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Santa Takes A Break

With all the confusion and turmoil over Christmas and the use of the term "Merry Christmas" Santa has taken about all he can take.

At a parade in Atlanta something he surely didn't expect. Santa was knocked out by a thrown object. In Washington State he was thrown for a loss. To find a Santa was nailed to a 15 ft cross.
Santa's in Australia were being let go for uttering the phrase, Ho . . Ho . . Ho . . Even to Santa's dismay and surprise a Santa in Rio was shot at in unfriendly skies.
The topper he thought from where Santa sat, was the report from obesity activists saying he was too fat. The snow and the cold was getting to him too. When his tongue hit the pole it stuck just like glue.

Yes Santa was tired and had all he could take. It was time he thought to take a long break.
He thought long and hard, a decision he did reach. It was time for some fun on a Florida beach.

But with Santa gone what would all the good children do. Time was running out for a Christmas rescue.

Smiley Santa To The Rescue

In another place in time in a land far away. A certain Mr. Smiley was having another bad day.
He auditioned one day as he thought of riches it would bring. He was rejected on the spot when they found he couldn't sing.

      

His attempt for a job at a spa wasn't great. He found he had a hard time trying to handle the weight.

One last chance he thought but try as he might, when reporting on weather disasters his smile was too bright.

When he went to bed that night to him it did not seem, His mind would be filled with a wonderous dream.
He awoke with a start the dream still in his head. I will help rescue Christmas, "I can do it" he said.

There wasn't much time he was well aware. He needed Smiley elves, there were toys to prepare.

With the toys all prepared he was soon on his way, With 3 tiny smiley reindeer guiding his sleigh.

On smiley 1, smiley 2, smiley 3 but not 4. He wasn't that large he didn't need any more.

He placed smiley gifts in stockings and under smiley ornamented trees. They left snacks just for him of smiley cookies, crackers and cheese.

              

With his good deed now completed, he knew all was right. He then left wishing a . . .

Very Smiley

To All And To All
A Very Smiley

Somewhere Else

I don't really mind the snow. It is one of those things we learn to live with in the wintry northeast. A little snowfall here and there is nice. Just enough to coat everything in a beautiful blanket of wintry white. I have a wood stove in the family room with a screen insert so I can enjoy a glass of wine now and then while sitting in front of the fire all toasty and warm while watching the snow gently falling outside. It is just those every so often winter storms with the all at once heavy snowfall I don't care for. We have had 3 or 4 so far (I am not really sure as I have lost count) this winter season and it is not even officially winter yet. I do have a 4 wheel drive SUV so it is not a major problem getting around if I have to. I am just not all that excited about having to clear the driveway and walkway so I can get into and out of the house. I suppose I could just drive over the snow in the driveway but eventually it would get so high if I did not clean it up I would never make it back into the garage again. Besides that if I drive over it again and again it would just leave icy ridges all over and I might not even make it back into the driveway. So if I must clear it out, I must. A little exercise never hurt anyone. Well, maybe a few people, but not everyone.

The latest storm was not as bad as they had predicted. At least not in my immediate area. Surrounding areas had more in some places and some had less. It varies from day to day and storm to storm. It was snowing again when I went out to clean up the last snowfall from the weekend yesterday and it continued to snow most of the day. You may not see it in most of the images as they were reduced somewhat to fit the page and for faster loading. The snowfall was not very heavy, just the nice gentle flurries you would like to watch from inside while sipping a glass of wine by the fire. Which is where I would have rather been. The following photo's are a few images of my 2 to 3 hour wintry workout with a few winter animations added for fun.

The first step was to open the garge door to see what I was in for. It kind of makes you want to go back inside where it is cozy and warm and take a nice nap.

It doesn't look all that bad. The worst part is in the front where the town snow plows packed in all the salted ice and slush.

Time to do a little digging to make room for the snow blower.

I think that is enough of the fun with the shovel. Time to get Mr. snow blower out and clean up the remaining mess.

With the major portion finished it was time to clean up and touch up the remaining spots.

I could just as easily hire some snow plowing service but some of them do more damage to the driveway and lawn and generally leave more of a mess. Besides, I can do a much nicer and more thorough job.

Now, doesn't that look so much more clean and nice. It looks better than the previous cleanup post with all the leaves and junk all over the place.

Another cleanup job well done. Now it is time to go back into the warm and cozy indoors and make some lunch.

That is about it for now until the next big event. I do want to do a little exploring in the next day or so to see if I can find some interesting scenes to photograph around the area.

Until then, have a safe, warm, snuggly and cozy week.

Group - 2

As the snow gently falls on the wintry northeast, what better time for some more seasonal winter and holiday scenes. The winter storm watch is supposed to be over by around 7 am tomorrow and the snow continues to pile up outside. Maybe I can get a few new photo's to post later in the week.

This is the second set I created over the years with a few modifications including replacing the midi's with actual music. So, sit back, grab a cup of hot chocolate or maybe even a glass of wine and enjoy yourself in my little winter wonderland. You will need a Java Script enabled browser. To view the scenes, click on one of the following links.

Winter and Holiday Java Script and Animations with
Lake and Snow Class Java Scripts and Music.

Winter Lake scene with music: Enya On Your Shore.

Winter Cabin and Stream - Music: Enya Silent Night

Merry Christmas snow scene with music: Merry Christmas.

Tomorrow I suppose I will have to drag my butt out and clean up some of the massive white stuff that has fallen in the last few days. Perhaps even get a few winter wonderland photo's for my dear friends in the warmer climates who haven't had the priveledge of digging out after a large winter storm. Maybe if conditions permit I will venture out a bit and see if I can capture some images from around the area.

 

Have a safe, warm, wonderful and relaxing week.

Group - 1  ** Updated Music - 12-09-07 **

Over the years I had created several winter and holiday java script scenes. I was going to try to recreate them here but with all the script coding and various files it might take a small miracle to get them to work properly with these blog editors. Since I already have them set up on web pages it is much easier to simply provide the links to allow everyone to view them. I have made a few small updates and even if you have seen them before, take a few moments to check them out once again. You will need a Java Script enabled browser. To view the scenes, click on one of the following links.

Winter and Holiday Java Script and Animations with
Lake and Snow Class Java Scripts and Music.

Snow storm on NY 5th Ave - Sleigh Ride.

Falling snow in Boston - White Christmas.

Bronx Zoo tiger with lake applet - Winter Wonderland.

Fireplace Fire and Snow Animation -  Let It Snow

I have a few more scene links I will post in a day or so. Until then, Have a safe, warm, wonderful and relaxing weekend.

Sandy Beach

That isn't about to happen. Not for a while anyway. After 2 days of snow, rain, sleet, freezing rain, snow, sleet, snow etc, (Not necessarily in that order) I decided it was about time to go out in the cold and clean up the mess yesterday. It wasn't all that bad even though the temperature was in the low 20's. Since I had not been out doing much recently it was probably time I did something constructive. "I guess I needed the freak. .in exer. .cise" *I mumbled somewhat loudly in my best Jack Nicholson imitation*. (Since you couldn't hear me just assume it was my best imitation). Besides, playing in the snow is fun.

I didn't want to bring my good camera outside with me so I used my cell phone camera to take a few pics. Since I have a Verizon cell phone I thought maybe I would be able to get some of the thousands of network assistants to help me out so I could finish faster. You know, the ones you see on the commercials for Verizon who follow the customer all over the place. I couldn't seem to find even one of them. I guess it was too cold out.

Since I realized I was on my own I decided to take one more pic and get busy cleaning up the mess.

The snow was basically powder on top but wet and icy underneath. Time to start digging.

While cleaning up the snow it just made me more aware of the mess of leaves that were still packed underneath.

It made me start to wonder if I should have left the snow there. At least it looked a bit nicer without all the leaves sticking out all over the place.

With most of the snow cleaned up it was time to clean up my snow clearing buddy, Mr. Snow Blower. Then park him back in the garage to be ready for the next Winter Wonderland Adventure.

More snow is on the way for tomorrow but probably not all that much. The next storm heading this way may bring more in the way of freezing rain towards the end of the weekend. Mr. Snow Blower won't be much help with that.

Have a safe, warm, comfortable and cozy evening.