Wednesday, December 31, 2008

 

New Year's Eve 2008-2009


Kathleen defends the port of San Diego. We can sleep well tonight!




























































It has been eighteen months since Dad's passing. Today we paused to think of him.
And, Seth, we brought in the New Year watching "The Sound of Music."



Tuesday, December 30, 2008

 

Christmas Eve 2008






'Twas the day before Christmas,
And all through the hills ,










The menfolk from Spice Street,
Were looking for thrills

Now, Samuel! Now, Brandon! Now, Caleb! Now, Seth!
On, Simon! On, Grandpa! On, Scott, with the rest.
From the base of Cowle's Mountain, to the heights of its peak.


Look out on La Mesa on this Christmas week.
And then, heading downward,
We found in the the path,
A Caleb-sized hole
That made Simon laugh.
Then laying a finger on the side of his nose,
Each boy gave a nod and up the chimney he rose.
Then they sprang to the ground,
And gave out a squeal,
And raced down the trail
For a quick IHOP meal.
But I heard them exclaim,
As they sped out of sight,
"The day isn't over,
but we'll sleep well tonight!"
Samuel looks out at Mission Gorge from the Mission Trails Regional Park Interpretive Center. He looks a little like the Grinch, looking down over Whoville, doesn't he!
But Simon's the real Grinch!
After a romp in the gym at the Aztec Building, the menfolk headed back to Spice Street for the Christmas Pageant and family celebrating. Thanks to all the womenfolk for the food!
Baby Auburn placed the Christ Child in the manger on Christmas morning.

Monday, December 29, 2008

 

Christmas 2008

We count our blessings every day. This holiday we were blessed to ALL be together. Here we all are on the day after Christmas at the Navy Lodge on Coronado Island.










Christmas morning found us at our home on Spice Street. Here are the oldest and the youngest living branches of the Clovis Hill family tree.






























The weather was brisk and windy, but not insurmountable.






































Here are the results of the first ever time trials. Distance = 100 Grandpa paces.


































Simon and Caleb put a hex on Seth.
























After a cousin devotional, the boys learn "How to Eat Fried Worms".



































A page from Caleb's Junior Ranger book at Cabrillo National Monument. The boys earned this award at SEVEN national parks this year!















































Sunday, December 21, 2008

 

Auburn's Blessing - November 23, 2008 - Munich, DE

Simon ponders life enroute to the chapel. Later, back home, Mom & Dad beam. Auburn rests peacefully after receiving her father's blessing.













Lupe window shops near Marienplatz.

Lupe and Brad visit the courtyard of Munich's old governmental palace.










In Austria, Brad visits the oldest bakery in Salzburg.



Mom poses next to a painted cow celebrating "The Sound of Music".




Mom poses again...this time in the cemetery made famous by the Von Trapp Family



Brad snapped this photo of Mozart's birthplace. He bought a harmonica a few doors up the street.














Back in Munich, Lupe and Brad dine at a restaurant first estblished in 1411.

















This is the modern view of what Prince Ludwig II saw as he looked over his kingdom from Neuschweinstein Castle in the late 1800's.












This is the castle courtyard, and a view south to the Alps.























Here is the castle Ludwig II grew up in. It is far older than his "Disneyland" castle on the hill.
















At Dachau, the wrought iron gate told inmates: "To work is to live".
































We celebrated Thanksgiving at the famous Hofbrauhaus. Lupe had turkey schnitzel. I had bratwurst.






























We drove to Prague for our final weekend. Here we see four glamorous women at a local cafe.

































This building was designed to suggest Fred Astaire twirling Ginger Rogers. Do you see them?














Lupe and I celebrated our 34th wedding anniversary in Prague.












On Sunday we attended Sacrament Meeting in Prague. This is Brother Martin, one of several saints who worked with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Jan during their missions in Czech Republic.










Returning to Munich, we stopped in Regensburg and visited this cathedral. Though this part of the structure is only several hundred years old, the church itself was organized in AD 700.


















Back home in Munich, this is the street the Hill's live on.













Here are some parting moments with Auburn.
























Enroute to the USA, here are some ice flows near Greenland.











We left Frankfurt in the afternoon, and followed the sunset for ten hours. This was the view from our port window.














Here you see the heights of San Francisco peeking through the clouds. The sun finally set for us as we touched down and connected with our flight to San Diego.









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