Arkansas Winter Storm

During the day on Friday HSV (east side) had about 0.5" of freezing rain/ice/sleet followed by about 0.5" of snow on Friday night. We stayed at home and didn't try to get out. I think one truck ventured down our road during the day. We also didn't have any mail delivery - I'm sure the roads were simply too treacherous.

The ice did build-up on the pine trees. Many had sagging branches - especially the small pine trees.The ice also built up on the grass. Sam enjoyed walking through the ice/snow. He also had fun eating "grasscicles." Tasty!Our house and yard are nice and white. The small Japanese lantern in the front looks pretty with the icicles hanging down.We kept our bird feeders full. The birds were very hungry. In this photo, a male cardinal waits his turn in a bush near the seed feeder.We're staying warm and thinking about Spring.

Visiting Karen, Shane, Logan and Kayleigh

After visiting with Chris' family at Ft. Hood, we headed over to Dickinson to visit with Karen's bunch. Gram enjoyed getting some early morning cuddles in with Logan and Kayleigh.
Karen and Kayleigh are having a good time together.
Gram also enjoys playing with toys.After his cousin, Adam, introduced him to trains, Logan enjoys playing with trains and tracks. Logan and Bapa are putting together a train track.
There's a small park near their house for use by the subdivision. The park has a climbing structure with multiple slides. Kayleigh enjoyed sliding and the wind in her hair.
Logan had a great time coming down the tube slide - as proven by multiple data points.For a late day lunch on Tuesday, we headed down to Galveston to the Spot - a really good hamburger place. After eating we walked along the beach. Shane and Logan enjoyed walking around. Kayleigh and Gram enjoyed the fresh air.We had a great visit with Karen, Shane, Logan and Kayleigh. Thanks for the fun!

Visiting Chris, Amy, Adam and Lottie

On Thursday, 14-JAN, we (Rosie, Bob and Sam) loaded up and drove down to Ft. Hood, TX, to visit Chris and family. The weather was a bit rainy for most of the time we were there, but that didn't stop us for having a great time. Bapa, Adam and Lottie had fun playing guitars. We made "beautiful" music together.On Saturday the weather was a lot nicer. We took a brief trip over to Austin. Some of the shops on the street we were walking down were very interesting. Here's Adam and Lottie in front of a colorful store.We had some great food while we visited - varieties we just don't get around HSV (e.g. Thai, Korean). Chris and Amy cooked some great okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake made with cabbage, egg and a few other ingredients).Amy and Adam made delicious Rice Krispy treats. The treats were yummy.Bath time is always fun at their house. Chris does some great artistic sculptures with Adam and Lottie's hair. Great mohawk, Adam.On Sunday, we drove over to Austin again and had breakfast at the Kerbey Lane Cafe; they have great pancakes. After breakfast Rosie, Bob and Sam headed off to Dickinson, TX, to visit Karen, Shane, Logan and Kayleigh. Chris, Amy, Adam and Lottie - thanks for a great visit!

Frozen Lake - Part II (Ta Da!)

We walked over to Lake Sophia today and yes, it's still frozen solid. Rosie took some pictures of pretty ice formations around the bank. The first reminds us of noodles being held on a spatula. Maybe you just had to be there to appreciate it.Next, we liked the ice forming over the rocks.This picture looks like the ice is holding up the log. I've inserted a close-up so you can see it even better.Sam thought the ice washed up on the boat ramp was doggie ice cream, and someone had put it there just for him. Luckily it was white instead of yellow. He tried to walk out onto the ice to get a tasty treat but quickly found out that he couldn't walk. So he settled for the boat dock snack.On our walk back, we passed a "woodpecker tree." It looks like the local woodpeckers really like this tree. Maybe being dead and full of insects helps.The temp is much warmer today (55F), so hopefully most of the ice will be gone quickly. Maybe we can get some fishing in this week (or at least boating)! And I don't mean ice fishing.

Lake Sophia - Frozen Over?

Lake Sophia is a small lake - more like a pond - near our house in HSV. Today we took Sam on a hike over to the lake - there are lots of good smells around the lake - dog heaven. We were surprised at how much ice was on the lake. Here are a few pictures from around the lake. There are spots that look like they're not frozen; but by throwing rocks on them we found out that they were.I know you folks up north think this is nothing, but hey - we're easily amused.

At the end, there's a short video of a rock skipping across the lake. The sound of the rock sliding across the ice is neat. We thought it would hit an open spot and fall in, but none of the rocks ever fell into the water.

Adam and Logan - we'd have a hard time making splashes with rocks today. They just slide across the top of the ice.

It supposed to get colder on Thursday and Friday so maybe the ice will get thicker. Neat - I guess.

Have a happy 2010!