and Almir

Dear John and Julia...

 Merry Christmas!!! Best Wishes 

 Love, Dragana and Almir 

 (Here are some photos from our last vacation to Zagreb)

Season of the year: Greetings from Milna

Hey John!

Hope you're doing well this holiday season, as we are!

We are enjoying this little American spindle, it gives a taste of Christmas to our little tree!! . . .

Some time we spent in Zadar and Solin, making plans, catching some sunshine, but this winter in Milna is regretful, since it is a basin and all neighbours are warming up using wood (pines!?), it's become a smoky basin, and not good at all for my allergies.

Feel sometimes like an smoked cod.

Next year will do the heating in Solin, and move there for a few months, definitely!

Regards to you and Julia, and the whole family!

Slavko

Christmas Elf

Christmas Morning: A Virgin Mary

A Fly BMX Helmet for Christmas

In the Dark of the Night, A Dark, Dark Roast

So after talking to Shannon about Steve's hobby of roasting coffee, I decide to try it.  Julia wrangles some green Honduran beans out of a helpful clerk at the co-op.  I look for equipment.  But all I can find is an old Chinese wok to heat the beans in and a hobby heat gun for the heat source!  Nevertheless, in the dark in the rain Spencer and I give it a try.  After ten or fifteen minutes, Spencer wanders back inside to be warm and dry and not bored, comes back out again and stirs the beans.  I am still heating.  Ultimately I manage to get the beans through the first crack, then the second crack and onto a dark but uneven roast.  Hey!  it worked!  Sort of.  I am drinking the result this morning.

Yummy for Christmas

Spencer is developing some delicious new skills!!!

Merry Christmas 2015

The Washington Hurd's (and Wolden's and Marshall) . . .

From Left:  Sally M., Spencer, Lori, John W., Kyra, Charlotte, Eason, Eliot, Julia and John.

Charles is Hard at Work This Holiday Season

Tulips and Irises

Solstice Poem

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us - Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!


(Ed:  Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" series is great!)

Alger Solstice

Happy Solstice

 Julia,

Since you had a schedule conflict I thought you might enjoy seeing what I read to the assembled throng via single candle. We had all the lights turned out before I came in the front door with my candle lit. Then, at the end, I lit two black candles held by Chuck Nafziger (dressed appropriately in black with one of his cool masks on) and he passed the candles on to two of the @2 year-olds from the neighborhood who were each dressed by their moms with a white cape. The kids then went from table to table lighting everyone else's candles once again. It was pretty heartwarming and a nice way to enter into the Solstice spirit. Hope to see you there another time/year!

Cheers,

Ranger Kidwell-Ross

Welcome the Yule Solstice!

Tonight marks the 26th year in a row that the Alger
Community has celebrated the Yule Solstice, when the
dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. This
return of the light we celebrate tonight is the most central
feature of most midwinter festivals throughout recorded
history
Long have evergreen boughs and holly, like those at each
table here tonight, played a prominent role in Yule Solstice
Celebrations. For one, they are an invitation to Nature
Sprites to come and join the celebration. They are
gathered in anticipation of the rebirth of the Oak King, the
Sun King, the Giver of Life that will once again warm the
frozen Earth and induce Her to bear forth from the seeds
She protects in her womb through the fall and winter.
As we mark the Yule Solstice we are encouraged to enjoy
ourselves as much as possible because that is what will
bring back light (and lightness) into the world. Different
traditions mention a variety of appropriate activities,
including feasting, playing pranks, giving gifts, visiting,
drinking, dressing up, fornicating, putting on plays and
staying up all night. During the dark of winter, tradition
recommends we invoke all the forces of pleasure and love
— the things that make life worth living.
The Yule Solstice has also long been considered a natural
time for letting go and saying farewell. We are reminded to
release our resentments and regrets into the darkness,
knowing they will be transformed. Make amends to people
knowing they will be transformed. Make amends to people
you've hurt or neglected. Become One with the spellworkings
of the Yule Solstice and its promise of peace,
harmony, love and increased happiness.
In a moment, this time of darkness will pass its pale, wan
flame to those who represent the return of sun and warmth
to our land, which will begin a new time of light enveloping
each of us, our families, our community and our beautiful
Earth.
As you relight your candles, I invite you to do so with the
intention of bringing more light into the world. Consider the
ways in which you can help make the world lighter, as well
as how to best bring increased light into the lives of those
around you. May the lighting of your candle mark a
conscious effort to increase the amount of light you create.
Now, let the reign of the time of darkness come to an
end.  . . . (we)  re-light our candles as a promise of the future and its
welcome transformation to the time of the Sun.

Spencers new stress reduction hobby!

A few days before Christmas

Lynne Sends Her First Prints

That was fun, just did a quick experiment with acrylic craft paints, easy as can be.

(Ed.  We will watch Lynne's art experiments with monoprints with extreme interest!!  I want to do this!)

Lynne Writes

 . . . Tim had a lovely lunch with his old digital service team yesterday, they presented him with a large scrapbook chronicling his years with them.

It turned out to be so popular that he has a sign up sheet for people to see it, because the line was so long.

He is busy around here today, cleaning and sorting and getting ready for the end of the year.

Rainy here today, fairly mild, to cool down for a few days and then be warm again, quite unusual for this time of year.

Hope all are well there and that you are enjoying this time of year, the solstice is looming.

All our best to all of you.

My gel printing plate should be getting some use soon, I had a class I needed it for I am trying to catch up to.

Lynne

Jazz at the Majestic

Julia and I hear great jazz in the basement of the Majestic in Bellingham last night.

Climate March

My first Vine:

https://vine.co/v/iZbXbErpYTB

Easpon Draws Me as an Artiste

Breakfast!

Happy Anniversary, Charles and Melanie!

Retirement! Tim!

Tim has just 12 work days left.  His company honored him with a 3 hour retirement dinner!

Lynne writes:

"The dinner was attended by both of us, I know some photos were taken, but I was too busy laughing and applauding to take any myself, it was a 3 hour homage to Tim, quite blew me away!

Here is a photo of Tim's award, the quote was amazing, the President found it and felt it epitomized Tim's style, she is very thoughtful.
She also gave him a lovely set of hand-painted plates with various birds freely painted upon them in honor of a bird painting I did for her, hanging in her office.
He also received a gorgeous brass planer for his boat building from VP of Sales, a special charger for his gadgets when he hikes, 3 lucky Chinese figurines carried back from Hong Kong by the IT VP, who had just returned from visiting her family there, and many other goodies, several restaurant gift cards, etc.

I am trying to get a copy of Tim's speech for you as he mentioned his extended family in it as well. "

The engraving on Tim's elegant retirement award reads:

"Spirit of a Leader

A true leader has the confidence
to stand alone, the courage to make'
tough decisions and the compassion
to listen to the needs of others,  He does
not set out to be a leader, but becomes
one by the quality of his actions and the
integrity of his intent.  Leaders like eagles
don't flock.  You find them one at a time.

Sheridan -- Ideas Delivered

Tim Hurd, Vice President
Business development
Technology Solutions
The Sheridan Press"

The Bayview Hurd's Visit Disneyland (Last week)

Wednesday, December 2

Happy birthday, Lynne!
Happy birthday, Sam!
Happy birthday, me!
Happy anniversary, me and Julia!

Hoo-ray!

A Beautiful Day in Bayview

Mr. Wadsworth Writes

Hello Julia,

I just received the photos you've sent, they are awesome!! Thank you!  . . . I take pride in sharing our Hopi culture and history to visitors that come to learn about my people. I'm happy you've taken pictures of the tour for your enjoyment. I will treasure them and will include them in my records kept of my tours . . .

Thank you so much . . . Please come again.

Ronald Wadsworth-Hopi Prophecy Tours