"Nowhere special? I always wanted to go there"

IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  OH MY GOD!  Megan and Scout enjoying the morning.  And, it's one of the rare photos where Scout doesn't have her green demon eyes.

I think Scout got more gifts than anyone else in the house this year.  Nothing like getting a new outfit and a tennis ball.

"Correction In Progress."   

Sliding on her blanket into the fireplace. 

The question is:  Are they just really small bottles of liquor or is that just a really large candy bar? 

 The wrapping paper always ends up being the most fun toy.

Gorilla feet slippers are perfect for just lounging around the house. 

"Assess risk and reward" or "defy authority?"  This pretty much sums up Scout's holiday. 

 It's hard to tell who's having more fun.

EXPECTO PATRONUM!  With a spell and a flick of her wrist, Megan can change the channels and all on the TV.  

"If Daniel Radcliffe ever came to our house, we'd have to hide all the Harry Potter stuff because he'd think we're insane."   

"But, it's okay if everyone else, we do know, comes over knows we're insane?"

Mr. Tea enjoying a nice soak in the hot tub.  Creepy that the first instruction for use is "Remove Mr. Tea's Pants."

It's been a rough holiday.

These guys have been elusive lately.  Although, I did see a 6+ point buck race across our yard during Christmas breakfast.   

Hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy new year!  It sounds like all my friends and family in Michigan survived the Great Ice Storm of 2013 and the ensuing prolonged power outages.  Sorry we were unable to see you.  Thanks for all the gifts, food, and kindness.  More to come as I get things assembled and all!!!

That Snape Is Such A Jerk!

SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE!  Why did he ever trust him?!?!  Just more evidence that I remain 12 years old (and my wife encourages it)...


So, Megan is out of town and I'm left to my own devices.  I didn't intend to buy this for dinner, but when I saw that Hamburger Helper had Beef Stroganoff and ULTIMATE Beef Stroganoff, the decision made itself.  What makes it "ultimate;" not sure...


Another "perk" of Megan being out town is watching terrible movies like Omega Man starring Charlton Heston.   Classic zombie flick.


And speaking of my blushing bride, here she is!  Who knew when I made these for our wedding that it was going to be a decoration for the house?


And, Megan's idiot husband...


So dreary.  I think this is as bright as it got all day today.  At least it wasn't a foot of snow or another ice storm.  

That's about it.  I've been pretty boring lately being sick and all.  Waiting to hear if Megan's flights will even make it in tonight.  Blah, blah, blah, etc...

Meet Dave Jr...

This is my most recent office buddy.  His name is Dock and he has a cold.  Named Dock because he was found on a loading Dock or something like that.  



He also does not appreciate when I wake him up for this nonsense



Also, meet Dave's new dog Stella.  She's a pit bull mix that is about 7 months old.  Pretty laid back.  Likes to sleep.



At the Corn Hill Art Festival in downtown Rochester.  Pretty cool art fair.  It reminded me a lot of the art fair in Old Town Chicago.  



"Got Ghosts?" is probably my favorite vendor.  Probably because I hope we buy a haunted house where the spirit does the dishes...









The strawberry "smoothie" was more of a "slurpee" since it was all ice.  But, it was so hot that I think I preferred the ice.



Megan is incognito so she doesn't get swarmed from all her adoring fans.



Music at the gazebo.  It never ceases to amaze me that people say they prefer to live in the suburbs to the city.  A nice park with a gazebo.  Activities.  Walkable.  So on and so forth.  You can tell I was spoiled by Chicago...



Finally, Rochester native Abby Wambach.  Well, maybe in a few years.  Rachel had her first soccer game and I have to say that she plays a really aggressive defense.  Go Cougars!


Not too much planned for the next week.  Just going to the final installment of Harry Potter on IMAX.  It's been pretty much the only movies I've seen on the big screen for the last decade.  Anyway... 

Don't Tell Dumbledore Our Sorting Hats Are For Muggles...

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Pete at the JCPenney in "the mall" of Batavia, NY waiting to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One.  Word...



Sarah, Megan, and Pete in playing with knit hats at JCPenney since we got to the theatre really, really early.  Megan and I are use to getting tickets really early for Harry Potter IMAX in Chicago, which you have to fight for.  Batavia is not Chicago...



I had to join in with my frog hat.  



Megan and Sarah squealing about the snowmen in the rest of "the mall."


 
The Channing H. Philbrick (Linear) Park in Penfield, NY.  Megan and I live in the Panorama Plaza area, which is surrounded by parks.  So, we decided to check out this one which is a couple of blocks from our place behind the Home Depot.



Philbrick was a former Town Supervisor of Penfield, NY and the park features Irondequoit Creek, which drops 90 feet in a one mile stretch of class III whitewater cascades.  The area was first known as Sgoh-sa-is-thah (smashing water against rock) by the Iroquois and later became a mill and factory center around 1795 when Daniel Penfield purchased the township that now bears his name.  This settlement lost its importance when milling around the High Falls in downtown Rochester started.  The land was later converted to a sewage treatment plant that dumped right into the creek.  It was removed and is the park we know today.



A nice hobo gazebo on an island in the middle of the creek






We saw giant Salmon carcasses and this bend.  We just missed their run this year.  These are clay cliffs that seem to have a lot of homes for little animals.






The bridge at Washington Street



Megan with her feet dangling off the edge watching the falls



Washington Street Bridge






A strange cascade/fall.  Not sure if this is natural or manmade.  It's a really long, perfectly straight falls.  It may be manmade since it's so close to the milling area.  Then again, the whole area is a milling area.  So...






Foundation of one of the many old mills in the area



This appears to be an artificial waterfall runs for one of the old mills






Wonky bridge 



Shelley Bridge.


So, a lot of nature shots these days.  Probably because I haven't lived near anything natural since I started college in 1999.  We'll stay in Rochester for Thanksgiving.  The Lions should get destroyed by the Patriots.  We'll see how the Cowboys can handle the Saints.  And staying as far away from anything retail-oriented for the next week as people go Christmas Crazy.