It is getting to look a lot like Christmas. Getting ready is at least half the fun!
Holiday greetings! This is the time of the year when we think of friends and family both near and far. Life has certainly changed for us over the past few years. It is hard to believe that we have been retired for ten years. Although I am not sure retired is the right word. We still work a lot (mostly on things that are fun); we just do not get paid. It has been a fascinating journey so far with just enough unknowns to keep it interesting.
This will be our third Christmas in South Carolina. Life has been good to us here. Our health is good, we find more than enough to do, we love our time on the road and there is a to do list that goes out several years…the good Lord willing of course.
The holiday planning is well underway. Again, this year our family will gather here. The house decorations, the menu and the activity list are in the works. Both Jan and I love to cook and bake so we know that there will be plenty of food. There are several hikes and towns to visit so the task is to pick the best ones. The hope is for plenty of sun and warm temps plus safe travels for everyone.
The only thing missing here is the snow outside. Well maybe not!
The last time we were all together… Looking forward to a repeat performance very soon.
The one holiday constant here is the Biltmore. Let us share a recent visit taking in all that the house has to offer this time of the year.
We can always get our Christmas fix at the Biltmore. We took a picture in same place last year. The house decorations are awesome and different every year. Good job!
Jan told me I look grumpy. I do love this season and all that goes with it.
It is not hard to find a Christmas picture at the Biltmore. This is where the house tour starts.
The highlight of a Biltmore visit is the Conservatory and all that goes with it.
The Christmas theme fits well in the library. This room wears the red well…
Here are some more Biltmore pictures. Every time we go it is different or we pick up on something we did not notice before. If you come this way, we would love to share the experience with you.
We made several visits this year. It is a different experience every time.
Spring color gets your attention.
The grounds go from over manicured to very natural.
The Biltmore is a working farm with a self-sustaining theme. The canola field was in full display mode on this day. It was perfect day to walk the trail and get impressive photos…
The summer travel adventures continue. This year the handle was called the National Park tour. Check out the blog post there are four of them that detail our adventure(s). The links to the blogs are on the right of the blog site under recent posts. Our journey took us to 9 somewhat obscure National Parks (at least for us). We made it to the Grand Canyon (north rim) and two National Seashores parks. We left here the end of June and got back mid-September. As usual the trip exceeded our expectations.
Link to the Blog Site: Larry-Jan-TVC.net Do check it out.
Here we are on the road again. Found a nice hike here…the journey never gets old for us.
One the many mountain views…
The sand dunes of South Dakota…
Always a new adventure…
Hodo’s of Utah…
Toured the Caves of New Mexico, Nevada, and South Dakota…
Repeat visit to the Utah Dead Horse State Park…
Then there was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon…
A favorite pastime is hiking the slot canyons…this one Devil’s Hall!
Many “big” rivers. This one the little Missouri.
Experienced several large bison herds in the Dakotas.
Fun times in New Mexico in Santa Fe and Taos.
Spent a couple of weeks back in Michigan…here we are at the Porcupine Mountains—Lake of the Clouds.
Cool stop is the Mackinac bridge…
A very nice stop at the Interlochen Center for the Arts!
Good time on the Atlantic in Delaware.
Ended the trip on the Carolina outer banks.
Over Labor Day weekend, it worked for the Snyder brothers and sister Marilyn to meet up plus some of the next generation. If you are wanting to see how all of us are aging check out the blog post.
Snyder reunion…
Catching up and good food a winning combination…
History seems to tell us that we cannot go too long without some big house project. Our current house is great and fits our needs very well. However, there are things that annoy us and décor is not us. As a result, there is a list of things to change or do both large and small. It is fairly extensive as it covers projects both inside and out. The goal is to complete the list before hitting the road for the summer 2020. The good news is we are third of the way through the list to date. Here is a glimpse into what has happened on that front so far…
First up getting rid of the carpet in the breakfast room…
New garden spot. Learning how to do summer and fall gardens is a work in progress.
This was the daunting pile for a new deck floor and replacing the landscaping timber on the side steps. Yes, we made it…the end of the story.
The two decks almost seem more like a career than a project.
The sidesteps involved a lot of heavy lifting…
The re do of the master suite had been on the list since day one!
Lots of painting…to help us make our mark!
Our target for Thursday every week is to hit the trail, visit a regional town or at hit the big city. There are so many great state parks very close by, plenty of waterfalls and hiking trails. If you come this way, we can find plenty of good adventures.
On the trail and finding a place to enjoy the mountains on the list almost every week.
Several favorite South Carolina state parks.
…there are hundreds of pictures of falls in the archives from this years outings…
There is always one more photo to share of the South Carolina waterfalls.
This year lots of hiking, biking, kayaking…
Spring and fall are the best times of the year here. We love the moderate temps. This fall the weather has been awesome and the colors pleasing. South Carolina is a great place to be!
The maples turned late this year…favorite time of the year.
Our side yard is a lot of fun although there are a lot of leaves at the end of summer.
Little fall color goes a long ways, although this is round two for mums on the front steps this fall.
God Bless the USA!
What is a “Larry and Jan” post without sunrise and sunset pictures?
Sunrise…
Sunset…
Happy Holidays! Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
God Bless,
Larry and Jan