Night Time Holiday Shots and A Freezing Lake

Christmas Scenery Around Town

When my wife and I lived in town, one of our favorite traditions, during the Christmas season, would be to go walk along the sidewalks in town to look at the decorations and the store that featured animatronic holiday figures that moved about and sang. It's best to see all of it during evening hours, all lit up.

This feature, plus the bonus of living so close to the river and taking the scenery of that were probably the only two things I liked about living in the downtown area. Well, that and being able to walk to the grocery store without having to drive. :)

Yes, that is a Christmas tree (above) sitting in the middle of a four way stop in the middle of the town's busiest area. It tends to create havoc when you're trying to drive around it while you're trying your darnedest to not crash into other cars or a fire hydrant but it sure is pretty to look at, at night. Heh heh.

The Panda & Penguin Band are getting down and shaking loose. They'll be signing autographs after the show.

The next two pictures are of the Tunnel of Lights. There's no need to drink or "whatever" to enjoy walking through the "Tunnel" to enhance the fun of the activity but you may do so if you wish. Just don't let the town cops see you smiling! They don't like that.

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas or Happy Kwanzaa this year. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Winter Wonderland Festival

Every other weekend during this time of year, one town in my area has what they call a "Winter Wonderland Festival".

Each festival will have different events, like skating or musicians coming to town to play and so on.

Last weekend, they had some pretty cool things going on. Huge tents were set up that housed booths where you could get hot chocolate, chili, home crafted Christmas wreaths and other holiday items. One booth featured ice sculpting. Yet another had a gifted glass blower who would create ornaments and holiday figures made of glass in front of you. You could ask for something specific to be made and he would do it.

Below, you'll find a few choice scenes of the festival that included reindeer, barrel train rides, a trolley and the town's Christmas tree.

Walking Along The Ohio River and Lesko Park

We spent part of our day walking along the Ohio River in Lesko Park. It was still snowing. It was cold. And it was fun.

We had our first substantial snowfall late this year. I was going to say the first substantial snowfall of the Winter season and then I realized it's not officially winter yet. Around my neck of the woods, however, if you have entered into the month of December, it's unofficially winter here due to the cold, snowy weather we get in this area, normally.

I would say we got around three to four inches of snow. Ordinarily, people panic when it first snows around here. Not today. Everyone seemed to enjoy it- which was nice.

For a hundred years, more or less, you could take a ferry across the river to the other side- which would be the state of Kentucky. About a decade or so ago, the ferry stopped it's run. I have fond memories of those river rides.

Uh-Oh... Looks like there be a monster lurking about in the waters today, Matey.

My wife, doing her best turtle impersonation. She was agreeable... and crazy enough to go for a frigid afternoon walk along the river with me today. She'll later kill me for taking this picture of her and posting it on this blog. So... so long, folks! See ya on the other side!

Each lamppost has a little sign, hanging off to the side, saying who contributed money to put toward the creation of the park and it's future improvements.

Some people come down here to fish during the spring and summer months.

I welcome all of you to come jump in the river for a swim. It's a "balmy" 0 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Fahrenheit outside today.

Don't worry about your safety. I'll be there to take a few choice pics of you while you enjoy your swim. Tee hee.

Facts you may not know about the Ohio River: The Ohio River is 981 miles (1582 km) long, starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River.

The Ohio River flows through or borders six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Ohio River is a source of drinking water for more than three million people.

Approximately 150 species of fish have been collected from the Ohio River.

For more facts about the Ohio River look here.