Rain Rain Go Away

Posted on December 19, 2012December 19, 2012 by Dusty Roads

And what do you know…it did! Seems like every day I have off it rains. The weather report was for rain starting Sunday and going into Monday then followed by another storm system that would roll in with more…you guessed it…rain. That would last into Tuesday with heavy downpours at times. I pleaded with the storm gods to clear out for just 1 day because I had 2 young children to take to Edaville Railroad. Tuesday was the only day that my schedule fit with the children’s mother’s schedule. Rain would make it miserable so please , please go away…if just for a day.

I met Nancy (The Mom) for lunch at noon on Tuesday. It was a light drizzle so she said it would be ok. After lunch we “sprung” the kids from school for early release and ran back to their house for coats and hats because it was bound to cool off after dark. Edaville doesn’t open until 4 pm so we stopped for a snack at McDonald’s about 3. That killed 30 minutes which had us pulling into Edaville at a few minutes past 4. Perfect and as if the storm gods had heard my plea the clouds began to clear and the sun came out if only for about 20 minutes before it set for the day.

Alex knew where we were right away. I think it took Dawn a minute or two to get orientated then it was into the park.

While we waited for it to get a little dark we explored Santa’s workshop with model trains, toysets and Santa!

The kids sat with Santa and got candy canes then it was time for the kids to ride the rides and me to try to get some holiday light pictures before full dark.

Edaville almost closed down 2 years ago but something happened and plans changed. It’s back with refurbished rides and a full schedule. Holiday-themed lights are everywhere. Lighted animal sculptures roam the savannah that the train chugs through. ( The savanna is actually a Cranberry Bog) Sometimes they use a diesel engine but tonight is was steam.

I remember coming here years ago with my family when my niece (now a mother herself) was just a few years old.

Alex, being all boy, liked the bumper cars and he was tall enough this year to drive one on his own. Dawn was very brave and rode the huge ferris wheel that is almost as old as I am! The ferris wheel was built in 1953. Edaville itself has been operating in Carver since the 1940’s with occasional stops and starts for financial reasons.

The night flew by. Before we knew it they were calling all aboard for the last train. The kids were still flying high or so we thought but not long into the ride home quiet descended in the car. The kids were asleep in the back seat. What a peaceful end to a full evening of fun!

Taunton Green 2012

Posted on December 14, 2012December 14, 2012 by Dusty Roads

I said I’d get there. It was just a matter of time. The weather hasn’t helped but we finally got a beautiful sunny day so when the sun set the skies were still clear. The perfect night…I thought.
I arrived at the green in the center of Taunton a little before sunset. It was definitely getting colder but you expect that after sunset.
What I didn’t expect was a 20+ degree drop in temperature in less than an hour. Cold as it was the sky was still clear so it was perfect. I began snapping away. I’d only have about an hour before I’d lose the “blue hour”. That’s the time between the afterglow from the sunset and full dark. The sky gets a deep , deep blue and the glowing lights seem to “pop”.

Mother nature isn’t making this easy for me. Now on top of the cold the wind has sprung up and not just a little breeze. The branches on the trees with their hanging lights are really blowing and swaying especially the 40 ft. Christmas tree on the corner of the Green.

The few people strolling the green departed quickly as the winds became blustery. Ready or not it was time to pack up and leave.

And the Winner is…..

Posted on December 12, 2012December 12, 2012 by Dusty Roads

The time is finally here. 3 supervisors from another department converged on our little corner of the work world to view and rate our decorating efforts. The first place team would get a month of special parking privileges right near the front door. This is an awesome prize for those cold winter mornings!

The runner-up would get a free pass for a week of jeans.That’s always popular in this department. Any chance to wear jeans instead of office attire is welcomed by everyone.

The judges strolled around taking notes and then retired to a little enclave to tally their results. This was then turned over to our department supervisors to make the announcement and the judges ran!

FIRST PLACE: THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE to no one’s surprise as this was an engineering marvel. All it lacked was a roof. Covering both cubicles it was a massive effort.

SECOND PLACE: WINTER WONDERLAND was a little more difficult. I thought there were 4 entries that were so attractive that any one of them could have taken the runner-up spot. I was lucky that the one chosen was the one I was involved in.

Now we’ll leave everything up…at least until Christmas maybe New Years. It was fun. Maybe if we do it again next year we’ll get even more participation. That would be fun.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Posted on December 10, 2012December 10, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Around the office the elves are busy pinning and taping. Various displays are beginning to come together. The early birds add the finishing touches to their cubicles while watching in awe as the late-comers throw themselves into their project with deadlines looming.
Every where you look there’s a tree or snowman or wreath or so it seems.

Management concluded that the department supervisors couldn’t be the judges (probably a good choice) so 3 supervisors from another department are being coerced into the role of judges. I wouldn’t want to try to choose. All of the displays are beautiful or symbolic and everyone contributed work, idea, or decorations.

Decking the Halls

Posted on December 2, 2012December 2, 2012 by Dusty Roads

Busy, Busy, Busy. The Taunton Green officially switched on the lights on their Christmas Display on Friday. I was working 🙁 But I’ll get over there for pictures soon. Today the city held their annual Holiday Parade. But once again I was working. 🙁

But all is not lost. Work is sponsoring a cubicle decorating contest. Deadline for setting up the display is next Friday but some of us have started already. So here’s some of what has been set up.