RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR...Christmas Eve 2012 at the Bellagio Atrium

Happy 2013!  We weathered the Mayan prediction and made it to the new year ~ some a little worse for the wear, with sinus infections and the sort, this holiday season...but we're here, and that's all that's important!  Wanted to share some of my favorite things from Christmas week, past.

FAMILY - my MOST favorite...Son Louie; Mom Barb; Dad Arvid; and Daughter Jaclyn...Christmas 2012 was one of the most wonderful in years.  Husband and I avoided the camera this year, due to the bags under the eyes, but the rest of 'em looked FABULOUS, and it was such a treat to have my parents with us to celebrate the holiday this year! 

Mom's recovering from rotator cuff surgery...Dad is doing her hair, and I must say, he's pretty darn GOOD!  Thank you for bringing yourselves to us for Christmas ~ it was the gift I loved most!

Christmas Eve evening, after a large pasta dinner, found my husband sleeping off his cold, my kids gone their separate ways, and me with a wild idea to drag my parents to the Bellagio Atrium..."Come on", I told them..."There'll be no one there!"  Yep, I actually THOUGHT that! 

As usual, the Atrium was absolutely stunning.  For those that don't live here, but may venture through, this is one of the most beautiful attractions in town, and is completely free to the public - breathtaking with each and every change of the interior.  The outside of the casino/hotel boasts the beautiful fountains that are choreographed to music, every 15 minutes during the evening.

This year's display included a massive tree, larger than life toy soldiers, beds of live poinsettias...

chocolate cottages around the base of a Trojan Horse sized rocking horse, glittering stars hung from the ceiling...

and the bears!  Beautiful white polar bears covered in thousands of fluffy white chrysanthemums.  All things floral on display in the Atrium are, indeed, real...from the massive tree, to the petals covering the bears.

Next change for the Atrium will be Chinese New Year at the beginning of February ~ The Year of the Snake.

My kids (I did a bit of cropping of fingers in this one); my pups, Joe and Voltron! - one loves the cool tile (and his new baby), the other is the epitome of "lap dog" (or "butt dog", however the circumstance presents itself for a chance to lay on someone), and that beautiful Christmas Cactus I purchased a few weeks back...I think my Grandma would be so proud, though it pales in comparison to the one she kept for years.

One parting shot of family...my Grandpa spent Christmas with us, perched in the tree.  I have one of his fishing creels, identical to the one he is wearing in the photo (which my Mom has), hanging in the guest room.  Mom was just recently gifted with this photo, and passed along a copy to me (it will hang next to the creel, now).

As we march on into this new year, no resolutions really - just a hope to be a better person, and a plan for more quality family time...I've never been one to wax poetic here on the blog (but keep it bottled deep), so that's about it.  A hope for a saner world, perhaps...DEFINITELY, in fact!

 

I've a few "sights" left over from last year that could possibly inspire one or two of you to travel in the year ahead - that's coming up. I hope to include a few more "teaching" posts here, in an effort to share the creativity - that's coming up, too.  Love to you and yours...and especially ALL of mine...in 2013!  XOXOXO

 

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes; Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes; Silver white winters that melt into springs ~ These are a few of my favorite things"...

GET WELL SOON, BARB!

Rotary Cuff surgery yesterday, for a bad injury incurred after a nasty tumble two weeks ago, has my Mom out of commission for a bit ~ sending LOTS of healing wishes her way.  Christmas in Vegas can't get here soon enough.  Thanks for everything you're doing for her, Dad.  Christmas in Vegas probably can't get here soon enough for you, either!  Gobs and TONS of love to you both!  XOXOXO  

IT'S ALL RELATIVE AND, THE CEMETERY AT IDAHO SPRINGS, CO

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors.  All of them are alive in this moment.  Each is present in your body.  You are the continuation of each of these people.”  ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

I am related to each and every one of the persons in the photos of this post.  Spending a wonderful summer with beloved family, dragging my poor father on two trips through an old mountain cemetery looking for a lost family plot, and perusing family "documentation" served as a reminder of the importance of present family and ancestors long gone, in my life.  I'm a sucker for old photos (it's usually the first thing I go for in the antique stores), so thought I would share the love in this post.

My Paternal Great Grandparents O'Brien; my Grandmother Katherine (left), and her little sister.

My Grandma Kate and Grandpa Carl Rudolph Anderson, who immigrated to the United States from Sweden at the age of 17, all by himself.  Ja...that makes my maiden name Anderson, also.

My "Greats"; My Grandmother Kate; her son/my father Arvid (it's a Swedish name), as a baby; and his older brother/my uncle Robert (Bob), with his wife/my aunt Delores.

These gentlemen were all brothers on my Mother's side...the Rhyno brothers - uncles of my Grandpa Rhyno, I believe I have been told.

My Grandma Hazel and Grandpa Herschel Rhyno - Grandpa ran his own garage business behind the house in North Denver for as long as I had him in my life.

Their marriage brought about my Aunt Violet (upper left, with my Grandpa and Mom as a toddler), and my own Mother, Barbara (that's her at age 3); bottom photos are the family, and my Mom and Grandpa sharing a story on a family camping trip.

The union of two families led to this, eventually...my folks, Arvid and Barb; me, with both sets of Grandparents; my parents with me and my brother, Arvid; and my brother and myself in a photo my talented Dad took and developed himself.  I married and had two kids of my own, further propagating both family lines (as well as melding with the ancestors on my husband's side), much as I hope my own children will.

 

"Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one" ~ Jane Howard

And, driving down the road this summer from the meadow and mines in Freeland, where we spent the day remembering those that came before us, we set out on a mission to locate the long lost family plot of my Great-Great Grandmother Lory (the older woman from the family photo in the FREELAND post), my Great-Great Grandfather, and their 3 year old grandson.

Three of us hiked for an hour and a half on the first trip through, looking at just about every single headstone there was.  Sadly defeated, we left the mountain for the lure of margaritas, but with a vow to return and find the plot later in the summer...and that we did!  Another hour and a half spent walking row after row looked like it was going to end the same way - hand in hand my Mom and I headed back to the car that held my sleeping Dad.  We had all but thrown in the towel when we decided to look over one last wall before we quit - there they were.

"Misplaced", but not forgotten - found at last...documented now in the online registry of the Idaho Springs Cemetery - Margaret and Richard Lory, and Ernest Nicholls (he had passed in 1894, before the photo in the previous post was taken - he would have been the oldest of the children)...a sweet, melancholy day, rewarded with a tear, a hug, and a huge thank you for dragging my dad back through with us a second time - he's pretty awesome!

"We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies"  ~ Shirley Abbott

FREELAND, COLORADO

It all started with this picture of my great grandparents, in front of their homestead in what is now the ghost town of Freeland, CO.  On a quest to see if we could find the location of the house in the photo, we took a detour on our way back from Georgetown.

To get to Freeland, you need to go through Idaho Springs - located in Clear Creek Canyon, approx. 30 miles west of Denver, and 13 miles to the north of Georgetown.  Founded in 1859 by prospectors during the early days of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, Idaho Springs was at the center of the region's mining district throughout the late nineteenth century. The town today is squeezed along the north side of  I-70, with a historical downtown (there's a great little museum of local history in the heart of town) on its western end and a strip of tourist-related shops on its eastern end.  Travel under the highway, and the road will take you past mine-dotted hills, covered in aspen and pine, to what was once Freeland, CO.

Freeland was established in 1880, with some rich gold strikes nearby. It soon grew to a population of more than four hundred with some eighty cabins and frame houses, two stores, a saloon and a public school. My grandmother Hazel (on the far left, in front of my great-great Grandma Margaret Lory), and her siblings, were born there to immigrants from England (Elizabeth and William Nicholls).  It was a peaceful, industrious community - the perfect place for this young, hard-working family but, as with most mining towns of the day, Freeland depended upon the mines for its survival. When the mines faded, so did Freeland.

My mother could remember family picnics in a meadow when she was a child, long after the house was gone.  On a mission to find the sight, we stopped at a local residence and asked permission to do a little exploring (a friendly reminder – people are always a little more willing to let you tromp around if you ask first).  The bottom photo was the one original building left at that site...the one visible on the left of the upper photo is a newer addition.

We found what my Mom seemed to remember as the location, and even managed to snap a photo of a hillside that looks very similar to the angles of the one behind the house, albeit a little closer than the original photo...perhaps it is.  In my mind, at least, we found the exact spot!  It's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

On up the road, past Freeland (you will definitely want a 4-wheel, or off-road vehicle), sits the Lamartine Mine…we didn’t make the trek up that day – we knew our limitations and took the easy way out.  Originally prospected by 4 miners from Idaho Springs, a large fissure vein was discovered which produced several million dollars worth of gold, silver and lead, before closing in 1905.  My great-grandfather, and several other relatives worked the mine in it’s heyday.

As with any of these old mines, as tempting as it is, it is extremely dangerous to just walk into the openings.  Old, weak timbers, unseen deadly gases, HOLES, (not to mention jumping through a window of an opening and landing with your foot on a large rusty spike that emerged through the top of your shoe…not me, but someone with us in our younger/“should have known better” years).  DON'T DO IT!  Take the path we did this day, and seek out one of the mines with guided tours.  They are plentiful in the hills around Idaho Springs.  One of the best happens to be the one we took that day, on the road back down from Freeland – the PHOENIX GOLD MINE…stay tuned...it's up next.

THE GREATEST MAN I KNOW...

...was born 78 years ago, today...and is younger at heart than ever.  He isn't a movie star, or the president, though he is, and/or could have been all that and more, in my eyes.  He's my dad...Arvid Carl Anderson...Andy, to those that could never get the Swedish name right.

Born to Catherine and Carl Anderson, in 1934...little brother to Robert, and a joy to everyone who has ever known him!  And, I'm not just making that up, either.

Loves his cars fast...

and his women faster!  I know, she looks so innocent - I think it's the glasses.

Had a couple of kids...OK, had three kids, but the first one was definitely the cutest and smartest, and has always looked to her dad as a hero and inspiration.  He knows "some shit about some stuff", boy, and is always my "go-to" person for answers to questions I can't find the answer to.  A walking encyclopedia - my kids will still say, "Call Grandpa" if we can't figure out the answer to something, to this day.  And, man, is he funny!

Grandpa to seven; Great-grandpa to three, so far.  The best grandpa, and friend, any of them could have ever hoped for!

The best friend and companion my Mom could ever have hoped for...though she does think that cute Cuban actor on Dancing With the Stars is particularly hot, right now ("fast", I tell you!).

The smartest, most handsome, best dad; teacher; AND FRIEND, I could ever have hoped for...though I do think that cute Cuban actor on Dancing With the Stars is particularly hot, right now (apple doesn't fall far, I guess!).

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR DADDY...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TO YOU!"  Hope your day is as wonderful as you are - have TWO margaritas tonight, and think of me, thinking of you!  See you in a few weeks...can't wait!  XOXOXO  Tony

MY INSPIRATION...

...is drawn from many places, but mostly my Mom, celebrating Mother's Day back home in Colorado today.  Always encouraging in the creativity department, as well as everything else I've ever done with my life, this arrived in the mail for me (from her, like I'm her mother or something), this week.  "Make something with it", she said..."I have faith in you", she always says.  The scissors came with the Bakelite rose, and belonged to my great-grandmother on my Dad's side - Grandma Gove.  I come from a long line of seamstresses, on both sides.

In the midst of this old family photo, is not only my Mom's Mom, but her Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother, also.  Raised on a ranch in Freeland, CO, my Grandma (Hazel) Rhyno raised two pretty wonderful daughters of her own, years after this photo was taken.

Once a fashionista, always a fashionista...she can't help it - she was born with style!

Her senior photo - Barbara (Bobbie) Jean - I would kill for a pair of sunglasses made from those specs!  She captured the heart of my Dad soon after, and went on to raise three kids of her own (two of whom turned out pretty awesome...wink, wink); who produced seven grand kids; who, in turn, are now in the throws of child bearing themselves, adding three "greats" to my parent's count.  The old folks, back on the ranch, would be proud!

So, like I said...Mom has always been an inspiration not only in the everyday life type of things, but in the crafty thingamajigs department of life, too.  Handy with scissors...we ALWAYS had the BEST homemade Halloween costumes, growing up - dear sister is still wearing the witch's hat.  Mom could (and CAN) do anything (same goes for Dad...such talent from both of their hands, and minds).  When she sent the rose this week, I had already been in the throes of making bangles...lots and lots of bangles, from a great online tutorial I had recently purchased here.  You, too, can make bangle stacks - the hot accessory for summer, if you don't have cat-eye glasses and have to make do with something far less cool.

I had actually finished the stack of bangles before the rose arrived, and realized that the color fit right into the whole scheme of things.  Struggling for two days to come up with a way to hang it (from hand beaded chain, to threading all the beads onto beading line, and then ripping everything apart, over and over again), I stepped back today, and realized it needed to be simple to go with the rest of the Bohemian feel...hence, the leather cord, with a few beads...amen.

Utilizing my own daughter as a hand model (she wouldn't allow the camera any higher tonight, with threat of bodily harm), the resulting set of fun.  "Make something", I did, Mom...thanks for the huge amounts of love and encouragement throughout my life...you will never know just how much you mean to me...OK, you might.

Coming out of the Barry Manilow show in Vegas last summer, with new "glow stick earrings" from the performance...like I said, always the fashionista, always beautiful, and always fun!  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MOM - I love you!

And, speaking of fun and since I'm on a bangle kick around here (yes, the Bakelite bangles still get stacked 5 high on most days), LOOK at what I found this week, on a quick trek through TJ Maxx.  I even left the price tag on so you could see the bargain I got - heavy, real brass beauties from India...not flimsy, these babies are substantial - all 36 of them!!  I'm sharing them with my Mom...not that she isn't worth a lot more!