Blasting into 2011

Erika invited us all down to the fireworks on their cul-de-sac. Kevin, Erika and Terry's next door neighbor, enjoys putting on pyro-displays on the 4th of July and New Year's Eve. The entire neighborhood benefits and the majority of them turned out to "ooh and aah". Brett was super excited and we just had to stop so he could get some fireworks of his own to shoot off. As Annemarie put it, "Brett is as giddy as a school child right now."
The show started around 10pm when it was good and dark and lasted about 30 minutes. Afterward sparklers were lit and the young ones had fun swirling them around. We processed to the backyard and enjoyed marshmallows roasted over the firepit.

Enjoying marshmallows and s'mores

Annemarie and Brett ~ Erika and Terry ~ Sneed and Anne ~ Cheryl and Kevin

Aedin made sure we all had our flutes filled with sparkling grape juice and red and/or green grapes to toast the New Year. As we watched the ball drop on tv somewhere in the Central Time Zone, we lifted our glasses high and toasted to 2011. A very exciting start to the New Year.

Staying up with the Owls

Annemarie made an owl ornament with some of her friends in CA. While Taylor was here tonight, she asked Annemarie if we could make one. On the spur of the moment, she said yes. While Sneed and Brett went to Fuzzy's to pick up some pizza, we scurried over to Hobby Lobby to get the fixins to make a couple of birds. It's obvious that I can take some lessons from them. My owl doesn't look nearly as good as theirs.

Annemarie: "Taylor, do you even know how to use a sewing machine?"  Taylor: "ll just wing it"... and she did.

Us with our finished products

A Christmas Play

Aedin wrote, directed and narrated the play as a Christmas present for her Dad, Terry.

There was some last minute stage fright...the understudies had to step in and fill the bill

Watch for the ass that carried Mary. Excellent acting there. And if I do say so myself, Annemarie was the perfect Mary.

Christmas Part III

A quick journey back up the Grand Parkway and we are back in Katy. Annemarie and I set to preparing the Christmas feast. Sneed and Brett put the leaves in the table and help set it up. Annemarie carefully folds napkins into Christmas trees which adds a festive touch. Brett and Annemarie wile away some time playing Hand and Foot, the game Sneed and I play just about every night. We taught them last night and they are already aficionados.

Erika, Terry, and the children arrive with sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows to be browned. I put them under the broiler and went on to other things. Oops! Burnt to a crisp. A quick swipe with a spoon and we reloaded the top and watched them brown and they turned out perfect. Colin and Terry made an apple pie, and Gavin made a pumpkin pie. Adding them to the pecan pie I had made earlier gave us plenty of dessert choices.

When the Christmas repast had been eaten and the dishes cleared away, I suggested we take a walk around the block before starting dessert. Bundled up against the cold, we set forth. Aedin was on a ripstik board, Dylin was breaking in her new roller skates, and Olsin was on his Powerwing scooter. He just about scared us to death when Erika called out, "Car" as he darted from the safe side of the street to the other right in front of said car. Needless to say, he was grounded from the scooter for the rest of the walk and Colin got to enjoy riding it. The rest of us were on foot. I didn't realize that the temperature had plummeted to 39. By the time we made it back to the house, we were pretty well chilled through as evidenced by the progressive photos of Annemarie and Brett as they covered up more and more.

Dylin with her American Girl doll, Molly, that she got from Santa ~ Aedin and the ripstik board

Brett appears to be surprised at the cold ~ He pulls up the scarf over his ears ~ Annemarie soon pulls hers up as well

Christmas Part II

At 12pm straight up, we all gathered around the computer to watch the live feed from California of Brett and his co-workers lip-syncing the 'N SYNC version of "The Christmas Song". What a hoot that was! To watch it, click here.

No one noticed but Annemarie and Brett had slipped away to open their box and share the moment together. From here on in are Brett's own words...

"Annemarie and I sneak away for a quite moment alone and I’m struck with the realization that this is a pretty awesome moment in each of our lives. Either way, a baby will take our lives in a crazy, new, and exciting direction … but this moment is the first glimpse we get into what that direction might be.

We both tear off the paper and I give Annemarie the task of pulling off the box’s lid. She starts… and stops… and we both share another excited giggle with each other. Then I give her a poke and it’s cracked open… just enough to see…
“It’s a boy!”

A warm rush comes over my body and tears come to the eyes. I look up at Annemarie… and of course… she’s got tears already down her face. Ahh… what a moment! How incredible! I love my wife! I love my little baby boy who isn’t even here yet! MY baby boy!! OUR baby boy!! Whoa!!!"

See why it didn't take long to fall in love with this newest son-in-law of ours?

About 15 minutes later, right around 1230, Annemarie and Brett reappeared and handed me our box to unwrap and open. After fumbling with the wrapping paper, I couldn't get the box open either until Annemarie prompted me by saying "it's taped on the sides". Then, oh my goodness, we all found out as I whooped and hollered and finally said, "It's a Boy!"

A happy couple indeed

Christmas Part 1

Brett and Annemarie, Sneed and I went down to Erika and Terry's to celebrate Christmas with them and all the children. The children were so good as to accomodate waiting for us to get there seeing as how they had gotten up really early that morning. Some were up around 6am. Once we arrived around 915am, Terry whipped up individual omelets from the omelet station that had cheese, ham, tomatoes, peppers and more from which to select. The best omelet I've eaten in years! He had two frying pans going and made 11 omelets. Whatta guy!

Oh what fun finding out what Santa brought

And, yes, Santa brought Aedin a violin!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Service at River Pointe Church ~ Olsin kept himself busy ~ Candlelight singing

Beautiful singing ~ Talented granddaughters performing cartwheels

Sporting our Queen Theatre T-Shirts ~ Brett and Annemarie taking eponymous photo with Aedin

The Best Christmas Card of Grandpups this year

Taylor and Rob drove up to Chicago to have Christmas with his Mom, Grandma, and other family members. They sent the cutest photograph of Teddy Bear and Annie.


Merry Christmas Everyone!

Teddy Bear on the left, and Annie on the right

Taylor wished for Snow, again. Sally and Grandma wish she wouldn't wish so hard!

The Best Christmas Card of a Family this year

Had to qualify my title for this posting as Erika's 2010 Christmas photo card just came today. Another winner!!

L>R clockwise ~ Gavin (13), Terry, Aedin (almost 9), Dylin (7), Erika, Colin (12), Olsin (5 1/2)

How about those flip flops on Aedin...sort of gives it away that she's in TX = )

The Best Christmas Card This Year

The cutest little baby bump

What joy and excitement to come on Christmas Day when all* will be revealed. 




*Baby Bollman's gender

The Christmas Revels - In Celebration of the Winter Solstice

Four years ago we attended our first Revels performance when Radhika, a girl with whom I worked, let it me known that she was going to be in it. The production was lavish and we really enjoyed the dancing and singing. The next year we took Taylor and Rob. Oh my disaster! After relating the beautiful performance we had seen, that year's show had an Appalachian Mountains theme. Not lavish at all. Two years ago, Aedin accompanied us to her first Revels performance. Last year, Dylin went and this year, they both came with us. This was the 20th anniversary of the Houston Revels so they were re-performing the very first show. Unfortunately, this was not what we had come to expect. Previous performances had little skits around which the dancers and singers performed. This was totally a singers/dancers/musicians show which rather quickly bored us all. As we held hands and twisted and turned through the theater to the lobby and around and around in the lobby

Dylin ~ 2009

Aedin ~ 2008

singing the Lord of the Dance refrain:

Dance,then, wherever you may be;
"I am the Lord of the Dance," said he,
"And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the dance," said he.

we decided we would leave at this opportune Intermission moment.

Aedin and Dylin have fun outside the Wortham Theater on the University of Houston campus before the Revels presentation. I love the expressions on their faces in the center photograph.

Dylin and one of the Lord of the Dance's dancers - showing off the Christmas tree in the lobby - "I didn't know you could do that, Papa"

Two little princesses zonked out on the way home

Listen to their squeals of delight at having Papa push them on the swing. "This is so much fun." Such joy in their voices.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Queen Theatre made the Front Page

We're so proud of Erika and Katie and the progress they have made in such a short time in reviving the Queen Theatre to its former glory.

Queen Theatre makes the news...A front page article about its participation in the Miracle on Morton Street in Richmond 4 December 2010

...he sees you when you're sleeping

Refer to posts of 5 November and 4 December for more information about the Queen Theatre.
Website

Galveston, We're Home!

What a lovely sight. Sunrise in Galveston, TX, USA!!

Key West, Florida

Oh me, Oh my! It sure was good to be back in the good ole USA. Granted we had a good time in our other ports of call, but as Dorothy soon learned, "There's no place like home" and we reveled in it.

Once again another beautiful sunrise. Never tire of those. Another Carnival ship was pulling in after we had already docked. The Coast Guard boat was going out to escort them in, complete with a gun on the bow.

Peggy and I enjoyed The Old Man without the sea. The reddish building is the former Custom House, now the Museum of Art and History

Row 1 ~ Tim, the best tour guide ever, showed us these sights from the Old Town Trolley. He pulled the trolley bell and right on cue, this little man ran out of the Key Lime shop carrying a pie in his hands. I almost got it ~ wonder if he would have let me keep it...or maybe it was one of those fake ones the Asians use in all their restaurants to let one know what the fare looks like. The Key West Hard Rock Cafe is uniquely different. Legend has it that this old three-story Victorian style house is still haunted by the ghost of its original owner, Robert Curry, who meanders along the corridors. Row 2 ~ Trinity Presbyterian Church is an African American Church Founded in 1892 by the London Missionary Society; established as a Wesleyan Methodist mission church to the Bahamian immigrants.  In 1931, the Presbyterian Church took it over when the London Society felt it was too expensive to send missionaries from London and the Bahamas. The Strand Theatre is now an interesting Walgreens. A nice B and B displaying the American flag, Florida state flag, and the Conch Republic flag so named for the time when Key West wanted to secede from the US. Row 3~ The Southernmost on the Beach Hotel. Next, the Southernmost House followed by the Southernmost Southernmost House. Are you getting the picture here? Sounds a bit like one-upmanship.

The girls in front of the famous Hemingway House wall. Legend has it that Hemingway stole the brick from the city and built the wall with his buddies from Sloppy Joe's Bar. The city found out and fined him a penny a brick. The house was surrounded by the wall so it wasn't easy to get a photo. One of the 6-toed cats that have the run of the entire estate, inside and out. A wedding took place in the outside garden while we were there.

Key West is the End of US 1 and the furthest South one can travel and still be in the USA. Polar Bear Ice Cream enjoyed by Willie and Polly. One of the ubiquitous roosters on the island. Polly heard them cock-a-doodle-doing whilst on the ship this morning

Some of the many establishments. "Daydream", a 3-D Matisse behind the former Customs House.

Back on the ship. Jane is one of the lovely dancers who put on the Vegas-style shows that we enjoyed. One evening I was sitting next to her boyfriend who is from Johannesburg. She is from Oxford, England and they live together on the ship. Oh to be young and full of ambition with no inhibitions again. Richard and I played Bingo. We had to form the letter T. Neither of us won = (. The final photo is of the young lady who was our Head Waitress most of the nights. Her name is Lurlek, from Thailand.The majority of the staff were from Croatia, Thailand, India, Belarus, very young, and hard-working. It was a delight getting to know them.

Saturday we played Hand and Foot all day. Carolyn and I called it a night by 9PM. We decided to leave the door open so as to be lulled to sleep on our last night by the sound of the wake gently flowing behind the ship. We both woke at 11 as the boat was starting to rock. Looking outside we realized there were whitecaps on both sides of the wake that were wider than the wake itself. The spray was rather heavy so we closed the door. We awoke again at 2 and then 4. At 4, we turned off the alarm clock, and stayed up. Thus ended our last night onboard.

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Sunrise as we pull into Freeport ~ The red ship in the third photo appears to be floating above the horizon as shown in the fourth photo as well

More of the sunrise ~ The ship's location on the televised map. The red circle is Freeport. It's amazing what I had to endure to get some sunrise photos. Carolyn and I were having breakfast al fresco on our balcony as we were wont to do. As I enjoyed my Frosted Flakes, I realized the beautiful sunrise begged to have its photo taken. I carefully placed the cereal bowl on my chair, maneuvered over the makeshift table, and took a few photos. After carefully stretching my long legs one by one back over the lounge chair (the table), the next thing I knew upon sitting down, Kerplop!, I was in my cereal bowl. What a rude awakening that was. Fortunately, the hair dryer came in handy drying off my pants. Can you imagine the sound if I had landed in a bowl of Rice Krispies? Snap! Crackle! Pop!

Our first stop (after a 45 minute squished bus ride to the actual tour bus that was in Lucaya)  was the Garden of the Groves (Wallace and Georgette Groves,  the founders of Freeport/Lucaya).

Common Moorhen ~ Green Heron ~ Great Blue Heron

The chapel built of native stone is a replica of Freeport's first church built by Wallace Groves. This one was built in 1973 in honor of the Groves. Destroyed by hurricanes in 2004, it has undergone a recent renovation. ~ Sherrea, our garden guide ~ The Labyrinth is a replica of the first Christian labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral, France. The Labyrinth walk is representative of Life's journeys and experiences.

Purple flower is Thunbergia, followed by Plumeria, and Hibiscus

Back on the ship, we're ready to enjoy one of the Vegas-style shows ~ Our favorite towel figure, the Monkey. Each night we were excited to see what towel figure would greet us when we returned to our stateroom.

Nassau, Bahamas

Land Ahoy!

Enjoying the view of Atlantis from the veranda
(Don't you agree that Carolyn looks like a model in these photos?)

Relaxing while waiting for our tour guide...Peggy and I make friends with Senor Frog

Our first stop on the tour of the island

With 65 steps, the 102 foot staircase symbolizes Queen Victoria's reign of the island. The stairs were carved out of solid limestone by slaves in the late 18th century, between 1793 and 1794. It is reported that they were forced to cut through rocks with axes and other sharp hand tools. It was the steepest set of stairs I've been on in a long time.

Cool, pastel homes and their yachts across the waterway from the Atlantis. Royal Poinciana with Bougainvillea

Sights around the outside and the inside of the very pricey Hotel Atlantis

Joe, our wonderful guide, outside of the Restaurant where we sampled Conch meat and various Bahaman delicacies. Our cruise boat on the left and two Royal Carribean ships. Carolyn enjoying the cool, refreshing, water on Junkanoo Beach. Back onboard the ship, sunset from the Lido Deck.