Christmas and Sledding

Christmas at the Hanson's - after several delays and waiting on planes we ended up in Minnesota late Saturday night with Leanna and William facing the chilly evening to pick us up.  Christmas was coming and there were lots of last minute preparations and shopping that needed to be done and as with tradition, we found ourselves at Target filling up our baskets with lots of goodies and gifts!  What a fun time we had - Christmas eve we attended the late service and then cooked up some pasta and other yummy sides for dinner.  We shared our meal then played games and watched a movie and when the kids where finally tucked in, us grown-ups headed up to wrap and watch 'Christmas Vacation'  We laughed and wrapped till 2am and finally went to bed in anticipation of what Christmas morning revealed!

Christmas day was spent enjoying our gifts and each other, movies, games and ping pong and more food.  We celebrated with double chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus, compliments of Gillian, the baker!  The next day held a soccer match at Brit's and celebration of William and the arrival of J, Corynn and G.

Finally all together, the Stuck and Hanson's celebrated and caught up with all the happenings and as we all gathered around the table, sang Happy Birthday to Will who turned 11 years old!  What fun.

We decided to sled the next day and headed to Staring Lake for some winter fun.  It had been snowing all night and day so the ground was covered and promised some fresh snow for sledding.  And, it has been snowing on and off the last few days as well.  Enjoying FAMILY TIME for sure.

Packing Day and Snow!

As I sit here listening to the sounds of pots clanking, tape tearing and paper crinkling, I watch the soundless snow falling to the ground and my mind is already traveling to California where the warmth of the sun's rays will soon be hitting my face.  Today is the first day of winter, and boy it sure rolled in with a vengeance, it is cold and the wind chill probably has the temps in the low teens.   It is hard to keep the chill out and seeing the house slowly emptying of its contents the cold sets in a little further.  Deep in my heart I long for the sunshine of California, but I know I will miss the beauty of Pennsylvania and all the wonders we have seen, even on days like today.

 

The emptiness of the cupboards and bare walls remind me that as easily as things come, they also go so I need to enjoy this moment.  I am looking forward to the time in Minnesota with family, but I am here now in this moment, enjoying the sights and sounds that surround me on this chilly winter day.

So, wow, it is really happening.  We are moving, again.  What a whirlwind of activity that has brought us to this moment.

As we close out the last few weeks of 2012 we look forward to whatever God has in store for us in California and along the way but we remain ever grateful for our time here in PA.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

California Here We Come!

Okay folks, drum roll please!  We are moving back west and will land in Riverside (well J and Corynn's) the first week in January.

It's been rough recently trying to get our arms around this move and make some life-changing decisions.  But, it really wasn't that hard as family was beckoning us home.  And, with the birth of our 6th grandchild next summer, well that kind of sealed the deal!

Today the 14th of December Otto gives notice at Supervalu, I inform my employers and the next chapter for the Stucks begins.   Otto starts work with Kroger/Ralph's @ the Riverside DC on January 14th.

And, as we say good-bye to Pennsylvania, the state that welcomed us with the beauty of fall colors, amazed us with the promise of new things in spring and the fun-loving greens of summer, we head to the west with anticipation of memories to be made and adventures waiting to be had.

Although we say so long to the bone-chilling winter, and sadly some very cool and awesome friends and neighbors, we leave with our hearts full of this town and the many wonderful and amazing memories of our time here in the east.

Happy Birthday/Happy Anniversary

Popi, doing what he does best!

Last Sunday we celebrated Otto's 55th birthday and Monday we will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.  Such major milestones in life, and here we are in Pennsylvania away from family and friends!  But, we are so thankful despite the lack of familiar faces and know that God has sight of us and our futures.

I love the picture of Otto with Kenz, it just reflects who he is and what is important to him.  He carries that on in our relationship too, and after 35 years I still love that guy!

The Fog

Somewhere in Texas

Hey, it's a chilly day here in Pennsylvania and I need to get to cleaning this house!  It's been a whirlwind two weeks with me going back to work for sure.  So, this morning I've taken a few moments to spend with God and start to prepare for the next Bible Study for Advent which will begin next week.  My thoughts on preparation, for the study and the coming of the Messiah brought up in my mind a conversation I had yesterday, and I just felt I had to get some thoughts out there before I start my housework.

My friend, Cindy and I had a discussion about our study, how things were going at work, school and at home.   Our next study is on reflections from the Advent readings and focuses on preparation and the coming of Christ.  It always seems that we are preparing for something in the future, which means today's events or plans were prepared days, weeks or even months ago.  I know that we both read from some of the same materials for our quiet time so the reading from Friday popped into mind while we were chatting.  We both have issues in our lives at the moment, so different but then really very similar, that cause us to want to view into the future at what is ahead.  Some of it is out of necessity for planning, other times it is in anticipation or anxiety over what will be down that road.

Well, part of the reading suggested that God settles a gentle fog over the road ahead which prevents us from seeing the twisting path and allows us to focus on the road we are on right now.  He tells us time and time again, 'Don't worry about the future, it will take care of itself', but we stubbornly look ahead to what is to come and fail to focus on today.  He promises to be with us through it all even if we can't see where the road is leading.

With all that may lay ahead, it is important for us to remain in today and do what needs to be done for today and let God take care of the winding road ahead.  As long as it's foggy I will be reminded to focus on the present and let God handle my future.

Presque Isle, Northeast Wineries, Niagara Falls and Canada

Beautiful Lake Erie Sunset 

We just got back this week from our latest adventure to Lake Erie and Niagara Falls.  Wow!  What beauty and majestic views we were blessed with this past weekend.

We spent 4 days at Sara's Campground on Presque Isle in Erie, a small peninsula on the east shore of the lake.  This was our base for a whirlwind weekend filled with rain, beach glass hunting, wine tasting, a trip to a casino to meet Otto's co-worker, then Canada and the Falls and a finally a breakfast with our friends, Tony and Anne Scalise.

Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the five Great Lakes and borders Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Canada.  It is a very large body of water (can't imagine 3 others larger!) and when sitting at the campsite Sunday night you could hear the waves splashing on the shore just like if you were at the beach.  The only thing missing was the salty smell in the air.  There is a pretty steady wind most days and during the winter the towns bordering the lake feel the bone-chilling result of the 'lake effect'  Weather was chilly and rainy, but Sunday we got a reprieve and experienced a marvelous day in the great North at Niagara Falls, Canada.

We scoured the shores on Saturday morning and Monday afternoon looking for 'beach glass' to increase my inventory for my sea glass creations.  Otto proved to be a worthy 'seeker' and found several lovely pieces to add to my collection.

Seems strange mulling through the sand with the fall leaves on the shore

Almost looks tropical!

On Saturday afternoon we headed to the town of North East PA for some wine tasting.  We plugged a few of the wineries into the GPS and away we went.  We tasted at South Shore (Mazza), Penn Shore, Lakeview and Presque Isle.  South Shore does not make wine any longer, they sell a variety of wines from other produces in this region, including Mazza which is the wine we liked.  South Shore is the site of a winery from the 1800's and has been restored and is pretty amazing.

Historic winery

South Shore Wine Company

The main floor and cellar have been restored using most of the original materials and was quite charming.  We purchased a dry, deep berry and peppery Cabernet here.  Next stop was Penn Shore, located right on the shore of the lake.  Fun tasting here, but nothing tickled our palates and the staff, not so friendly.  Then on to Lake View atop a hill with a view of the lake and gorgeous vineyards and trees of orange, brown and yellow.

South Shore Historic Cellar

Fun winery, but not so good on taste

Awesome location, friendly and fun staff

At Lakeview, we sampled a Cabernet that we both enjoyed and loved the friendly staff and fellow tasters who gave us info on the final winery of the day, Presque Isle.  We were told the winery served sandwiches and such and was situated along a beautiful creek on the highway back to Erie.  Just the place for us to end our journey along the wine trail!  We arrived and to our dismay, the winery had been moved to the top of the hill, losing the charm of the trees and creek.  Progress.  They needed more space I guess.

We began sampling and ran in to the same couple we had seen at the two previous wineries.  And, they were very apologetic about the winery's move.  (like they had something to do with it!)  Very nice couple though......

View from Lakeview winery, you can see the blue of Lake Erie
through the trees. 

View of the vineyard from the parking lot at Lakeview

After we left Lakeview, we stopped along the side of the
road to soak in this view of the vineyards and the lake below

At Presque Isle, we tried the crab chowder and salami and cheese plate.  Good stuff, Maynard!  Tastings were okay, nothing really hit us and we didn't buy, but enjoyed visiting with our new friends and sampling the different wines.  Plus, it had started raining pretty hard and we wanted to wait out the storm.  What better place then a winery to pass the time?

Once back at camp we had time for a quick bowl of chili and then on to Presque Isle Downs and Casino to meet one of Otto's co-worker and his wife.  They were in town for their son's soccer game in Hamburg, NY and were staying near the casino.  It was still raining, and we got lost but finally made it.  Had a nice visit, dropped $50 and headed back to camp to get some rest - headed to Niagara Falls in the morning.

Headed out early for Niagara and enjoyed the scenic drive up through New York and finally to the Canadian border.  Didn't take long to cross and we were there!  But, there was a half marathon that day and the roads were packed.  Took us an hour just to find a parking spot, but who cares we are at Niagara Falls.  Here's some of our first views of the falls.

Before crossing into Canada

What?

There's always a rainbow!

Horseshoe Falls

American Falls

Horseshoe Falls through the mist

US side of Horseshoe Falls through the mist

We walked along the path and stopped every few minutes just to take in the majesty of the falls.  It was breath taking for sure.  At this point, the spray from the falls was so strong we were getting soaked!  The breeze just captures the water and flings it up, we were pretty far from the falls and it is very misty.

On the Maid of the Mist, after our adventure to the bottom of
Horseshoe Falls

We headed over the the Maid of the Mist for our ride down to the falls.  We rode on a boat similar to this one in the picture below.  At one point, the boat was full motor as we faced Horseshoe Falls, but we weren't moving.  We were held at bay by the powerful, thundering falls.  It was difficult to even get pictures at this point unless you had a waterproof camera.  But, I did manage a few.

Maid of the Mist

Getting up close and personal!

At the bottom of Horseshoe Falls - very powerful and wet!
Trying to stay dry.

Thundering falls!

After our visit up close and personal to the falls, we headed into town for a brew and to our surprise saw a Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville.  Now, some of you may say 'why go to somewhere like that, when you can experience some local flair?'  First of all, there wasn't much 'local fair' besides a casino and a few other chain restaurants and heck, who doesn't love a little beach music!  We've been to several others, Jamaica, Cayman Islands the original in Key West, Vegas and Arizona, just to name a few.  So thought we'd add Canada to the list as well!

Looking down the quaint street up to the city

One of the many overlooks

On our way out of town, one last look

 Okay, funny quick story.... at the border headed back into US, of course they ask you all kinds of questions about why you were in Canada, how long did you stay, etc.  But, the one question we weren't expecting was 'why do you have an AZ plate and a PA plate on your car?'  What??  Otto still has the personalized plate, DSPROTO on the front of the truck.  UGH!  Really?  'What does that mean, he asks?'  So, Otto says 'it's a long story'.... duh, he doesn't want the background dear hubby, just what it means.... just tell him Desparado, please and let's get home!  LOL  good times....

Good Bye Canada!  We enjoyed our day with you.

At the border of US and Canada

So, we headed back to Presque Isle for our final evening at Sara's.  But, on the way home as the sun began to set, we decided to get off the Thruway and head over to the lake to see one of the most amazing sunsets that looked to be in the making.

The colors painting the sky were calling out my name and although I knew we were running close to missing the sunset, Otto sped up to get off just in time to spend a few minutes as the sun sunk down into the water.

Erie at dusk

Erie Sunset

What an amazing day!  Once back at the campground, we built a fire and had dinner outside.  We decided to take a walk over to the beach area after dinner.  The waves were crashing loudly and just beckoning me to come dance on the shore!  Otto brought the flashlight and we found ourselves searching for beach glass once more.  We did find a few small pieces despite the locals telling us this wasn't a good spot for it.

Monday morning arrived with a beautiful peaceful sunny day ahead.  We packed up the trailer and headed over to Tony and Anne's for breakfast.  Our friend, Susanne (from AZ) was born and raised in Erie.  We met her parents, Tony and Anne a few years back.  Anne attends our bible study when she is in town so she knew we were in Erie and invited us over.  We visited for a few hours, enjoying the view of the bay from their backyard, then headed back to the trailer to pack up for home.  We decided one last drive around the peninsula was in order and a walk along the beach was needed before driving back to Greensburg.

What a wonderful weekend we had exploring the shores of Erie, the wineries of the Northeast and experiencing the majesty of Niagara Falls!  As I look to the future who knows what is in store for us, but I can truly say that we are very blessed and grateful for our time here in Pennsylvania.  Who knows if we will experience another winter here in the east or if we are headed off to warmer weather in the west.  But I do know one thing, we will certainly enjoy the journey!