Happy New Year!

Now that Christmas has come and gone it's time to look forward to the new year and hope good things come with it. 

My poor beat up old 'nip pretzel and my new toys I got for Christmas

Are things going to change?  Will they stay the same?  It's going to be interesting to say the least, don't you think?  Whichever way the year turns out, here's my wish to all for a Happy New Year.  Mom and dad will be waking up at crazy o'clock to do a First Day hike at a state park a couple hours from here and I'll be doing what I do best as the photo below shows.  Happy New Year, and may it bring everything y'all want it to.

Zzzzzzzzzzz…...

Downtown at Christmastime

Wilmington has one of the best downtowns to go a-wandering, and that's just what mom and dad did last weekend.  It was a little chilly, but they enjoyed themselves anyway.  They planted their butts at Front Street Brewery for a couple of brews, then made their way over to Copper Penny, a favorite haunt, for some pub grub and another beer (Diet Coke for mom). 

They grabbed some random photos throughout the evening, and managed- in spite of the dropping temps- to devour a single-scoop cup of ice cream from Kilwins. 

Ordinarily they'd have gotten a double-scoop cone, but after their dinner & beer treat there most certainly wasn't room for that.  Dad's favorite photos are of the downtown skyline, especially facing the Battleship North Carolina across the river.  

Thinking himself clever and not quite ready for full frontal anything except in the privacy of home, dad doctored this selfie of him and mom.  I reminded him once again to hang onto his day job.
So Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays all 'round, and here's to good things (hopefully) in the New Year!

One of these things...

...is not like the others🎝.  Come on, sing along with me.  You remember Sesame Street, right?  ♬One of these things just doesn't belong.🎝 Can you guess which thing...

Not Much for Holding

Disclaimer:  For those who think dad's being rough or doesn't know how to hold or care for a cat-  he does and has for all his 41 trillion years.  He tries. It's me.

And Still More Dad Lap

I know Cleo and I have posted- probably more times than you'd care to see- pictures of her and I sitting together during our quiet early morning reading/laptop time, but this has become such a routine for us (except for when she prefers to stay snuggled in the warmth of her sleeping mom's lap as is the case at this very moment) that I can't imagine not having her snuggled into the space between my left hip and the arm of the chair.  Cat people and their cats do, in spite of what some say, develop habits like this, and in my mind this is one of many rewards reaped from being a cat lover. 

It's one thing that she enjoys sitting with me and watching the screen, or simply snoozing away, not a care in the world, but when that furry little face tilts up and stares at me (she does the same with mom) it just tugs at these old heartstrings. 

As I finish up this post our dear girl is sauntering out from the bedroom for her morning sip, nibble & pee, so I'll just hit "save" and slide over to the right in anticipation of her little stare from the floor in front of me, paws up on the seat cushion as if to say "Good morning, dad.  Here I come.  Move over."

Out and About

Even though there's nothing here about me, dad wanted to share a few photographs taken recently here in Wilmington.  Mom, dad and mom's sister wandered around downtown one late afternoon this past summer and took these shots from a riverfront restaurant at sunset. 

Is that not a glorious westward view?  Dad loves the sun's glare over the river's surface, and although those clouds look somewhat ominous they passed on by peacefully. Dad was heading to work one morning and thought the sunrise sky was worthy of a picture, so he snapped this one. 

A few days before that he came home from work and was awed with the colorful sky at sunset right overhead. 

Beach pictures have become a part of our life here, and mom and dad took these a few weekends ago after a particularly stormy week. 

These were taken at Fort Fisher Beach, and you can kind of see how rough the surf was as it hit the large rocks.  Despite the roiling surf, what's not to love about the peacefulness of this place? 

Yep, Another Early Morning Photo Session

This one with no flash and only the glow from the solar light.  Dark, but blissful.