Saturday, December 20, 2014

Merry Christmas

We have been blessed with good health and the energy to make the most of our retirement.       I hope you have enjoyed sharing our adventures with us.      I will continue posting as we have no plans to slow down any time soon.     Time with family and friends is just that, but when we hit the road, I will take you along Thru Martis Eyes.

I hope you enjoy the beautiful lights of the La Crosse Rotary Lights display.      We are very fortunate to have such a beautiful display for all to enjoy.     I didn't get pictures of the live Nativity, the choir, Santa or the reindeer because there were so many happy children in front of me.      It was a joy to let them have center stage.







Most of these displays were in motion, but I did not have my tripod or good camera to capture the motion.     You will need to use your imagination.....

















There have been so many proposals and marriages in the park during Rotary Lights they decided to prepare a special area for the occassions.


















I wasn't able to get the dragon with the fire coming out of his mouth, but please believe me, I gave it my best shot.....





It was very foggy when we walked thru the park











Merry Christmas from Bob and Marti



Saturday, December 13, 2014

Family and Friends


We just finished a wonderful journey visiting RJ's brother in Arkansas and then on to Raleigh to visit our good friends, Ron and Mary.

Paul has a beautiful magnolia tree in his yard.    I couldn't  resist taking a photo of one of the seed pods.




We visited a chicken farm.     A LARGE one.     The process is in place to obtain fertilized eggs to create baby chicks.      This young man works on week-ends sorting and grading the eggs.




This is the inside of one of the chicken houses.     Amazingly, there was very little odor.      These chickens and roosters get very specialized feed and the temperatures are regulated very carefully.     After a few months the chickens are removed and used to make chicken soup.     The houses are dismantled inside and carefully cleaned before the new chickens arrive.
    




We went to a parade with other family members.     The kids really enjoyed grabbing all the candy that was thrown.      This float was the only unusual one.



On our way to North Carolina we drove through the Great Smoky Mountains.     That is always a beautiful drive.





This little mountain stream was outside our restaurant in Gatlinburg.     The sound from the stream was wonderful.    I'd like to go back in warmer weather and sit at the outdoor tables to fully enjoy this stream.




Our friends' cat loved to perch in this live plant.    I missed the shot where she was chewing on it.





These performers were at the American Music Jubilee Christmas performance outside Raleigh.    The female singers were very good.      This was quite an experience, best described as a combination of Hee Haw, Lawrence Welk and a Southern Revival Meeting.     Don't think I will need to repeat this next year......





Good friends, good food and good wine - does it get any better than this?