On November 1, there was an Open House to show off the progress on the 576-steam engine restoration. We have probably mentioned this before – but Chris has been a train fan since he was a young lad.
He was super excited that this steam engine that was put in Nashville’s Centennial Park in 1956 (and we visited it there many times!) was moved in 2019 to be restored!
They hope to run excursions by next year! Chris has been volunteering with Nashville Steam for a while now, doing odd jobs like stripping paint, sanding, grinding, needle scaling, painting and helping with sales during special events, like the Open House. Here is what the engine looked like in November.
The fall colors were not terribly brilliant this year, but pretty nonetheless!
We had a little bit of snow fall on the 10th – very little, thankfully!
On the 11th, the news made a big deal about the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights! It was not a spectacular sighting, but we did see some color!
Since we planned to leave for Florida shortly after Christmas, we wanted to get the Christmas decorations and the tree up early so we could enjoy them! Chris came by and helped Jim get all the Christmas decorations out of the attic. We got the tree up and decorated!
Linda got the Snow Village set up.
Since we have lived in Nashville since 1981, we had to have the Ryman Auditorium!
The train station and gift shop didn’t show up well in the village photo…
And more Christmas decorations around the house!
Herman was seated on the front porch with a Santa hat to greet guests.
Jim put up the outside decorations and icicle lights.
On the 19th, our church had the annual Thanksgiving dinner followed by a brief worship service and communion. The kids sang to us!
Rob drove up from south Florida to be with us for Linda’s birthday and Thanksgiving. He arrived on the 20th, and of course, Marlin travelled with him. He rides “shotgun” on his perch!
On Linda’s birthday, Eve and Amanda Joined us. We went to Yazoo and had dinner at our favorite Thai place.
Linda walked 3 miles in the neighborhood a few mornings with Rob, some days were warmer than others! There were 2 horses and a donkey just before we turned back.
Rob was a real trooper – the Florida man went out every morning, even when it turned pretty cold!
Marlin is a beautiful blue and gold macaw. Rob has had him since March 1984, when he was about 2½ years old; Marlin just had his 44th birthday! He can say “Hello” and has some funny mannerisms. He likes to walk around too!
We had seen ads for ICE! Featuring “A Charlie Brown Christmas” at Gaylord Opryland Events Center and we thought that would be a fun outing, so off we went!
They provided long parkas for the guests – it was rather cold walking around seeing the ice sculptures!
Charlie Brown searches for the true meaning of Christmas…he knew Christmas was coming but he just wasn’t happy.
He writes a letter to Santa Claus.
Snoopy had some ideas…
Here’s a little tree. Maybe a play can help find what Christmas is all about. Charlie Brown directing it…
Schroeder and Pigpen can accompany the play.
Linus knows the true meaning of Christmas! He quotes Luke 2:8-14 from the Bible, which tells the story of the angel announcing the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, emphasizing the joy and significance of Christ’s birth. Merry Christmas!
They played a recording with Linus quoting the scripture: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
It is interesting to note that when A Charlie Brown Christmas first aired in 1965, the producers were afraid it would bomb. Charles Schulz was adamant that the Luke scripture needed to be included. It certainly has stood the test of time!
Haha! Snoopy won the Christmas lights and display contest!
The cast gathered around the Christmas tree and sang!
There was a lovely nativity scene with crystal clear ice – very elaborate and well done
And then there was an ice slide to soar down! Chris, Linda and Rob tried it out!
A little information on how ICE! is put together – interesting stuff!
That was a cool cold outing! 9° F brrrrrrr
On Thanksgiving Day, Eve and Amanda joined us for the feast. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for! After our meal, we played a game of Tripoley – a family favorite; it didn’t seem the same without Gramps. The only photo taken that day was of the deer in back yard! (Ironically, we haven’t seen the wild turkeys for several days!)
On Sunday November 30, we all went up to Clarksville to the Vineyard Church; Amanda was to be baptized! Baptism serves as a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ and his resurrection as the true source of salvation and the believer’s commitment to God. The church had a small portable hot tub for the baptisms, so the water wasn’t too cold… Eve said a few words, about Peter comparing baptism to Noah’s Ark; in which 8 persons were brought safely through the water (I Peter 3:20-21) Amanda said, “I want to get on that boat!”
We had a tasty lunch out after the baptism.
We stopped by Amanda’s place to see some improvements she had done – and Rob met Milo and Charley!
On our family text chat, we were talking about Christmas decorations and shared photos of the outdoor Christmas lights at our homes – here’s Bill & Charlene’s California home
and Ted and Nancy’s home in Oregon.
On December 3, Linda FINALLY published the blog about our cruise; it took a lot of time and effort to get it done, but it will be a great way to remember the epic adventure we had! We had another light snowfall on the 4th!
Rob left our home on December 2, just missing the snow! He decided to stop in Baton Rouge to see Chuck. He hadn’t seen him or been able to contact him since our family cruise in December of 2023. We knew Chuck had been having a difficult time for quite a while, and Rob felt compelled to stop by. They had a good visit, but we decided we needed to see Chuck also, so off we went on December 6. We enjoyed dinner out with him.
After another meal, we had a photo taken by a Christmas tree, it wasn’t a very tall one! 😊
Many had been praying for Chuck along with us, and after much discussion, Chuck decided he would resign his job and move to our home – and then figure out what to do; he needed a big change and wanted to leave Baton Rouge. We packed up what we could into our car and headed home; Chuck finished out that week at his job and began to work on packing up his apartment.
We were invited to Top Golf on the 13th by Jim’s former employer – for whom he still does some occasional work. Jim and the boss had good form and a decent swing!
Linda with a lame swing (and never really played golf) had the high score for a round!
Chris came over to make cookies with Linda – Our annual “snickerdoodle Saturday” went on hiatus while we lived in Acey.
We made snickerdoodles and spritz and added double chocolate chip cookies this year.
The cookie press gave up the ghost with the last portion of dough in it – and pieces of the screw from the press got into the remaining dough, so it had to be tossed. Linda had been using that cookie press for a long time – probably over 50 years! It’s a good thing we didn’t make a double batch…
Chuck arrived on the 23rd with his car packed full. It was a small family Christmas time this year – just the four of us.
On Christmas Eve, Linda and Chuck went for a walk and stopped to visit the horses.
Chuck had nothing in his hand, but this crazy horse licked it anyway!
In the afternoon, the four of us went to the Christmas Eve service at Stephens Valley Church.
We enjoyed our traditional Christmas Day breakfast with popovers. And got a photo before they all disappeared!
It was a delightfully warm Christmas day in Pegram Tennessee; we had the windows open and enjoyed the fresh air.
Eve and Amanda celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas in Clarksville.
Tom and Missy flew to Portland to be with Ted & Nancy and the rest of the Portland gang. It was a bit colder in Oregon!
We particularly liked Steve’s Christmas sweater!
We enjoyed a delicious ham dinner and later played Mexican Train.
On the 29th, we headed to Baton Rouge to pack up Chuck’s apartment. Chuck drove his car and we took Acey. We left at 7:30AM with 107,717.4 miles on Acey and arrived at the Baton Rouge KOA at 6PM – a long day of driving!
By the evening of New Years Eve, we had finished most of the packing and visited Rally Cap, Chuck’s favorite brewery in Baton Rouge.
We happened to run into a couple, friends of Chuck’s, that had their young borzoi (bôr′zoi″) pups with them. The dogs were very affectionate and playful! (and BIG!)
We picked up a 20’ U-Haul and got it packed full on New Years Day!
On the 2nd, Linda and Chuck finished cleaning the apartment and packing the truck. Chuck, a 14-time Ironman has 3 bicycles and a lot of stuff!
Jim headed south to Florida with Acey, Chuck drove the U-Haul and Linda followed, driving Chuck’s car and headed to our home in Pegram. Chris and Chuck got the U-Haul unloaded and we went to Outback to celebrate! We are not sure what the future holds for Chuck, (or for any of us as far as that goes!) but we know Who holds the future – New Year, New Hope, New Beginnings, New Blessings!
May the New Year bless you with strength to face challenges and courage to chase your goals
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. So “sad” you have had to be cold in FL … DQ
Glad to see you all together!
The steam train is really cool! My best wishes to Chuck as he turns a corner on his journey.
Wow! Very Fun Times!
Thanks for the update and great photos as usual.
Good times always…many blessings got us here…praise and love blogging us…thank you!