On our way to see The Nutcracker at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts with Amalia's Daisy Troop.
On the train.
Amalia and Caroline
Troop 62098 all dressed up.
The Girl Scouts got a special pre-show backstage tour! Here Amalia is inside one of the props.
Our tour guide (a senior Girl Scout).
The magical Drosselmeyer clock.
Apparently Jerry was performing the night the Giants clinched the NLCS.
The seamstress feverishly working to get all the costumes ready.
More backstage workshop activities,
Amalia enjoyed the show (which I could not take pictures of). For those who recall her impression of the Sleeping Beauty ballet we attended earlier this year, we were about 18 rows back this time so certain things were less distracting. Plus, I do think many of the pants were looser.
The girls spent Thanksgiving week with Andy and his family. It was quick, activity-filled, and fun.
Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Colin were tipped off ahead of the visit to Amalia's keen interest in puzzles, so we completed this 500-piece puzzle. No easy task. At the time of our departure, Grandpa Colin was facing a 1000-piece puzzle that was maybe 25% done. Good luck Grandpa.
Lily brought her bow and shot arrows at a makeshift target in the grandparents' back yard at Lake Wildwood.
Then she went to the Nevada County Sportsmen's Club and met with, and shot alongside, world champion archer Becky Nelson-Harris. I think they were impressed by each other.
We went directly from the club to Thanksgiving dinner at Mike & Sherri Rosnack's house. (See the photo with cousins Joey and Ryan in the previous posting.) It was a good reminder of what we should be thankful for.
On Black Friday, we began the 1000-piece puzzle, watched Stanford beat UCLA in football in the last game of the regular season (eliminating UCLA from the PAC-12 Championship game - sorry, Wade), and then took a break by visiting the Cornish Christmas in Grass Valley, where we saw three violin (one with a harp) performances by young girls, ate cake pops, drank hot cocoa and apple cider, and even tried chestnuts roasted on an open fire!
One treat for Grandma was to play a duet with Lily on violin and Grandma on flute. You may even recognize the songs in the following video snippets:
Before we drove back to San Jose Saturday morning, we snapped a few photos. I thought the backdrop was striking.
And then Lily took the below "picture...."
Note Lily's mastery of the slow motion video capability of the iPhone. The girls
particularly enjoyed Amalia's hair twirl. Ah, kids and technology.
A last-second MMS update from Grandpa Colin: A few more pieces done in the 1000-piece puzzle!
In keeping with her stylish self, Lily had three different Halloween costumes this year. For trick or treating, she was Strega Nona from the Tomie dePaola books.
Amalia was a sassy vampire. Or maybe she was just a vampire and the sass was extra.
We joined up with some friends to form a pack of roaming trick or treaters. Notice Lily photobombing the boys.
She was even a little sneaky in the all-group photo.
After we got back and sorted through the loot, Strega Nona found the hosts' stash of Nerf guns.
And then back out the house we discovered (and killed) a black widow in the garage. All in all, an excellent Halloween.
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