347/365

Church Choir performance

My church puts on a Christmas performance each year.  This is the first time I've been to one since I've been in Texas.  It was absolutely spectacular.  Their voices are wonderful and the director did a great job putting the production together.  

This is only a small portion of the adult choir that I was able to get without getting too much unimportant "stuff" if I tried to get the entire group.  There was a children's choir as well as a few living scenes of the Christmas story.

I'm so glad I attended this production this afternoon.

311/365

Sleeping Beauty Mountain

Back in 2018, before I moved to Texas, these ladies and I would hike once a week in the Adirondacks of NYS.  We started hiking together about 18 years ago only hiking in the warmer weather and then we decided we'd hike all year. In the winter we'd hike just a trail usually, using snow shoes or spikes. It was so beautiful we wondered why we didn't hike year round all those earlier years.

One year we trained all summer to be able to hike Mt Marcy, which is the highest high-peak in the Adirondacks.  It took us 11 hours up and back.  The view from the top was amazing.

In this photo we were holding up one finger to indicate that this was the first in a series of hikes we planned on doing that year.  

Upstate NY is beautiful, unlike central Texas.  Of course the current politics in NY leave a lot to be desired now, but back in those days it wasn't bad.

I miss those gals and those days of hiking.

(and yes, I took the pic by putting the camera on a small tripod)

170/365

An Aunt and a Niece

At a family reunion this weekend, these two hit it off really well and for some reason they both had the same T-shirt, so of course they had to have their pic taken together.

It was a great weekend.

095/365

Radium Girls

Once in a while when I'm in the library, I look for a movie to watch.

I saw this one and took it home.  I knew it was a true story and not a really happy one so I held off watching it until yesterday.

It was really good.  Just be warned that it will tug on your heartstrings, but there was a positive outcome at the end.  

239/365

Hiking Gals

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a real winter season.  Dead leaves were on the ground and the air was crisp and people needed to wear jackets and other winter clothes.  

I'm beginning to think I'd enjoy being there right now even though I don't love winter.  For the first couple of years we hiked once a week in the Adirondacks, but we stopped when the weather started turning cold.  After a few years we decided to brave the elements and we hiked all year, although in the winter it was mostly on trails (not mountains) and the hikes were shorter.  We used snowshoes or spikes if necessary.  Thinking back on it, those were good days...

I'm grateful for:

those winter hiking memories

13/365

Girl's Night Out

It has been such a long time since we've declared a girl's night out.  Among the many reasons, people have kids who are being homeschooled, some work, schedules are difficult to coordinate.

All it takes is one to organize the night out, and in honor of several Feb birthdays, one person actually did take it upon herself to arrange the evening.

We need to do this more often.

4/366

Quilts for Cops

For the past 9 or 10 months I've been getting together with a friend once a week to work on quilts we're making.  One of her friends (who I also know) is part of a national organization called Quilts for Cops.  Volunteers from all over the United States make quilts which are then donated to police and first responders who have been injured in the line of duty. 

The friend started a local chapter.  Seven of us attended the first 3 sewing days.  Shortly, 7 quilts will be sent to 7 recipients.  How exciting to be part of a group offering tangible comfort to those in need.  The quilts are beautiful.  

Just one of the complete quilts.