Baby, It's Cold Out There...and other stuff.

Out the dressing room window.

 

Guys, do you remember jumping over this tree?

 

Anyone for Frisbee?

 

Early season real estate - wondering if the same birds will return-it has

great "curb appeal".

  

Jack Frost.

 

So far, so good, on the plant porch.

 

You know it is cold when your windows ice over like this!

 

So, the lid of this feeder mysteriously "disappeared" and now we know why.  We missed the picture of the squirrel entirely in the seed ball.

 

I love this area of the yard.

 

I always feel so talented when my orchids bloom - but I have no idea why they bloom, so I don't think I can actually take any credit.

 

Does anyone know who this is?

 

Too cold to play outside.

 

 

                                      
Talk about a crazy birthday candle!  This baby flared, and moved like a carousel,
                                            made music and lit the candles! 
                              It was probably the most exciting part of turning 61 :-)

 

Oh, so Sweet!

I was planning on posting this right after we got home, but alas -

I am just not getting to it.  I am missing the food already, even

though we are trying to eat better.

 

 

Greece is a food culture.

The preparation, presentation, and enjoying of food is far more

important to Greeks than it is generally us.  There are many food traditions,

related to holidays, celebrations, and house visits, not only in

what is served, but in how it is served.

 

 

 

From everyday tavernas to cafes and 5 star restaurants the

ingredients are so fresh you can taste the difference and you can

actually see the difference aside from the fact that the food

is always beautiful.

 

I regret that I did not take pictures of the meals prepared

by Eleftheria and Evangalia. 

 

 

 

Thessaloniki is know for its sweet shops.

The sweet shops are open even when other stores and shops are closed.

They are always busy because it is common to stop and

pick up a sweet when you are going to

stop for even a casual visit at a friends. 

 

The little cakes are truly works of art and unlike the

cupcakes that you or I might pick up at the grocery store, they

are truly and incredibly delicious.  They actually have flavor

besides white sugar.

 

So, Maribeth, Rachel and Megan

 

I know that you have done some training and some

cake decorating and

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the sweet shop windows.

 









I'm not sure it was this one, but in one of the shops there

was a man playing a baby grand piano!

 

 

 

This is a window to a café where we stopped for coffee one afternoon.

The cakes are all from Disney movies.  Rachel, they reminded me of a couple of

the cakes that you have made.  Enlarge the picture so you can see them - they

are pretty awesome.

 

Inside the café on the wall were wedding cakes.

 

 

The coffee was always good.

 

These were the sweets and drinks that Eleftheria put out one

morning when her aunt and cousin came to meet Artemis.

 

 When you stop for coffee, even the most simple café includes a plate

of cookies.  This selection, on a chocolate decorated plate, was

provided at Parec where we hosted our family dinner.

I really can't say enough about fresh, local fruits, vegetables, meats and fish - but
I also think that the food in Greece and Europe in general, is not genetically
engineered the way it is here.  What a difference!