On Friday, Amy had lined up a trip for all of us to Burnet, TX, to see Main Street Bethlehem sponsored by the First Baptist Church in Burnet. It was really neat! The Bethlehem area opened at about 6 PM, but folks (including us) started getting in line at about 4:30. By the time 6 PM came, the line was really long. Great planning by Amy to get us there early.
Here are Adam and Lottie at the sign near the entrance followed by a mural of the three wise men. Adam and Lottie had fun playing with other kids before Main Street Bethlehem opened.
Next will come a lot of pictures from inside "Bethlehem." Here are some campers who have probably come to Bethlehem for the mandated census.
Adam enjoyed petting the goose that the lady had.
Here is the local basket weaver.
As expected Bethlehem also had a few Roman soldiers walking around.
You could also pay your taxes while you were there. Here's the Bethlehem tax collector:
I guess every small city had to have a tavern - especially for weary travelers. Here's the Bethlehem Tavern:
Adam enjoyed talking to the lady who had smooth bamboo reeds to make into sleeping mats.
The Bethlehem bread was delicious! It was tasty bread with a little sugar on top and right out of a warm oven. YUM!
Here are some young women grinding meal. Looks like WORK to me; forget it - I'm retired.
We also visited the local rope and carpenter shops.
A walk through the local synagogue was really neat. The priest did an excellent job of singing the Shema from scripture.
Lottie enjoyed petting the camel.
Here are Amy and Adam from the balcony of the Inn (which was full to capacity).
Shepherds shouted about the birth of the savior.
The star shone brightly over the stable where the savior was born. Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus make a peaceful scene.
Finally, there's a small manger scene in front of the church. It's simplicity combined with the lighting made it even more beautiful.
If you're ever in Burnet, TX, in early December (starts the first Friday in December and runs for two weekends), we can highly recommend Main Street Bethlehem. But get there early!
Logan is opening a present from Doug and Ashley (FYI - it's a guitar - at least it's not drums).
Adam is opening his gift. It's a tool set. How neat is that!
Doug and Ashley surrounded by lighted leaves.
The kids had fun playing inside one of the displays.
From here we went to get some hot chocolate and see the model train display before heading back to the cars. Then it was on to The Shack for burgers, fried green beans, fish, etc.
Rosie and Ashley, Doug's fiance, are cooking up something. Looks like they're having a good time.
A Thanksgiving tradition around our house is "veggie pizza." Adam and Lottie are helping Gram make the pizza.
Adam took over from Uncle Doug the job of making celery with peanut butter. Another delicious Thanksgiving morning treat. Great fodder for watching parades or football games.
We love those neat kid towels Gram has.
The grandkids had fun playing with Bapa's old Lionel electric train. Bapa got this train for Christmas in about 1960. So it's about 50 years old and needs a bit of work. But it runs - thanks to some help from Shane.
Before everyone left, we had to get a family picture. Here's the entire gang except for Chris:
From left to right: Rosie, Bob, Karen, Kayleigh, Shane, Logan, Lottie, Doug, Ashley, Adam and Amy. Thanks everyone for coming; we had a great time. It only took us about a week to recover - such wimps!