Riggins' Christmas Tree!

It happens every year .. after summer I start to look forward to Fall and Thanksgiving and Sinterklaas and Christmas .. and all of a sudden three of those are already behind us, and we're in full-on Christmas mode!

Wow, how time flies .. especially in December!

Let's see, first there was good old Sinterklaas. 

I'd baked some speculaas while singing a few songs (the ones I can remember), but that's really all there is to it these days .. 

I just can't get into the spirit in a country that has no clue what or who this guy is ..

  

                                                

Still, the speculaas was very good and I'd made some hearty and very dutch, stick-to-your-ribs 'boerenkool' (farmers-cabbage mash) for dinner, so all was good!

Speaking about 'good'. I must have been good for most of the time this year, because I didn't end up in the 'sack' to be taken to Spain!

Phew, was I lucky!

Of course I got infected by the Christmas decorating frenzy, that hits America in full force every year immediately on the day after Thanksgiving, but I'd managed to hold off on setting up the tree until after Sinterklaas.

I did 'do' the garlands: 

And the outside lights. This year, I attached them on the awning over the living room slide instead of on the 'big' awning on the other side, and I kind of like it much better.

 

We can now see them ourselves, even with the curtains closed ..

 

On Saturday we ventured down to Riggins, to attend the Christmas Tree Lighting festivities.

We usually choose an event, wherever we are, to get 'in the spirit'.

Riggins is a small town (pop 410) so they don't do much, but they try!

But first we had an early dinner at Seven Devils, always good:

    

We split the prime rib sandwich 'au jus' with spicy fries. Yumm!

When we were thoroughly warmed up and full of good food, it was only a short walk to Two Rivers Coffee Co. who was hosting the festivities ...

                                               

We hung around the fire-pits for a while, where we met a lot of friendly people (who all noticed we were 'not from there') and did some caroling ..

 

There was hot chocolate, and apple cider and look at all those cookies!

Finally, the tree was lit (it only took three attempts!), and after a little wait, Santa arrived!

 

                                       

All in all it was some small-town-america good old wholesome fun, and we really enjoyed it!

The next day I put up our own tree. We even did a count-down .. three-two-one .. let there be light!

Aaaww, how pretty!

Other than that nothing much happened this week. It was cold and grey, but not snowing or freezing so the guys were a little warmer than last week.
They've been working on the fences, and James ... eh ..

.. as usual, James is just having fun!

Well, that, and he's been playing in the gutter ..

  
 Installing some (long!) sewer draining thing .. 

I've been working on a few little sewing projects I had been postponing until .. well until now, I guess. I finally bit the bullet and just DID them ..

 
I made a little curtain for the shoe-shelves in the bedroom (all of a sudden the clutter annoyed me), and I made covers for my sewing machine and for the de-humidifier, which are both glaringly white and an eyesore in the living room.

And that's about all she wrote, folks!
I'll end with this fascinating little bird (well, that's what I think, but to each his own, I guess) ..

   

I saw him at the river and he caught my attention because he was just literary jumping into the fast flowing water and looked to be walking around in it to look for food.

Very unusual for such a small bird, and he was obviously not a duck or a wader or any other water-bird I knew of .. he had me stumped!
Well, according to my trusty Audubon Field Guide, it turns out he's an American Dipper, aka a Water Ouzel, or a Cinclus Mexicanus, who 'flies low over water, bobs on rocks in streams, and walks underwater to feed on large insect larvae'.
Check, check, check!

Apparently he's a resident in the mountains of this entire region, but he's a first for me. Cool!