Very Merry

SEASONS GREETINGS: As December rushes toward an end, we fit in a few holiday traditions we've had since moving to Seattle. 

One is going to our favorite nursery, Swanson's, to check out their holiday decor. That set up always includes a model railroad. 

This year's theme was dinosaurs. It was a super cute scene, with lots to look at.

We also had to stop by and visit the koi we've been admiring for about 14 years now. They were as vibrant and entrancing as always.

This guy (below) is the lunker. He definitely outweighs both of our dogs. He always surfaces if you stand next to the pond, no doubt looking for a hand out.

We scoured the expansive grounds of Swanson's, looking for the little red sled the kids have had their photo taken in since they were preschoolers. Alas, it was not on site this year. We had to settle for a white bench and a snowman backdrop.

SKY HIGH: We also made a trip to the Space Needle this holiday season. There, you'll find the best Santa in the galaxy, Space Needle Santa.

On the way to the top, we passed the various displays marking notable moments in Space Needle history. In the photo below, Elvis and a date dine at the Needle's rotating restaurant. 

Guess what? That restaurant is gone! That level has been remodeled and it now features a glass floor! But more on that later. ...

In the elevator on the way up to the Observation Deck, we spied the remodeled Key Arena, now Climate Pledge Arena and home to the Seattle Kraken.

We also admired the white arches of Pacific Science Center, with Elliott By in the background.

We spent an hour or so on the Observation Deck. The weather was pretty awful - not a great day for spectacular shots the Space Needle often affords.

Eventually, we made our way down to the Loupe level, where Santa and the world's first (and only?) glass floor were located.

Here, you should be seeing a great photo of the kids with Santa. Instead, you'll have to settle for my candid shot, because they screwed up the photo. When we entered our ticket # to download our photo, it was of another family! We immediately asked a manager for help, but were referred to emailing the Space Needle's photo department. We did that days ago and have had no answer, sadly. 

Here's a photo of Space Needle Santa with a kind of lonely looking, gray Puget Sound in the background.

If you're interested, here's a short, crude video I took of the rotation. 

And here is a video about the unique feature when it opened. 

From MPA to you and yours, we hope you had a very merry holiday!

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

SUGAR RUSH: Back on December 16, we loaded up our car with a ton of sugar and headed south. Our destination was an elementary school in Kent. It's a school where Rick used to teach. There are a lot of low income families in the school, and those kids go without all too often.

CJ, Annabelle and I used to go make cookies with Rick's students when he was a teacher there. Now, we go and do the same in the classroom of one of his former co-workers.

There is a whole lot of work that comes before the whole lot of fun. We made 25 melting snowman cookie kits. First, we had to make a bunch of sugar cookie dough hand cut each snowman base, and baked those. We also made 25 little round Rice Krispies treats for their heads. We assembled boxes with items they could use for decorations. Those included multiple kinds of chocolate chips, mini M&Ms, different colored nonpareils, gummy bears, little orange carrot noses made from gum paste, Teddy Grahams, sour candies that could be used for scarves or ??? and more.  

As usual, we started with a little PowerPoint presentation about how we like to play with our food, and how that has led to entering cake contests and being volunteer cake makers for Birthday Dreams. We gave some safety instructions, and then it was off to the races. 

The kids were so enthusiastic, and they really did a great job making their own melting snowmen. They were so proud of their final products.

We didn't get to do the cookie session last year because schools were closed, so it was especially fun to be back this year. 

We had so much fun, I asked the teacher if we could come back this spring and do an edible art session with healthy foods with the class. She responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

SO CLOSE: I have lot track of how many times this launch has been postponed, but the latest news is that the James Webb Space Telescope will launch on Christmas Day.

Unfortunately, the timing of lift off, 4:20 a.m., is a wee bit early for West Coasters in the U.S. to watch the launch from Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.

However, if you're up and at 'em, you can watch on NASA Live.