HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ONE AND ALL!!!!

Just popped my mince and pumpkin pies in the oven...Ken will cook the turkey, potatoes, and zucchini on the BBQ later...must be Thanksgiving!! Giving thanks for my wonderful family.  Hope you all have a safe and happy "turkey day", wherever you are. Love you and miss you all,  Elli

Loved It!

Goodnight ipad is definitely a classic updated re-tell! We're not that bad...yet.  I just had to run upstairs to tell the boys to turn off the lights and stop reading Harry Potter, so we are still good old-fashioned ink on paper fans, too.

We're all looking forward to the Week o' Gratitude break and doing some eating, some visiting of the cousins in Durango and some skiing and biking in the same break. Boden has started his first season of YMCA basketball and it's pretty cute to watch. Reid is beginning his 4th year with the same Y team and great coaches, and it's cool to see the increase in level of play each season.

I'll try to assemble a bit of a visual feast for your turkey-day entertainment:

This is the video of Reid's birthday present from Jenny- a seaplane ride around Great Pond. You may have clicked the link on it on the blog before.

Here is some recent Valmont Bike Park action. Reid is starting to go for the 'Large' features in the Slopestyle section of the park, and while I'm glad I have good health insurance, I'd still rather have him doing that than playing football.

And here's our new sectional that I'm sitting on right now, anticipating some relaxing times during the upcoming chilly holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Goodnight Moon revisited

A very special book for everyone in our family has just been re-released in an updated format.  Goodnight Ipad is available in hardcover or ebook, but you can watch and listen to it being read to you if you visit:

 

http://www.davidmilgrim.com/DMDC/anndroyd.com.html

A must-see for all Kelloggs!!

Hope all is well on the other side of the planet...President Obama arrives here this afternoon for a 2-day visit! 

Seasonal Confusion

This seems to be a seasonal oxymoron, impossibility, I'm not sure what, exactly. Our fruit tree is in blossom and sporting its fall foliage at the same time. It's 11/15/11 - weird!

Orange!

ORANGE!

Emily's Camp Photos

Here are some Year 10 Outdoor Ed camp photos courtesy of Emily.  The kids hiked a total of about 17 kilometres over 4 days along the northern NSW coast near Grafton.  They slept in tepees (first night), a communal shelter (second night), and then in a shelter of their own making during the third night's solo.  As you can see the weather wasn't great!!  But according to Billy Connelly, "There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing."  Not sure Emily would agree...

a picture is worth a thousand words...

Lcohie and Emily loving the beach in the rain

the view from inside the tepee

things are looking brighter...



there was plenty of wildlife!

Emily's solo night campsite

grateful for a bit of solitude

It's been great to hear from everyone!  XO

 

FOUR DAYS IN MARYLAND WITH MY SISTERS

     It was a cold morning at 4:30am on October 27 when my taxi came to pick me up, with 8 inches of frozen snow on the ground. But Chestertown, MD was a different story, as you can see. Aside from the two photos of us at the docks, the other four show Chestertown sidewalk art, constructed around parking meters. These were in honor of both Hallowe'en and Open Studio Weekend. And with the tall ships in, the joint was really jumping! I'm giving you a background on these photos up front, as I have no idea in what format they will appear, or how to rotate them so they are right side up. Much learning for me in this area ahead---
   Friday was beautiful, and we strolled around the docks admiring the few ships that were in, and seeing the arty sights in town. We went out for dinner that evening, and as we were gathered around our table reading our menus, a familiar voice said "May I take your order?" It was Prue Potter, dining at a nearby table with Joel, Paige, her husband John, and their two beautiful children Lily and Grafton. Well, THAT was a surprise--Paige had recognized me, and was in ecstasies over seeing the MOTHER of  their favorite baby-sitter JULIE! We took a couple minutes for a fast catch-up---they live in the next-door town of Worton, and had come in to see the ships illuminated and to hear a talk on the book "Longitude" by Dava Sobel, which was fascinating. History and science mixed with adventure.
   Saturday, alas, was a washout, as the home-leaving storm arrived with driving rain and gale-force winds,and all the sails were cancelled. Our reservations were for that day, the only one possible, as travel home was set for Sunday. So we hung around Martha's fireplace in our pajamas, ate leftovers for lunch, and ordered in pizzas for supper.
   Sunday, of course, was sunny again, and we had an easy  trip to the airport (a little over an hour away). I was delighted to see that we still had white on our mountains as we dropped into Denver. Such a treat (the weekend), such good friends, and growing better by the year!
   Love and hugs,  Mom/Yia-Yia
   PS Our next storm arrives tonight  10 inches??