Feliz Navidad

Wishing you the very best of the season.

with love,

Anita & Fred

(and the cats)

Nights of Lights in St Augustine

Before leaving St. Augustine we had a chance to see their famous "Nights of Lights"..... well worth the tourist trolley ride through the old city after dark.  (especially after 2 previous attempts to take photos from the truck windows which produced no usable photos).  So, onto the trolley, equipped with special Holiday 3-D glasses that transformed all the lights into snowflakes.

It was great fun - the old city really gets into the spirit early, and was fully decked for the season.  Plus the hot cider and cookies were a treat!  This may be the only place where the Ripley's Museum is out glittered!

prayer flag project update

I was more than pleased to be featured in the most recent blog post on the Prayer Flag Project.  This edition was intended to send healing energies to all affected by the shootings in Ct.

You can read the post (and see the flags) by following this link!
http://theprayerflagproject.blogspot.com/2012/12/now-is-time-for-prayer-flags.html

Thanksgiving on the St.John's River

We moved inland for Thanksgiving - to a fishing area on the St John's River (famous as the Bass Fishing Capitol of Florida).  Although we're not fishermen, it seemed like fun to experience the "old Florida" fishing camp setting.

Welaka was much quieter and more removed than we anticipated, but that was more than compensated by the nicest, and friendliest neighbors we've encountered.  We shared potluck suppers, evening bonfires, and Christmas decorating.

GIANT pine cones make perfect mini-trees!

our Christmas Tree window box

The weather was perfect - warm and sunny - and I was able to work on printing holiday cards.

my outdoor studio

printing holiday cards with palmetto fronds

Welaka- on the St John's River

Welaka is a very quiet little community between St Augustine and Gainesville.  I imagine this area is hopping in the summer, but in the late fall all was very quiet.  Not much fishing going on here. Not much else going on either.  But Fred was captivated by the sunsets and accumulated a huge file of photos.  Here are just a few

Catching up with December's news

It's been awhile since I posted - December has been a difficult month for us.  We waited anxiously in Florida for news from home when my mother's health took a bad turn, and she was hospitalized after Thanksgiving.  Ultimately we packed up the RV and made a rushed drive to DC, arriving just before she passed away.  Then while helping with her funeral arrangements and keeping my father company, we learned the terrible news that our dear friend in Maine, Eric Herndon, had also passed away.

When it came time to leave my family we finally decided to head back south to Florida rather than continuing home - although it was a difficult choice for me. And sadly, the dreadful news from Sandy Hook was our companion on the entire drive back south.

We're in the Gainesville area now - still trying to pull mind, body and spirit all into one location, when our thoughts continually pull us toward family and friends elsewhere.

I have lots of happier posts to share with you, and will make an effort to be a better journaler in the future.
For  now, I wanted to post the photos of two people who left our lives this December,

You are all in our thoughts during this Holiday Season and we wish you health, happiness and prosperity in the New Year.  with love,
anita & fred

Delia Corsaletti  

my parents - Tom & Dee Giblin with their Great-granddaughter, Vivienne. Nov 2012

The Mad Hatter's Birthday party, August 2012, with Eric & Sarah Herndon