Snow on Apple Trees

The new Sony pocket camera got good use this morning. The western shore of Lake Huron got hit by lake effect snow last night so we woke to a winter wonderland this morning. Here's a view from the great room of Cedar Bluff. I'm looking northeast over the lake. The three bare trees almost center in the photo are the "wild" apple trees that were here before the house was built. Notice how much snow and ice are covering White Rock Shoal this January.

Miss Ducks & The Dino Brothers

Miss Ducks (center) and the Dino (dee-no) Brothers spent their summer and fall reclining on the big bed in the Yellow Guest Room at Cedar Bluff. Disappointed with the lack of company, all three of the stuffed trio requested transfer to the guardianship of children who would play with them.

This transfer, being accomplished at Christmas, has left a large hole in the heart of the Grandmother who brought Miss Ducks and the Dino Brothers home and has talked and played with them often. The Grandmother is missing The Trio but, being a wise and compassionate and beautiful grandmother (ahem!) she knows that each of them is loved and well cared for in their new homes with Maxwell Ryan and Griffin Henry and Hannah Lee (a.k.a. Hannah Banana).

So, dear grandchildren, give them each a hug from me!

Midroad: Richardson Looking West

On Richardson Road, east of Pigeon and traveling west, one sees the Cooperative Elevator towers that command the town skyline.

Photo taken 28 December 2010.

Red Vest Banner

I write an almost weekly email for my design business, Graywood Designs. Each email is topped by a banner that (for all you techies) is 600 pixels wide. I'm getting better at my photoshopping skills as can be seen from this latest banner which is a celebration of the red vest that I made for Dad. From left to right in the banner, 1 -- a closeup of the knitting; 2 -- Dad on Christmas Eve wearing the red vest; 3 -- me (Wanda Jean) two days before Christmas, also wearing the red vest.

There is a little more of the story about the vest in an earlier blog post. I really like the banner and so I'm posting it here.

If you've wandered into this blog, here's another blog that I write that features knitting and quilting and my design work. And, if you'd like to sign up for the almost weekly Knit & Quilt With Graywood email, you can do that here.

If you are totally confused about emails and blogs and all that stuff, join the crew. So much of what a business does these days is social media networking. I'll try to untangle some of the complexities of when and where I'm on the internet in another blog post. Not today!

Cedar Bluff in Winter



Cedar Bluff -- January 3, 2010

 Here's Cedar Bluff lakehouse in the winter. This photo is from last January. The brilliant blue winter skies often signal very cold days.

Look like the snow thrower and shovel were in use over the holidays, too!

Adding the Desert to My Life

We are adding a new dimension to our lives. Ed and I bought a house on a golf course in Arizona near Tucson. This will be a new adventure for both of us.

We both spent about a week in December out in Marana at the new place which we now call Graywood West. While the going back and forth will take some adjusting, we're ready to do that as a part of our lives. I guess that makes us snowbirds. We will be very flitty snowbirds for now.

Here's a view from a trail that's easily accessible from Graywood West and a photo of breakfast on the East Patio. The walking and hiking possibilities are wonderful. I was out the door and moving much more than I do in Michigan during the winter. We ate outside as often as we could. We golfed twice during the first week even though we spent lots of time fetching stuff for the house.

Broken Glass in the Buick

Funny stuff happens. Here's the Buick Ranier as we found it on New Year's Eve. We heard a dull but loud sound late in the evening.

It turned out to be the glass "exploding" from the back windshield of the Ranier. Look how the glass just breaks into small pieces, almost like a sharp necklace would fall apart. The wings up above the tailgate are the pistons that hold the glass in place.

Needless to say, I'm driving the Old 1997 Chevy Blazer (Ed calls it the truck) this week.