Snow everywhere...

And as you can see, when you believe in something deeply enough, and wish for it with all your heart, even in Stone Mountain Park can snow fall for the children!

The Snow Angel gave bells to all the little kids and asked them to wish for snow and ring their bells to bring it to Stone Mountain Park!

Gotta have a parade...Santa brought up the rear!

This is Atlanta from the rock. It wasn't a super clear day, but Atlanta is about 20 miles away...

Barely visible in the background on the left is Kennesaw Mountain (the saddleback mtn image faintly visible). It's about 30 miles away as the crow fllies. To the right is a barely visible "bump" that is Sweat Mountain. Both are landmarks I use when flying into and out of McCollum airport when giving position reports to the tower controllers.

Went to Stone Mountain Park with Bryan and Kim Sunday afternoon/evening...it's the 2nd largest outcrop of granite in the Country,and 3rd largest monolith in the world. It stands nearly 900' above ground (1683' above sea level) but only 10% of the rock is visible, the other 90% being sub-terrainian. It has a lot of history, mainly dealing with the site being the second coming of the Klan in 1915. The carvings on the face of the rock are of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and "Stonewall" Jackson, all 3 revered men of the Confederacy. Though times have changed in America, and in Georgia and the South in particular, from time to time there is a rise in the rhetoric about the carving. It is a legacy, I guess, the South will bear for generations to come still. In the Summer, large numbers of folks gather on the park grounds in front of the carving, and when it gets dark they shoot laser lights on it and they "come alive" and a little story of the Civil War is portrayed. The ending comes during the playing of Elvis Presley's "Trilogy" and in the end Robert E. Lee breaks his sword over his knee...it's fun to watch the kids and their amazement to see the horses rear up and come alive in greens and reds and other colors of the laser. The rock has a pond that encircles it and folks ride "paddle wheel" small boats around it. You can take a tram up to the top, walk a trail up to the top (lots of folks do that for the Easter Sunrise Service given each year on the top of the rock), or a combination of the two.

And then the darkness of night slowly overcame the light, gently and peacrfully, and we were glad in the day given us...

The color was absolutely beautiful...

That night of our return, Saturday the 2nd, we were tired from the conference activity and the travel. But Karma was glad we were home safely, and smiled upon us through a sunset that drew awe and wonder...the sky was literally on fire for 3 or 4 minutes...it was a glimpse, ever how brief, of a gift from God to a world that has gone mad in so many ways and in so many places and his assurance that he is still there for everyone in spite of those who claim he is theirs alone...

My wonderful Wife picked a hotel for us to stay in during our visit to her Mom in Long Beach. This is the Marriott that sits on the Long Beach airport...I was ecstatic!

Another pic of Gavin and Jill...

I have taken up a new hobby...oil painting. Thanksgiving evening, after Bryan and Kim left, I was restless and not ready for sleep, so I set up my easel and did a quick painting to take to Jill for her birthday. It's rather small as I didn't have but one evening to paint, but I think it turned out alright, don't you? Jill happened to have a frame for it...she appeared to like it.

We left Atlanta on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the West Coast. A shot of Atlanta right after take-off