The Christmas Party Season is Here.

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Gals on scooters
The Christmas season is here, and Saturday we attended a festive Christmas party hosted by the San Clemente Scooter Club. Here you can see two of the members arriving on scooters decorated with holiday lights. The evening was cool and crisp and it was a great excuse to wear our warm jackets, boots and hats. Cozy fireplace

Once inside though, it was warm and cozy. Our hostess had decorated the house   beautifully, and we were quickly moved into the holiday spirit. silver table decoration

There was no shortage of delicious holiday treats. As they say, everything from soup to nuts, literally! P1010271
Just before leaving, we all went out to the back yard to enjoy the view one last time. Not only were the lights down below beautiful, but there was also a full moon. It had indeed been a great party and a wonderful way to start the holiday season.

Christmas Decorating Ahead of the Storm

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Finished decorating

This is our first Christmas without Dad, who passed away in February of this year, so we wanted to help Mom decorate for Christmas. We knew that a storm was brewing, but we went to her home in Seal Beach anyway. By the time we arrived, she had the tree up and beautifully decorated, and most of the inside of her condo was also bright with the yuletide spirit. She really is amazing! We did have a little rain as we began work, but it stopped just long enough for us to get her outside lights up under the threatening skies.decorated mirror

Storm is coming
As we drove away from Mom’s, the rain started again. Driving toward storm clouds on a darkened freeway, we were sure we were in for a really huge storm, and we suddenly drove through some very heavy rain, but five minutes later the rain was behind us and the sky was clear.

Motor Scooter Ride to Laguna Niguel

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Yesterday the weather was perfect for a motor scooter ride, and that’s what we did. Martin rode his Kymco Downtown 300, and I was on the Piaggio three-wheeler.

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Here you can see our sturdy mounts as we took a break for a quick snack and drink of water in Laguna Niguel. It was a ride full of curves, especially as we traveled through rustic Santiago Canyon, and then steep climbs in beautiful Laguna Niguel, where we were always rewarded with spectacular views at the top.

Martin in Laguna Niquel November 29-14 10-29-2014 2-51-26 PM

We stopped to put gas in my scooter, and at 70 miles to the gallon we don’t do that very often. The total cost was only $7.84, one reason why motor scooters are becoming ever more popular. We rode a little over 50 miles, and I felt as if I could ride forever. When we finished I was already looking forward to our next scooter adventure. These are the two ways I judge if a scooter outing has been a success. This one definitely earned two thumbs up!

Sweet Potato Casserole

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sweet potato casserole

I was given this recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole many years ago. It is one of my favorites. The recipe calls for sweet potatoes, not yams. I have tried it with both, and sweet potatoes are the best. The leftovers are delicious served cold like a dessert. I hope you will give it a try. It is very tasty, and perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

Main Ingredients

Three good sized sweet Potatoes                      2 Eggs
1 Stick Butter                                                       ¼ Cup Milk
½ cup Sugar                                                         1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
¼ cup Brown Sugar

Topping Ingredients

1 Cup Crushed Cornflakes                                     1 Stick Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar (packed)                                 ½ cup Chopped PecansP1010032

Cook, peel & mash potatoes. Mix with other ingredients (besides topping). Place in an ovenproof glass baking dish.

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Mix all the Topping ingredients together with the melted stick of butter. Put topping mix on top of potato mixture in a glass baking dish. Bake at 450° degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. This sweet potato casserole is delicious, and I bet it instantly becomes one of your favorites.

Maine Snow Scene

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Beautiful Snow Scene

It’s snowing in Maine. Our daughter Ruth lives there, and yesterday she sent me the above photo. She’s been encouraging me to come visit, and had promised they were not going to have snow this year. Guess that isn’t so!  I usually travel to Maine in summer, but maybe this winter I’ll get brave and try a snow visit. I lived in Ontario, Canada until I was fourteen, and the first snow was always exciting, but now, having lived most of my life in California, I’m out of practice. We do get snow here, but only at higher elevations.Farm house

Ruth’s farm house in Maine (above) is beautiful and cozy. Lots of trees and open space.

HorsesLiving where they do allows Ruth and our son-in-law and grandson the joy of keeping horses. Ruth and I share a love for horses, and we love to ride when I visit.

In August I wrote about our younger daughter Nicole, who lives in New Zealand, in my post New Zealand, a Wonderful Place to Visit. I wrote that we have wonderful places to travel and visit our children. Now you know where two of our three children live, and in a future post I’ll share the wonderful city where our son and daughter-in-law live. If we schedule visits to our three children right, we can live an endless summer. As we head into winter here, New Zealand is starting spring, its seasons being opposite to ours. But for now, I’ll think hard about a winter visit to Maine: It would mean snow boots and winter coat, but Ruth’s farm sure does look beautiful in winter.