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Christmas in New York 2006
Christmas in New York 2006 |
Home for the holidays! Day one
preparations included MAKING GHRISTMAS COOKIES!  Heather and Jeffrey, doing what we do best: being creative and making a mess!!  Peter, showing Jeffrey photos of our life in Grenada. After which, these two promptly departed to the basement, where they constructed a ramp (up to the ceiling) which they used to launch 30-year-old giant, metal Tonka trucks through the air, onto a tiny trampoline, after which (or in come cases before) they made a spectacular crash onto the concrete floor. Go guys! Sadly, I have not photos of this event, only video, which I can't get onto the website yet! |
 Peter suffered a few symptoms of withdrawl from medical school, as seen above. No worries, as he quickly found a new, holiday themed, activity to keep him focused on learning all he can about the body - gingerbread or otherwise! Conclusion: the ginerbread variety smells much better, and Nancy's are incredibly tasty to boot! |
 We had a great
visit to the
Morton Wildlife Refuge, which is not far from the Johnson's home.
The weather was COLD, but the refuge was
warm with friendly feathered friends, who will readily visit people for
a meal to keep their internal furnaces going. Peter and a new friend.  Lee and Nancy   Familiar faces: cardinals, a nuthatch and titmouse.  Awwwwww!  Big and little: engaging in a little telepathic interpersonal communication. |
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Peter had great fun
continuing his quest to imprint his passion for Legos onto his
impressionable nephew. Who can argue when learning is good, plain
fun?
  Voila! |
 The whole family took a trip out to the Montauk light house...wheeeeeeee!   Wow! There were more than enough seabirds to satisfy the most discriminating bird fanatic. While some enjoyed the fabulous visibility - block island was very clear - Heather didn't explore too far beyond the birds bobbing in the waves! From mergansers to scaups and murrelets to true pelagic birds like eiders, the relative foreground offered an unbeatable view!  Jeffrey found the perfect seat to take a break while he patiently waited for Auntie Heather to bid the birds adieu and pack up and head out. |
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We could barely contain our excitement
as Christmas Day was finally
upon us!
 (Jeffrey was pretty excited, too.) The Johnsons were thrilled and honored to share Christmas day with Peter for the first time. Peter was a bit overwhelmed, but had a fabulous day along with everyone else!    Jeffrey takes a break with Unlce Peter and Grandpa for more lego fun!    Peter goes bobbing for presents  Jeffrey bought special, secret, presents for every single one of us. Each was perfectly suited to the recipient:    Jeffrey knows how COLD Auntie Heather can get, so he got her the WARMEST gloves EVER to keep her warm in the cold New York and Colorado climate. Thank you Jeffrey!  This time, Jeffrey has enlisted Dad and Grandma to help build!  Peter was thrilled with his new blood pressure cuff! And everyone else was patiently enthusiastic when Peter wanted to check each of our blood pressures....  Mmmmm Grenada spice baskets...with plenty of mystery goods for good measure.  WwhhhAaaat izzzit??? My favorite photo: Lee and Nancy inspect their Heather-crafted "vase" made from La Luna sand, coral bits, glue and wood varnish. ["Is it too late to consider putting her up for adoption?"]  Jeffrey flying a new helicopter.  Jeffrey was the recipient of the "HeatherProject" this year!   The wooden train was purchased, but it was lovingly painted over the semester by Auntie Heather - proud of her FAVORITE nephew, Jeffrey!   Jeffrey tries his own hand at painting! |
On December 26, we
took a journey to Connecticut via ferry to meet up with the Lakes -
Nancy's side of the family. Heather and Marian, "Grammy."  Betty's prize present: a gorgeous portrait of her son, Jake, as a toddler.  Heather and Don, "Buddy."  Some tribes express their joy of family togetherness in strange and unpredictable ways...! Good thing Uncle Joe is such a good sport.  Peter and Heather  Betty "Aunt Bunny," and Heather: two peas in a pod!  The Lakes, Johnsons, and Bocks.  The ferry heading back to Long Island was chilly willy! Eric, Jen, and Jeffrey headed back to Massachusetts on the 27th, and Peter and Heather prepared to head to snowy Colorado on December 28th. |