Lola's day at the capitol

My granddog Lola and I toured the capitol grounds in Little Rock recently.



Lola stopped sniffing long enough to pose on the capitol steps.



The place was bustling as the legislature was in session.

It is always nice to know what your senator stands for.

What a beautiful sunny day we enjoyed with the temps warming into the fifties.

Snow daze

The snow moved in an hour earlier than expected and within two hours traffic on the bypass had slowed considerably.

We did not loiter long as it was a cold blustery wind blowing with the snow.

We ventured over to the Presbyterian Church parking lot to see what things looked like on the avenue. This guy had just sanded Central south of the bypass.

The folks that were apparently lined up behind the sand truck waiting to ascend the hill were no doubt delighted that he came along.

Looking south on Central Avenue it was almost deserted and this was only at 4:30 pm.

The snow quit in the night and by the next morning we were greeted by a glistening white countryside.

I am not sure why so many people take pictures of their decks in the snow but here is ours.

The snow measured 4 1/2 inches but I am sure some had "settled." We probably had 6 inches.

Leon drove the truck around and soon realized how slick it was so we decided to go for a walk. It was hard to tell when you were stepping on slush or ice as we traversed through the church parking lot.

All was quiet on the bypass and when cars did pass by they were creeping along.

Aha! It looks like Books a Million might be open.

We settled in for a cup of hot coffee and some chocolate chips in a cookie while I perused some David Sedaris books. I plan to go see him in Little Rock in April. We were their second customers of the day.

After Leon bought some gloves at TJ Maxx we started the trek back home. If only Belks had had some snow boots in MY size. Mine are not waterproof.

 This is the reason we chose not to drive. Jason had no clue this hill could be so steep and slick.

 Why there is Jeff. Now this is the best way to come up our hill.

People keep giving him hats for Christmas. I think that might be a good thing.

He went over to Pakis and pulled Jason out of the ditch.

I caught a ride back up the hill before we did a few wheelies in the church parking lot. Parts of it were frozen. Leon did a little ice skating unintentionally!

All seems peaceful again at the end of the dead end.



Oklahoma City Jan 2011

Leon's grandson, Gunnar, had a layover in Oklahoma City for a couple days while returning to Shepherd Air Force Base from Christmas in California.  Time to go visit! He couldn't wait to get hold of his great granddaughter Amalie.  She seemed to remember him from his previous visit.

Look what I can do now, Great Grandpa, as long as mom Melissa holds me up!

I bounce and bounce and bounce!

I really like this teether you sent me for Christmas! I am cutting a few teeth.

OK, here we go! Just wait til the next time!

It was great for Gunnar to get to spend some time with his niece.

We admired sister Abbie's new haircut. She is so adorable. She is teaching Drew about Fancy Nancy.

Now right here is where my teeth are giving me fits today!

We visited the Cowboy Museum. It is a quality museum with a large collection of western paintings and sculptures, Indian artifacts, military weapons, displays of western movies, a rodeo section including much of the history of rodeos, and more. I like this end of the trail sculpture.

C'mon, Gunnar, have some fun! No, Grandpa, not for me!

While we were away Amalie practiced sitting up.

It was quite chilly while we were there. Can you tell?

We stopped by Sheplers, a huge western store we recently learned about. 

What a selection of boots. I wish I needed some.

No, Leon, you don't need those either!

Toby Keith's I Love this Bar & Grill gives free burgers to active and retired military so we took advantage. We enjoyed eating alongside the canal in Bricktown. It was a great visit with Gunnar.

Merry Christmas

We celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve this year. Rose and Zane started early with stockings. For those of you who couldn't be here this is the fun you missed.

Zane was beside himself when he discovered his Pokemon games.

The Carpenters soon arrived and we settled down for our traditional Christmas brunch.

Reid and Zane are happy at the counter.

My grandsons, Flave and Reid, will graduate to the table when I get a larger table!

Flave received the shirt to go along with Splosion Man, a recent game written by my nephew's company. Watch for Ms. Splosion Man to be out in time for next Christmas.

Leon and I are so cute in our matching jammies.

It was a real delight to have Zane and Rose join us this year. Dude on the right is Jeff!

One of the family gifts for the Carpenters seemed to evoke some grins.

Jeff is proud to have some water. I need more explanation on this.

Hmmm! An electronic Christmas perhaps? 

Flave is ready to be a rock star!

Leon is quite proud of his grandson Gunnar!

Jeff seems to get hats every Christmas. I guess folks just worry about his head staying warm!

Kay came dressed as a pixie. Reid was more interested in the pixie sticks!

Lola dressed for the occasion as usual.

The Carpenters headed back to Searcy with their loot. I can never get all of their eyes open in the same photo. New Year's Resolution: Always take 2 photos.

Later in the day Will arrived from Fayetteville so on Christmas day we had a Little brunch. I know, I could not find the larger table cloth that fits the table.

Rose had a sack full of goodies. Will carries scissors and tape in his pocket with his red and green markers and wraps as he goes!

This was good for some laughs. It matches the mola that Jeff already has.

Leon got his first Rubix cube.

Won't Will have fun on Dixon Street.

This was an excellent Christmas. Wish y'all could have all been here.

A visit to the Blacks' the day after Christmas took care of our holiday season! It was fun to visit with so many friends. Thanks, Sara, Joy, and Chris.