Snowy Christmas

Merry Snowy Christmas!

4 Inches of Snow at Hallmark Drive

Postcard Perfect.....

Early Morning on December 26

Christmas Time is Here

Animals of YouTube sing "Deck the Halls"

Animals of YouTube sing "Deck the Halls"

I can't believe that they didn't ask Prince to participate in this Christmas animal singing fest! Enjoy!!

Thank You, Donna and Bo!

Yeah! I finally have a new picture of me and John! And one that I like....

So hard to get any good photos of me or of us when I'm behind the camera. This was from our Thanksgiving "Meet the Family" dinner. So much fun!

Been busy working at Belk for the holidays and decorating the house. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! Stay tuned for holiday postings and pics. Love to all our families and friends!

xoxo
Bubba and Nan

UK Visitors

John, Roger, Anne, Christina and Jo-Jo

John's cousin, Roger, and his family arrived from the UK mid-November to visit his wife's parents in Troutman. It was baby Jo-Jo's first trip to the USA -- one of many we hope!

Roger, Christina and JoJo came for Sunday lunch with all the North Carolina Smethursts. We had a wonderful time catching up on the news abroad and stateside and delving a bit into the Smethurst family history.

Jo-Jo and Morgan laughing it up with John

Morgan sharing Pat the Bunny with Jo-Jo and Christina

The NC Smethurst Family

Michael, Anne, John, Steve, Michelle and Morgan

Roger and Michelle in the Garden

Morgan, Anne and Prince

Great TG Holiday and BD Celebration...but NO photos!

Well, not any good ones...........

Duh!! Must have been too busy in the kitchen or was it the wine? :-)

We had a house full--

Mom

Michelle and Jason (Steve and Morgan were sick- boo hoo!)

Michael

Mark and Jen

Donna and Bo

&

Prince!

Blessed to have a wonderful family that is growing all the time.

Hope your holiday was full of love.

Fall Fun with Morgan

Prince, Bubba & Morgan at Idlewild Park

Sliding Buddies

"Monkey" on the Monkey Bars!

White Horse Farms in Matthews

Morgan & Nan baking sugar cookies -- what else??

Anyone for marshmallows?

Yummy!

Streets & Squares in Lisbon

One of the many things that I love about traveling to Europe is to experience the architecture and the building principals that have been in place for centuries. All parts of the city infrastructure are considered a potential art form. It's a joy to walk the streets with such a feast for the eyes!

No stone left unturned. :-)

Virginia Fall Foliage

John and I enjoyed a colorful weekend, driving up to Charlottesville for a short visit with Mark and Jen. The fall colors up Interstates 77/81/64 were gorgeous -- at peak as you got into the higher elevations in Virginia. So many manicured homes and farms graced the hillsides along our route that you often felt like you were in the middle of a postcard or a Southern Living magazine!

On Sunday we got a sneak peek of the church and the reception site for the wedding. Both are lovely choices. We also spent some time looking at rehearsal venues and made a quick photo-op trip to the Lawn at UVA with the newly engaged couple.

Enjoy your fall days as cool air moves in and colors sparkle in the sunlight!

Turkey-time is right around the corner.....

Boo!!

I love my little Halloween ghosts.

They came from an expedition to Festival in the Park.

So, they are almost as old as Mark.

Have a Happy Halloween!!!

Anne and John and Prince

Lisbon - City of Tile

The Museu Nacional do Azulejo (The National Tile Museum) is housed in the Convento da Madre de Deus. The convent was founded in 1509 by Queen Leonor, wife of Joao II and sister of Manuel I.

The Church was built in the 1550's. The baroque interior was installed in the late 17th and 18th centuries. The tile wall panels were commissioned in Holland in 1698, and the remaining walls and ceiling were covered by paintings in gilded carved frames.

Adoration of the Shepards - Central tile panel of Our Lady of Life Alterpiece. Attributed to Marcal de Matos in 1580, and originally installed at Capela de Nossa Senhora da Vida (Church of Santo Andre) in Lisbon.

Detail from a Three-Section Altar Frontal originally installed in a Carmelite convent in the Coimbra region of Portugal and dating from 1650. The composition of trees, fruits and flying birds are belived to be representations of the Garden of Eden.

Frame with Angels, Early 17th Century Border (Seville). Large scale production of repeated patterns began in the late sixteenth century as a less expensive alternative to large unique pieces like the alterpiece. Repeated patterns often added friezes and borders to emphasized doorways and windows or separated different patterns.

Portion of the Grand Panorama of Lisbon depicting the Terreiro do Paco. The Panorama dates from 1700 and depicts the entire city of Lisbon prior the the great earthquake of 1755. Taken from the palace of the Courts of Tentugal in Rua de Santiago, Lisbon.

Museum Cafe with tiles from a kitchen used to smoke meats. These tiles are from a private home in Lisbon and date from the second half of the nineteenth century.

Contemporary Mural and Wall Tiles in the Rossio and Gulbenkian subway stations.

Patterned tiles from random buildings in Lisbon create a unique visual experience. Many of these tiles date back to the nineteenth century and were created by stenciling.

The wall tiles at Pasteis de Belem.

More to come on this yummy location!

Spain and Portugal - Introduction

We had a fantastic trip to Spain and Portugal. Two weeks of traveling in the cities and the countryside. Sometimes at 180 kilometers per hour in our little mini-Mercedes!

I took a zillion photos, so I'll give you the edited version over the coming week. And in small chunks-- probably by city or region. :-)

These are a few of my favorite shots to get the ball rolling.