Today we made our way to Chapin Park in Kirtland where we put on snow shoes and hiked a few trails. Though very cold, the day was picture perfect--bright with sunshine. It was a marvelous walk in the park.
Barbara has her snow shoes on and is ready to go!Jim is ready too. Come along with us on the trail.
Beautiful scenery reminded us of how winter is a very special time to observe nature. Our trail led us down the middle of this ravine. (Click on the picture to enlarge.) Jim enjoys a post hike warm-up--a cup of hot tea. After our hike we stopped to admire the nearby Kirtland Temple. It was the first house of worship for the followers of Joseph Smith, Jr., who founded the Latter Day Saint movement in western New York in 1830.
The Holidays 2007 were very busy and filled with great family times. Activities included:
* Zoll family gathering at John and Karen's in Pittsburgh. The fun included a jubilant celebration of Dad's 80th birthday, complete with everyone singing "Ode To David Zoll"...the musician of O-HI-O! * Dinner and Cleveland Orchestra holiday concert with Patti and John. * Dinner, A Christmas Carol performance and visit to the Christmas Story house in Tremont with Birgitta and Ray. * Visits with Jen and Tom, and Kathy. * Christmas Eve special time with Carly. * Christmas Day festive brunch at Carly and Tiffany's. * Visits in New York City with Melanie and Mo; Lexi, Jeff and Michaela; and Nicole and Darrell; and, a potluck dinner with just about everyone including Amine. Unfortunately, Darrell and Mo had to work and could not join us at the potluck. The trip included a very special visit with Michaela to the Long Island Children's Museum. We had a superb time with Michaela--reading, playing and having fun putting her new kitchen together. (See below and also The Pearce Family blog.) All in all we received the royal treatment, including great conversations, Broadway plays, dinners out, a brisk walk through Central Park and a visit to the Cooper-Hewitt Museum. The drive to and from New York was in almost perfect weather. Whew!
Below are some photos and a video. Thanks to Lexi for sharing several photos!
Happy 80th! Karen and John pause for a photo op. Jen won the "prize" in the under $5 gift exchange. Jacob and Jonah try out their new Wii game, a gift from Grandmama and Grandad. With John and Patti at Severance Hall. Carly and Scout get into the Christmas spirit on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve visit with Tom and Jen... and Kathy! Michaela sports a hard hat and highway safety jacket at the Long Island Children's Museum. Michaela serves GB a pretend dinner, fresh off the "hot stove" in the Mongolian model hut in the Children's Museum. Michaela happily checks out her new kitchen, a gift from Grandad and GB, which Dad and Grandad had just assembled. Christmas portrait with Santa. A chef's apron with Michaela's hand prints in colors that match our kitchen. What a great Christmas gift! Nicole and Darrell outside the Cooper-Hewitt Museum in Manhattan. Getting ready for the potluck at Melanie and Mo's. Amine pauses from playing computer games to strike a pose. Birgitta and Ray pause after touring the Tremont house in which the movie A Christmas Story was filmed. Michaela crosses a bridge at the Long Island Children's Museum.
Today members of the Good family (Lois' family) gathered in Huron,OH for its annual holiday meal of delicious turkey, all the trimmings and wonderful, warm hospitality. Four generations were present as shown in the pictures below. Participants travelled from many different states outside Ohio including Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. It was a great event!
Good Generation 1. (Left click to enlarge photos for best viewing.) Good Generation 2. Good Generation 3. Good Generation 4. Good Spouses. Kendall, Kayla and Barb prepare to pass out gifts to the Gen4s. Lois poses with members of Generations 3 and 4. Jen, Tom, William, Elizabeth, Meg and Kathy enjoy cathcing up. Anne, Carly, Andrew, Philip, Kendall, Kayla and Aidan play Moose in the House, a card game. Actually, there's a pause in the action as participants discuss the how-to's of the game. (Note: the video is a little dark.)
Carly and Jim went on a mission today to take photos of several lifts in the field. Here are some examples. To get this shot we climbed into a nearby lift and Carly took us up, up and up! This video will give you an idea of what our trip back down felt like. The wind was blowing quite a bit and it was very cold. The cold winds were still blowing later when Jim stopped at Edgewater Park for a look at frothy Lake Erie.
We enjoyed wonderful Thanksgiving dinners. Barb and Carly enjoyed the Zoll family gathering in Toledo and Jim dined in New York at Melanie and Mo's along with Nicole and Darrell. But Mo had to work at a tennis tournament--in Toledo! Unfortunately, he had to miss out on both Thanksgiving meals. His schedule was so tight that he could not partake of the holiday repast in Toledo. That's too bad because the reports clearly show that both meals were excellent! Thanks to chef teams led by Lois in Toledo and Melanie in New York.
Jen, Lois, Barb and Myra strike a holiday pose. Carly and Anne display the results of their highly successful culinary team work. The family also celebrated Evan Michael's first birthday. Here Evan, Carly and Sarah enjoy a moment of birthday fun. This year's Zoll family footbal match resulted in a tie.
In New York, Melanie and Darrell pause briefly during meal preparation. Darrell served as gravy sous chef. Darrell, Nicole and Melanie strike a holiday pose. Nicole and Jim visited Jeff, Lexi and Michaela the next day, helping to shop for a Christmas Tree. "This is the one!" said Jeff and Lexi.
We recently visited Ray and Birgitta in their lovely new home and what a gem it is! They have decorated their new residence in excellent fashion and all in a very short time. They have wonderful views of the surrounding countryside including a nearby forested area. You can get an idea of the beautiful view from the picture below of the living room.
Left click on the picture to enlarge for best viewing.
We kicked off the holiday season with a wonderful family gathering at Patti and John's house. Mike, Marcia and Laura came from North Carolina, while Margaret, Keith, Kathy, Barb and Jim came from Cleveland. Mike and Marcia hosted Barb and Jim at the Ohio State/Illinois game on Saturday. While we were sad to see OSU lose, we were thrilled that our seats were close to the field. Our celebration included a wonderful holiday meal of turkey and ham plus Marcia's special apple dressing. And, we celebrated Kathy's recent birthday with delicious chocolate cake with white frosting. Everyone had a great time! Special thanks to Patti and John who were outstanding hosts!
John gave Mike, Barb and Jim a tour of RPAC--Ohio State's $140 million Recreational and Phsyical Activity Center.
Jim is ready too. 
