I love this Christmas scene and can just see Santa coming down this chimney and finding some cookies and a large mug of Hot Chocolate. This is NOT our house but it is still beautiful just like our friends and family...

Al and I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2010...

Our fabulous Ryderwood Christmas Carolers serenaded us with
'Mele kalikimaka' the warm greeting Hawaiian Christmas song.. From left to right Jerre on guitar, Stella his wife who was born and raised in Hawaii, Joanne wife of Guy then Guy who was raised in Hawaii. Stella and Guy upon moving to Ryderwood found out they both went to the same school in Hawaii yet different years.

... When Santa walked into our room he towered up about 6' 6" and immediately there was a long line of women wanting to sit on his lap and give him a list of their wants and desires..like a new diamond ring or a bright red Mercedes.

Joanne did an excellent Marilyn Monroe's "Santa Baby"!!

I love Guy's facial expression as he watches his wife perform a very sexy Marilyn Monroe's "Santa Baby"!!

This was just about 1/4 of the very long table covered with "door prizes" and everyone left with one door prize so no one was forgotten.....plus we all thoroughly enjoyed the yummy potluck.

Some of our neighbors. The man closest with the red stripe across his shirt is Clyd (Pronounced Clyde). He and his wife Rae are wonderful neighbors and live just down the alley from us... Yes, we have alleys in our town which was built in 1923 and use to be a Logging Town. Maybe I will post more information about our adorable town one day soon. A very interesting bit of info is one has to be 55+ to buy a home here in our great retirement town.

Al blinked just as I took this pix!His shirt says "I Believe In Santa" and there are always numerous comments about that! Ha-Ha.

This is Guy and his adorable (and talented) wife, Joanne who was part of the Ryderwood Christmas Singers (as seen in a previous picture).

"Guy" is the best storyteller, especially when he tell his story usin' Hawaii'an Pidgin English.
He was raised in Hawaii and certainly can tell good story....especially the one about little red ridin' hood takin' cookies to her tutu (Hawaiian for Grandma). He also can sing a super song as he and his other group members did with Melekalekemaka in a previous picture.

This is Sally-Jean who is an incredible entertainer with her partner Terry who also plays the piano with Al. There are so many wonderful musicians who play great music in this town...

Don't know this man's name but he lives in a town close to our's and has a great story about the bass instrument he is playing. He found the "pieces" and has spent many months putting it back together and now is playing it again. It is a beautiful instrument and he did an incredible jog restoring it. (another love story for sure).

Some more of our Love Birds and couples at our table for Christmas.. This is Jerre and Stella....(she was born in Hawaii) and one of the people who entertained us with beautiful Christmas Caroles and Melekelemaka and old Hawaiian Christmas song. In the background is Gary who was instrumental in us finding our home in Ryderwood and Terry on the piano who is working with Al and his Blues music.

Oh my gosh...This is Meredith and Bob who were our hosts for the Christmas Party last Saturday. They both still do the "w" thing and will retire in a few years. They own the most beautiful and largest home in town.. Will take pictures of the outside before they pull down all their outside lights.

This is Jan and Don who sat at the same table as we did for the Christmas Party. Jan is a really delightful lady who is really warm and friendly. Her hubby Don is the President of the Board of Trustees of our town and a retired executive of another Washington State County.

Some more of our neighbors in Ryderwood at our Christmas Party...

My mom use to call her neighbors "inmates" at the Retirement Home where she lived in Portland the last few years of her life. My dear mom had quite the sense of humor..

Ray made it out that far after the temperatures in town were around 10 degrees... It only took a few days at those temps for our Lake to freeze..

This was Kathe's idea to go 'walk on water' and Ray was the only one to take her up on that...

"This is another man that is able to walk on water!!!"

Ray decided to check the depth of the ice by making a hole in the ice!!!@!*^&*?

We told him to get closer to the shore before he did that!!!!

Al, Kathe, Cally and I were on the shore waiting.. All 4 of us were not that brave... even the dog would not go out there!!

Ray and Kathe bring us such laughs, fun times and another great day on the lake.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND MAY YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.....

10 DEGREES!!!!

This was what we woke up to this morning.... BURRRRR! I am so happy there is an layer of heavy plastic over this window which helps keep cold out and heat in!!

Santa at our front door ~~ Shhhh ~~~he has a bag full of gifts for Al, Molly, Sami and Cally because they were good boys and girls.

A Christmas Welcome on our front porch 2009 along with Santa behind screen on front door. I have quite a bit of fun changing Holiday decorations and check in with my blog at every new Holiday season...

Two happy snowmen hanging around their favorite tree.

I put this little bear with the top-hat out on the front porch the night that it snowed.... Can't see the writing on his sign very well but it says "THINK SNOW". You'd think I would learn..

YIKES!!!!

These two little munchkins are happy as they can be. They are on our porch every Christmas !

These 2 Santa Clauses use to have a tiny candle in their cap but both candles melted... so now they just sit out with a "hole in their head" and have since been banned to the porch.

Our little fiberoptic Christmas tree which blinks and flashes different bright neon colors. Fits perfectly in our little retirement cottage.

When I was out on our front porch decorating, in sub-freezing weather, it was just at dusk. I took this pix from the porch to show the lights in the bonsai-junipter and the left over snow which has been there for about 4 days...the temps still are below freezing. BURRRR!!!

I have had these little reindeer decorations for many years and this year I put them on the couchtable which is behind the couch and divides the living room from the dining room.

Kathe (our neighbor) gave me this pretty Christmas decoration and when the candles are lit it is really pretty. THANKS Kathe.

Here is Sami otherwise known as "Miss Innocence" our almost 19 year old kitty...She has a growth in the corner of her right eye and the Vet says it is nothing to worry about. She is our little Buddy and yes, the same cat that jumped out of our rig while in Quartzsite in 1999 (for all those Boomer's who might remember that).

This is the closest our Border Collie (Cally) and our almost 19 year old kitty (Sami) have been. We keep telling Cally that Sami wants to be her friend, but after the cat swatted the dog just one too many times, the dog is not believing us....