My aunt and uncle’s backyard has been thoroughly renovated and is once again a charming place to sit back in the sun and watch the birds at the new bird feeder and their birdbath. Behind my uncle are two orange trees and a lemon tree. This being winter on the coast, the skies are bright blue, the air crisp, even clean from recent high winds. Originally, the plans were to stay a few days in Santa Barbara and then meander up the coast, but we decided to return to Arizona early and spend a week at home, take in some movies, and catch up on some quality time together.
Christmas in California
Driving from Phoenix, Arizona, to Santa Barbara, California, takes us east on Interstate 10 with the obligatory stop at Hadley Orchards, if not for sweets, a pitstop for the facilities. Our goal is to spend the Christmas holiday with family, that being our Aunt Ann and Uncle Woody.
Katharina
Caroline’s sister Stephanie is the mom to this cute 7-year-old niece of ours, her name is Katharina. We send Katharina, Stephanie, Klaus, and Oma Jutta wishes for a happy holiday and a wonderful Silvester – German for New Years’.
Snow Dad
From last winter, dad and daughter on the sled in the snow. Caroline and I once tried sledding here in the sand but it didn’t work out very well. There are a couple of reasons I really liked this photo, first, Katharina’s cheeks are so rosy red making her oh so cute. The other reason, look behind them on the left, what is that kid doing laying face down with his sled over him?
Yum
Did you save us a piece? Here’s our far-away niece showing us the braided bread she made all by herself just for Caroline and me. Ok, she probably did not make it for us, maybe she didn’t make it all, and she certainly did not save us a taste. Love the socks, I wonder if mom made them.
On The Playground
This is our niece Katharina on the playground – obviously not in America. I say obviously because if you look, she is running on a spinning wheel, she could hurt herself and sue someone if this were in America. Look at the uneven logs in the background, holes where feet could get trapped, ropes to fall over. It’s a sorry state we have come to that liability insurance, lawsuits, and greed has in part taken some of the fun away from being a child. Fortunately, this little girl is growing up in Germany where she can still skin a knee, run around without a care, and have fun on the playground.