MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM TEXAS!!

The Christmas tree in Bryan, Texas is all decked out with the finest ribbon and the presents are under the tannenbaum ...

and Buster is ready with a smile and hopes that a pupperoni willl be there ...

and a glass of wine in front of our tree to toast all of our friends and loved ones around the world as they celebrate this holiday season.

Love from Bruce and Jo-Anne in Texas!

A week or so ago we went over to the little town of Calvert, Texas. Calvert is on Hwy 6 about 25 miles north of Bryan and is known mostly for its antique shops on the main street. The town also hosts a periodic tour of some of the beautiful mansions that are present in this town of 1400 folks. Here's the brochure from the Chamber of Commerce talking about the tour.





In the tour were four homes from the beginning of the 1900s and all were very well preserved. Numbers two and three in the brochure were of particular interest because of the huge amount of money invested to accurately restore these places to their original splendor.



I took this picture of number 2, which is the Barton-Satterwhite home. The owner met us at the door and explained all the details of the restoration of this 8000+ square foot home.

All in all, Calvert is a small, unique part of Texas history, created by the railroad, cotton, and cattle, all converging in the middle of the prairie in 1870. Neat place.

And oh by the way, we had to stop at Cocoamoda, once a bank building, and now the chocolate truffle store for a cup of tea and several chocolate truffle samples.

As I am working to learn about the new camera, here are a couple of images from the local area as I experiment. Last week we had our first hard freeze and the frost on our roses was pretty spectacular.

Then, another intruder took over the hummingbird feeder for a sweet snack .... don't want to make him mad!

And this one about a block from our house would have made Alfred Hitchcock proud!

Happy Thanksgiving 2009!!

We hope everyone had as great a Turkey Day as we did. Here's our bunch enjoying turkey and all the fixins ... and even smiling as I interupted the feast.

Brother Richard, Son-in-law Brooks, and the patriarch, Clare, expounding.

Brother Tom, Mom, and Tom's wife Debbie.

Tom and Deb's daughter Tammy and her daughter (the actress) Brooke.

And Brooke with a dinner setting for two ... I know ... poor Buster!

After all that, I think it is time for naps and then the Aggies versus the Longhorns (Ags lost, but it was still a great game).