The North Pole

My nephew with Santa talking about trains.....and trains.

Have you ever seen that movie with Chevy Chase where he takes the family to an amusement park during the holiday season?  I think it's National Lampoons but don't quote me on that:)  Well, the park they visit looks outdated and like something from the 50's.  Most of the things from the 50's are slowly disappearing as the times are changing.  So it was a curious mistake that we discovered one of these parks still existed.  I was so fascinated by the idea that I wanted to check this place out. Today we take a trip to the North Pole.....in Colorado Springs.  

I couldn't stop laughing.  Really.  We happened to visit the weekend before Halloween and some of the Santa figures were quite frankly.....scary!!!  But don't listen to me.  I really had a great time with the family and we laughed a lot.  I forgot that it was 2011 and that I was actually at the North Pole.  It was COLD!!!  The best part was watching my nephew react to all the wonderful rides and shows.

The North Pole has a post office where you can send letters on Christmas Eve.  I thought that was really cool and I know a lot of parents like doing this for their kids.  They have a lot of Christmas shops to buy ornaments, candy, figurines, nutcrackers, and pretty much anything Christmas-y you can think of....

Orion rode Rudolph among the million other rides there.  There weren't any lines and so we didn't have to wait to get onto the various rides. Of course, everywhere you went, they played Christmas music.

Be careful...everywhere you turn, there are elves watching you!

These totem poles are trippy!

Luna makes her annual trip up the tree.

The rides look like Christmas and sometimes feel like Christmas!  What if our Christmas trees really could do this???!!!!  One of my favorite holiday cartoons is the one where Mickey Mouse cuts down a Christmas tree and brings it into his house.  Chip and Dale are in the tree and while they are in the tree, comedy ensues between Pluto and the two mischievious chipmunks!  A true holiday classic.  But the one thing that's magical about this cartoon is how the tree plays like a Christmas village of magic and memories where ornaments and lights act as background landmarks.  What would it be like to get lost in a Christmas tree?  Of course, we'll never know.  But our cats sure do.  It never fails.  Every year they climb up into the tree and break ornaments!

The Santa Slide!  It looked like fun but I was a little leary:)

We went to a magic show by Balthazar, the Christmas Wizard.  I'll admit I was a bit tripped out by the trailer we entered, but forgot we were in the place once the show started.  The Christmas wizard sure knew how to get the kids to react and the adults had a good chuckle.  Honestly, I don't know how he popped out this big fat bunny. 

But the bunny was a kid favorite:)

The rides and amusement park are situated among the gorgeous mountain views of Colorado Springs.  I don't think I saw an ugly part once while we were visiting.

Orion helped Santa out by getting into Santa's very own bomber.  Interesting ride.  Who knew Santa fought against evil in this world? 

Okay, this pic below is my personal favorite.  The fall colors were incredible and this carousel made the perfect backdrop! 

The pic below is bizarre.  It's a terrible shot of me, but I don't care.  I hate roller coasters but did what the cool uncles do.....ride with the family.

A perfect kid moment.  Orion playing around by the magic mirrors.  I laughed so much watching him have fun with those silly things. 

The North Pole is open until the 24th.  Santa has a lot of reindeer in the park....some you can feed!

It was a bit pricey to enter at about 20 bucks a person and then you are cleverly given a card to punch out at the end of the day for all your purchases within the park:)  I really loved the train ride because it took you around the beautiful forested park. 

And of course, there was someone waiting for us as we approached his workshop.....Santa!  I shouldn't have been excited....but I was:)

Orion ran to Santa and I had goosebumps....because it was cold:)  Santa was a funny man and he had some really beautiful things to say.  One was....."Uncles are like young Grandpas" and I smiled.  I don't think we'll ever have kids as I'm getting too old for them. Raising a little kid at 40 isn't my idea of fun, but I know I'd make a good father. We both have so many nephews and nieces that we are constantly bombarded with little kids running around us.  The best part is that we get to go to a quiet home afterwards.  It isn't a requirement to have children and not all people should have them, but they are fun to have around:)  Watching Orion react to Santa's kind words made me feel.....just for a moment.....that I could be a father.  And then the moment passed!

We had a great time up in the North Pole and it was even better having the kids around.  If you have grandkids, nephews or nieces, your own kids....or just kids, you'll have fun here.  Bring some money with you.....especially if you are one of those people who like Christmas things.  There were a lot of beautiful and expensive items inside the stores.  Hope you're having a wonderful holiday season so far...

Winterhaven

I return back to my writing and find that I have A LOT of posts that are still not published.....well with vacation now, I hope to remedy that situation:)  If I see something happening in the garden, I go out and snap the pics which will then go into the postings.  Winter break is here and I have been poisoned by children's presents of cookies, candies, chocolates.....and I feel fat.  It's too easy to be working on grades and eating the snacks by my computer....and it doesn't help that they are all tasty:)  I need to get in shape for our Panama trip in June.  It is one of the highlights next year as we are traveling to the Darien Gap, several islands, and a botanical garden north of Panama City.  It should be quite the adventure.

As I am writing this, I am watching my white kitty try and pull my tillandsias from their containers....which reminds me, I still need to find a place for them.  Impulse shopping...gotta love it!  They are pretty:)

In the gardens this week.  After a beautiful rain storm that soaked the grounds nicely, there are a LOT of leaves and acorns all over the grounds.  Tomorrow I will go out and take care of the disaster zone.  Roses continue to bloom in the CC Garden.  I am setting my sights on January when I will begin the cacti gardens in the front of our building.  I may start as early as today in finding large metal bins to spray paint.  It is going to look amazing when I am finished and I'll be adding a new thing to groom and care for in the garden....can't  wait to put that project together.  We'll also be removing two ficus trees from their planters that are destroying the side planters.....and hopefully save a palm that was misplaced in the gardens and is now also damaging the same side planter.

During this time of year, I start to reflect on all those who have come before us and are now gone.  I have to admit that I get a bit teary eyed thinking about my grandparents and the memories of all the people who I grew up with.  I love getting older, but I also hate saying good-bye to the ones who made a difference in my life.....that is the difficulty of aging.  Yes our health also plays a factor but I find it's the "missing" part that I find most challenging.  The garden right now is a reminder of the cycle that plays out around us in nature.  Death, life, and continuation.......

Why this thought?  Simple.  Christmas music.  Music links us to childhood memories and Christmas music is no exception.  I hear a song from Bing Crosby and I think of that dinner on Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house.....or that side dish or conversation we had sitting around the table.  I realized at an early age that Christmas wasn't about presents.....it was about us coming together and the traditions we shared together as a family unit.  I was in about 3rd grade when I realized why I love this time of year so much and why I hated to see it go so quickly. I think I opened up my present, which was the Ewok Village from Star Wars, and got super excited as I looked forward to playing with my little ewoks and action figures in the woods with all the cool traps and tree homes.  My Dad was helping me put it together and I thought, "I love that my Dad is here helping me."  I loved how my little brothers and sisters became excited about opening up their presents....and it was more fun watching them scream and jump around then it was for me. That's when Christmas began to change for me...

My Freshman year was the hardest and I will never forget it as it was the first Christmas without a major family member....my Grandpa.  His passing at the early age of 55 changed Christmas forever.  It would never be the same again nor has it been.  I think I learned from that point how to cherish every moment with a cup of coffee and just watch life happen before my eyes.  Several years ago I was back in Wisconsin while my Grandma Rohrer was still alive.  I somehow knew it would be her last Christmas and I went outside in a warm snowfall and watched my family together around the Christmas tree....my parents, my uncle and aunt, my Grandma's godchild, Pat, (she was older and was very close with my Grandmother) with her husband, and  of course, Grandma.  It was the most beautiful thing to see.  One of my younger siblings came outside and asked what I was doing out there and I told them to look into the window and to take in the moment.  I don't know if they understood what I meant by saying it as we take so many things in life for granted.  I told her that this rare moment wouldn't happen again.....it was like her Goddaughter knew they were saying good-bye for the last time and of course we didn't think that way and certainly not my father. My Grandmother and Pat wrote to each other for years and years from Wisconsin to California.  Pat, Grandma's godchild, would call her every Sunday to share with her the latest in Glen Ellen and Grandma would talk about the happenings on the Lakeshore....and of course talk about what all Cheeseheads love to talk about.....the weather and football....and deer hunting....and food.:)

I think the older we get, the more we feel....the more we put detail into our work and own lives because it's about what we leave behind.  I feel like some of those wonderful things are getting left behind in our technological times.....and there are pros and cons to it all. So just imagine yourselves younger and look back at all that has happened over the past 10, 20, 30, 40, and more years!  So much change has happened in our world......

So why did I write all this?  Simple.  A neighborhood called Winterhaven in Tucson becomes a winter wonderland for thousands of Tucsonans every year.  It is a neighborhood of the green green evergreen gardens (thanks to several springs that feed the area). When homesick, if you are a transplant like I am, this place will take you back to another place and time.  Here are the highlights from this year's event.  I hope you enjoy.  It ends Dec. 26th. Below is a sampling of what you'll see in this really unique Tucson Neighborhood.  Who says you can't celebrate the holidays in the desert?
http://www.winterhavenfestival.org/wpe.html