The Winter Cold Season has finally caught up with me and with vengeance. I have spent the last week in a Nyquil daze. My red nose would outshine Rudolph’s right now. It is a 4 AM and I simply could not spend another moment in bed. I have just finished my second cup of coffee and have the good feeling that comes with a caffeine rush.

My cold does not come close to what Kristi went through this week. She had surgery on her leg. The break was not healing correctly and the doctor decided to put a rod in the tibia and fuse the fibula. I would loved to have been with her, but I knew she was in the capable hands of her partner, Theresa. What a gal! She kept me updated the entire time Kristi was in the hospital. I am most appreciative of her effort.

I am happy to say that Kristi is home and doing well. Since she has already spent a long time on crutches, the PT didn’t have a lot of instructing to do. As Kristi said, “By this time with all my practice, I can practically do handstands on them.” If I know my daughter, she will probably try!

So in between the phone calls and my coughing and sniffling, I did take time to make a Memory Photo Album of the week-end in Solvang. If you would like to see it click on the Album on the right hand side. Then simply click on the first thumbnail to enlarge it. From there on, you only need to click on the words “next’.

California has been hit with a number of storms. No snow here on the desert . . . just cloudiness and a temperature in the low 60’s. We have had a little rain and lots and lots of cold wind that blows the sand across the roads which lowers visibility and makes driving on the highways a hazard.

Today’s post is all about family, friends and love. This was our second annual Christmas trip to Solvang, California to celebrate the holidays together and it is our hope that it will become a family tradition to honor the twins’ Nordic heritage.

Solvang was settled in 1911 by a group of Danish educators who founded a folk school and a village. The school is long gone, but the little town with its quaint thatch-roofed heritage has become quite a tourist attraction. There is no doubt it is kitschy Scandinavian with tourist gifts like coffee cups and magnets with Oofta written boldly across them and lots of dolls in costume. It is also a charming little place with excellent Danish Bakeries and Scandinavian Restaurants with truly authentic Nordic foods.

Kristi, the twins, her good friend Larry, and I drove up from Newhall Friday afternoon and arrived just in time for the tree lighting ceremony in the town’s park. John and Kym drove down from Danville and arrived in time for a little wine wind-down before bedtime. Theresa arrived early Saturday morning and just in time to meet us at Paula’s Restaurant famous for its Swedish Pancakes and Danish style breakfast. We toasted with orange juice and with mimosas and before you could say “Glaedig Jule”, it was time for the Christmas parade to begin. The group was complete when John Vincent drove down from Menlo Park and arrived in the afternoon.

Larry was a big help chasing down energetic twins and helping me decorate my room at the Royal Copenhagen. I had packed and brought along a small tree, stockings, wreath, and Disney figures. I thought decorating the room would make it feel more like Christmas. The effort was well worth it for when we finished decorating the room, it had a special holiday ambiance.

I loved this room because it was the same one, Bob and I had last year and it is perfect for the gathering of the clan. It is more of a suite than a room. The first floor is a large comfortable living room with a stairway leading to a small and cozy bedroom loft. The others had their rooms right next door so it was easy for us to go between rooms and our doors were frequently left open as we went from one group to another.

During the afternoon, Larry who is a masseur by profession, treated Kristi, Theresa, and me to massages. Oh, it was a wonderful relaxing time. Soon the twins woke up from their naps and were ready for a little gift opening. They opened and played with toys for awhile and then Danica in an Americanized Danish tradition played the role of Santa Lucia. Her crown was hardly traditional, but it was shiny and served the purpose. As our little Lucia, she busily passed out candies to all the adults. occasionally taking them back and giving two to someone she found to be special or special at that moment.

Dinner Saturday night was at a Mexican Restaurant. The weather was perfect and we strolled the few blocks to Don Jose’s taking our time to look at brightly-lit store windows and glittering holiday decorations. Somehow it felt a little unusual to pass the Scandinavian Restaurants and climb the stairs to the one Mexican Restaurant that was open, but that is the way of my family and it made me smile. Dinner was delicious and the conversation lively. Dinner over, we returned to the Royal Copenhagen and made our plans for the next morning’s breakfast and farewells.

Sunday morning the twins slept in so I had breakfast with John Vincent, Kym, and John. We had Danish rolls and coffee and just enjoyed the quiet time together. I loved catching up on my kids’ lives and plans. Much too soon it was time to head back go the motel and to give hugs all around as John and Kym headed for their car and the drive back to Danville.

By this time, Larry, Kristi, Theresa, and the twins were dressed, had their breakfast, and were ready for a little shopping. John Vincent and I joined them for this sojourn and wandered through the little shops looking at Disney Christmas decorations and some beautiful paintings by
Thomas Kincaid.

In an effort to prolong our good time in Solvang, we decided to have lunch before starting home. We found a restaurant with a pleasant little outdoor area and since the weather was in the high 70’s we chose an outside table. But all good things must come to a close so at the end of lunch, we headed for our cars and trucks. We hugged John Vincent good-by and watched him head to his car and jumped into our trucks for the journey home.

I have since heard from all three of my children and they all had a wonderful time and are looking forward to our next Christmas in Solvang. This may have only been the second annual Solvang family holiday but it is my hope that this fledgling tradition continues to grow through the years and that Eric and Danica will always remember Christmas and Solvang as happy holiday memories entwined.

Baba has inspired me with her beautiful Sunday meme of photos of sunrises and sunsets. So I am joining the photo group today with these two photos. The first one I shot when the sun was low in the sky and perhaps 2o minutes before the actual sunset. I love the way the sunlight has turned the rocks a off the coast of Mazatlan a bright golden color.

This second photo was taken by my daughter Dawn. It is the silhouette of a statue of a couple. I tried to find out more about it, but Google gave me very little information. So I surmise they are lovers. They are among the many statues on the Malecón, Puerto Vallarta’s broad waterfront.

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Our blogger friend, Carmi, has a thematic photo challenge each week. This week it is photos that fit the word Sweet. Here is my sweetest photo for this week’s theme.

This was taken in Mexico a few weeks ago when Bob and I took our daughter and grand daughter on a cruise. Her ninth year birthday gift from her mother was a swim with the dolphins. I think the expression on both their faces expresses the word “sweet” perfectly.

Click on the photo to enlarge. I needed to change the enlarged size to 75% to get the entire photo. Hope this works well for you.