10,000 Lights Or Maybe 9,998?

A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still gently allows you to grow. – William Shakespeare

The morning was glorious without a cloud in the sky. This morning, we walked Five Miles with Colleen and Scout, The Wonder Dog, taking the lead. Around the hood, we traveled, meeting other folks walking their pooches.

Returning home, we sat by the fire, had a cup of coffee, and planned out the day. Then the girls got an idea! Poor Scout!

Let’s take his picture!

We had to take 120 photos to get him to smile and not move!

Take my what? Do not point that thing at me. It will capture my soul!

There were a lot of “behind-the-scenes” activities involved!

Scout gets a treat!

Colleen had a hair appointment with one of Mary’s hairdressers, and while Colleen was getting fixed up, we went to Jan’s house under the guise of a visit.  We were actually getting her Christmas present, but we had to swipe one of the originals, so we knew its size.  What is “it”?  It was two new American Flags as Jan’s got a little worse for wear.  Now the flags look great!

While out and about, we stopped at our banks, went to other jewelers, and then stopped at Rockwell’s for a small breakfast.  We shared an omelet, and Mary had coffee while I had iced tea!   It was perfect because we are saving ourselves for Rothchild’s this evening.

We picked up Colleen and returned to Jan’s with her presents; we think she liked it.  Then back home where we did a little decorating.

We got cleaned up and headed for Rothchild’s at 3:00 PM because we had a 4:00 PM reservation.  Why go so early, you might ask? We had a 6:00 PM reservation at Sherman Gardens.

Visit the website for details.

“Here’s to ya!”

Rothchild’s passed the test; they had the proper beer!

Someone was ready to eat!

David was trying to tell us something!

Bob found some red wine, and he was happy.  Bob and I wore precisely the same shirt, so it was hard for the girls to figure out who was who!

“Who me?”

Donna got her Chianti wine, the specialty of the house!

Photobombed!

Just us enjoying our dear friends!  Life is good! Should I mention that Mary is holding my arm to keep it from reaching for the bread?

Just us!

It was a short walk to the gardens, about two and a half blocks along PCH.  Sherman Gardens was not crowded, and it was a pleasant experience. Remember: Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.

We arrived.

The fog machines were going great-guns; we could hardly see where we were going!  It made the experience surreal, but it also made photography difficult!

The fog machine was going full blast.

The lights were fantastic. Mushrooms everywhere! I had to ask, “Why do mushroom children behave so well?”  They had NO answer so I provided them the following, “They don’t want to get in truffle.”

Ladies!

This year they set up a Choo Choo, and it was fun listening to Bob and David made trains sounds.  OK, who made the loud whistle noise; that was NOT funny!

The Choo Choo was running.

All smiles. Bob asked a train engineer how many times his train had derailed. He said, “I’m not sure; it’s hard to keep track.” Of course, David replied, “I know an elephant who refused to travel by train because he didn’t want to leave his trunk in the baggage car.”

Ticket inspectors. You’ve got to hand it to them!

The colors were unique! Colors are the smiles of nature.  ready? “What is the best Christmas present in the world? A broken drum, you just can’t beat it!

Bright lights were surrounding us!

How in the world did they get all those lights into that tree?  It must have taken a long time!

Wow! Did you know that a local bank is opening an ATM in a tree? If it is successful, they might expand to other branches.

We had a wonderful time this evening.

Just us!

We found live music and a dance floor and guess what, we danced!!  The girls started with a line dance, and then all of us danced for another 45 minutes!  I think they danced because it kept them from hearing my bright and witty humor.  BTW, “What goes “Oh, Oh, Oh”? Santa walking backwards!”

Time to head home. A fantastic evening was putting us all in the Christmas spirit!

About Paul

Just an old retired guy trying to finish out my last years on this planet. I lost my best friend and wife in early 2020. I was blessed again by reconnecting with Dr. Mary Côté, a long-time friend. Mary and I got married July 28th, 2021, and are enjoying life together and plan to spend the rest of our lives being a blessing to our friends and family.
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