Christmas 2006

We had a great Christmas with our sons and their ladies and Karen's mom, Dee. The best present of all is to be with family. Hope all of you had wonderful days also.

Holiday Blizzard

The over two feet of snow we received in the last couple of days gave everyone a workout just to get the driveways shoveled. Snowblowers were a blessing.

Sailing the Sea of Cortez

We sailed north from San Carlos to Point Morrow then west across the Sea of Cortez to the town of Santa Rosalia. After a day in Santa Rosalia, we went south to Punta Chivato then on to Bahia Concepcion where we spent several days. Back to Punta Chivato for the trip back across the sea to San Carlos.


We had a great seafood meal at a little restrauant at the Santispac anchorage at the north end of Bahia Concepcion. Went swimming in a cove visited by nudists and took showers (is that Buddha or my Brudda?) on the deck of the boat.

There was some 'relaxing' going on during the trip.






Beautiful sunsets and 'hands-free' sailing added to our experiences.














At the end, OBO (it means Islander in Swedish) is back in San Carlos.

San Carlos

Brother Gus and I are in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, to spend some time on the Islander 32 sailboat I purchased last spring. In addition to working on and learning about the boat, we did anchor out one night at a bay about an hour away. The picture of Gus and the shore was taken while in that bay.

Tomorrow we leave for a more extended trip of about a week or ten days. Wish us fair winds!

Enhanced Image Viewing

The other day Zac helped me update my blog. This is how he explained what he did: Try clicking on one of the images. You'll see that the page no longer navigates away from the blog to the image. Instead, an HTML object is made visible and brought to the front of the viewing area and the larger image is loaded and displayed. This concept is referred to by some as a "lightbox."Once the lightbox has been displayed, you can navigate between all the pictures on the site by clicking on the right or left side of the picture to move forward or backward respectively. You can close the lightbox either by clicking the close label at the bottom border or by scrolling down the page and clicking somewhere else. Here's an example of what it looks like: Just click on the picture of Zac and Jen.

Moving Dirt

Dirt, dirt, and
more dirt!


We had 8 yards of topsoil delivered for our land-
scaping project.

Formal Dessert Party

We spent a wonderful evening at Zac and Jennie's Formal Dessert Party and Family Concert. The performers included: Jennie, her sisters Tabitha and Courtenay, her mother, Kathi, Zac and Dan. The guys: Bill, Jennie's Dad, Dan, Zac and Joe, Courtenay's husband, sang along with Frank Sinatra. Fancy desserts were served along with coffee and a specialty tea. Instruments used were a piano, keyboard, guitar, and auto harp. Such talent!

The Big One

When we got home we were so surprised to find this BIG zucchini! It weighed in at 11 pounds and is about 20 inches long. The tomatoes from the garden are delicious.

Power Wash

Dick and his wife, Sandy, are busy getting the house ready to put on the market to sell. Dan helped Dick power wash the whole house. Here you see Dick, Dan's brother, cleaning off the mold from the bricks.

Elephant

"What's in there? " asks Dan. This cute elephant was in the park at Sharon Woods.

Sharon Woods

We decided to take a walk (2 and 1/2miles) in Sharon Woods. This was the first park created by the Hamilton County Park District and covers 730 acres. It has a golf course, paddle boats, fishing, hiking, picnic tables and shelter areas, an exhibit hall, athletic fields and a fun play area for kids.

LaRosa's Pizzeria

LaRosa's Pizzeria was the third place we were told to try. The pizza and calzones were delicious.

White Castle

Another eating place we were told we must try while in Cincinnati was White Castle. Once was enough for me!

Skyline Chili

While we were visiting with some of Dan's classmates, we learned that everyone who comes to Cincinnati needs to eat at Skyline Chili. So we decided to give it a try. Here is Dan enjoying a Coney, which consists of a small bun, hotdog, chili, onions, and cheese. We had a small sample of their famous "3 Way Chili," (a signature dish) consisting of steaming spaghetti, covered with chili and shredded cheddar cheese. "4 Way Chili" includes chopped onions or red beans and "5 Way Chili" has it all.

Ohio High School Friends

It was great catching up on the lives of these friends: Anne, Diana and Marty, and Sarah and Tom.

Dinner with Friends

We gathered at Bobby and Debby's home for a picnic potluck.

More Quilts

"Grandmother's Flower Garden" is the name of this quilt. Mom Heismann made this quilt, which is all hand pieced and hand quilted. She also made this beautiful Christmas Quilt. She and I helped hang the quilts for the show. There were a total of 85 quilts.

Quilt Show

The Springdale Bicentennial Committee presented HEIRLOOM QUILTS PAST AND FUTURE featuring Quilts from Present or Former Springdale Families. The Heismanns lived in Springdale from 1953-1988. This quilt was made by Mary Ann Siemer, Mom Heismann's grandmother. It was all hand pieced and hand quilted. The pattern is the Double Wedding Ring.

Wendy's Kids

Sarah is 16, Corinne is 14, and Matthew is 10. Their Mom, Wendy, is Carl and Shirley's daughter. Wendy refused to have her picture taken.

David Heismann and Family

Meet the David Heismanns: David, Sheyna, Taylor, age 10, and Hannah, age 9.

Rick Heismann and Family

Here you see Rick and his family. He is Carl and Shirley's oldest child. His wife, Juanita, is sitting on the couch between Jared, age 9, and Colleen, age 4. This picture was taken after a game of soccer in the backyard. Jared is a Scout and his Dad is the Scout Master. (notice his shirt)

Carl and Shirley Heismann

Meet Carl and Shirley. Carl is the second oldest of the five Heismann children. We are thankful that they live here in Ohio, not too far from Mom Heismann. They have been such a big help to her.

Happy Birthday

We celebrated Mom Heismann's 89th birthday on September 17th at Carl and Shirley's home. Dan and his brother Carl are pictured with the birthday girl.

Hannah Heismann

Here you see Hannah, Dave & Sheyna Heismann's daughter. (Dave is Carl and Shriley's son.) Hannah is explaining one of her gymnastic moves. After telling us about the "Double Mini" in which she took 2nd in the Nationals for her level and age, she gave us a demo. Way to go Hannah!

The Cooks

Carl Heismann and his son, David, were the cooks on Sunday when we gathered at Carl and Shirley's house for a picnic.

Tenderizing the Steaks

David Heismann, our nephew, is busy preparing the steaks for the grill.

Gas Price in Ohio

Look what we paid for gas on the 19th of September! Prices have gone up since then.

Dick's Dog

Matilda, known as Mattie, is one of three dogs that the Heismanns enjoy. Dan loves to tease!

Happy Heismanns