Ending 2021...NYE

 

And I KNOW I can't be the only one who is saying "Thank God that's over!!!"

Tonight's final FU from 2021

We have lost Betty White just 18 days shy of her 100th birthday.

IKR???

Finished out the holidays with John at Almost Home Tea-Room...where the place was resplendent with decorated Christmas trees.

 

 

They have the BEST of everything. Though the appetizer left us pondering just exactly how healthy green beans can be after they are breaded and boiled in oil.

...I think we reached the consensus that we don't really care...lol...

Later that night he sent photos back of the bed SANTA sent to Gadget.

 pitty-pats

It seems she approves!

Did manage a film this week.

 Which, as Spider-Man movies go, was actually pretty entertaining!

If you are a SM fan...you will love this.

The CGI alone is worth the price of admission.

Really great.

So without further ado...let's revisit this year...

In January we got a bright shiny new President...which was great.

Also an attempted coup by the former guy and his followers.... 

 

We also started the 2021 Virtual Adventure...all of the Countries in Africa. To be fair we got to most of them...but not all..Africa is a huge continent.

We had snow.

We also had a third and 4th wave of Covid.

We watched the GOAT (Brady) best The Kid (Mahomes) in the Superbowl.

And we watched as Trump once again was acquitted in his second impeachment hearings.

sigh

We made time for monthly real-life Adventures and Escapes!

And celebrated our third year back together at the Indianapolis Zoo and in Avon.

The warm summer and rains gave me the nicest patio garden this year.

The hummingbirds loved all the pink!

Tried Mbege (millet and banana beer) and many traditional dishes from all over Africa.

Including a Traditional Moroccan Camel Christmas.

Which was exotic and delicious.

We lived through the re-emergence of the 17 year cicadas...

 ...they were everywhere...

and deafening!

We found out the answer to how much time we have left...not a lot....and lost Gail to CHF and Deanne to Hypoxia and organ failure...and losing Brenda to cancer currently.

sigh

Finished Africa in Egypt- which was perfect. The pyramids, temples, Nile and Sahara...what's not to love??

Had a month long celebration of Christmas with Family and Friends.

Now, here we are...ready for bubbly... cheese and crackers...fresh fruit...and ringing in the New Year!

See Everybody Next Year!

Love,

Carla & Sofi

Christmas...

 

is over...

Save next week's brunch, at Almost Home...which will be more of an early Welcome to the New Year.

Today is nice...quiet...calm...recuperating from the Colts-Cardinals late night game..and we are quickly making our way to the playoffs!

Hines with his Grinch Cleats last night...lol.

And Kansas City plays today!

...my team...

A pre-Christmas Chinese Dinner with James and Nicole and the Grands.

Catching up with everyone on Christmas..and a slow relaxing holiday filled with friends/family/John...food and football. And Sofi, of course.

Today...so wonderful to have an extra day after the holiday to relax!

Also caught the new Matrix Resurrection this week...

 Soooooooooooooooooooo good...and what an absolute mindfuck!

Too early to reveal anything (spoilers) yet, but do yourself a favor and see this film....you'll be GLAD you did.

Actually going to do a re-watch soon...pick up on what I missed.

Convoluted...there will be moments you will find yourself questioning what is real and what is not.

I think that may be the point.

Best film I've seen this year.

Now to get things together before the game.

 UPDATE:

The Buccs beat the Panthers!

The Bills beat the Patriots!

The Chiefs beat the Steelers!!!

And all is right with the World  :)

 

 

Virtual Africa: The Sahara....EGYPT...The Nile...Finishing Africa

 Officially, The Arab Republic of Egypt....Egypt is historically the oldest country in existence.

And today I have learned that The Continent of Africa cannot be adequately explored in even an entire year!!!

It really is huge with 54 countries.

So, today we will finish up with one of the more well-known.

Egypt.

It is called The Cradle of Civilization, and dates back to the 4th BCE. 

The name means "Dark Land"...a nod to the fertile Nile soil...which gave rise to the first agriculture. 

The Fertile Nile Delta

The Nile flows northward for 4,160 miles, flowing through 10 countries.

https://youtu.bedm8945K4dH0

Tour of Temples Down The Nile

 Egypt is bordered by The Red Sea.

Resort on the Red Sea.

Diving the Red Sea Reefs

https://youtu.be/CaLfMHl3M2o

Islam is the primary religion here...the official language is Arabic...and the country observes Sharia Law although IFL is the legal status.

Explanation of Sharia Law

https://www.mpvusa.org/sharia-law

The Country has been ruled by kings, pharaohs, sultans, The Ottoman Dynasty, presidents and even Napoleon Bonaparte, at one point.

Today they have a President (el Sisi), and for now, Egypt is fairly stable.   

President el Sisi (2014-current)

Egypt is the sunniest country in the world. Most of its land surface is desert receiving much less than1 inch of rain per year.

The Sahara.

And what better way to travel the Great Sand Sea than one of the many camel tours.

Desert Tour

https://youtu.be/wlLJ_blRpb8

Camel Riding in The Desert

https://youtu.be/yhz_e1sTW5o

Tourism is the primary source of income for many Egyptians.

 

I hope you have enjoyed this year's Adventures in Africa as much as I have!!!

Until Next Year...

 

Living La Vida Thermals...A Drive-By Lunching...and Almost Christmas

 

Yep...pretty sure I'm going to live in these until Spring!

Today, a huge Cinderella Day, culminating in the Colts-Patriots Game tonight at 8:15.

Christmas early this time- with everyone and the grands.

Fairly simple affair this year...just hosting a big Chinese Dinner.

Nice surprise by my eldest, yesterday, who stopped by with Mexican and news of his stroke inducing moment earlier in the month when he checked the status of his nominal cryptocurrency investment

Several, including his, had been hacked.

For the briefest of moments he was a multi-millionaire.

(...for the record...they shut down trading immediately...)

lol

He said most of the conversation just after consisted of  

"OMG Nicki....Nicki....Come here..Look at this..."

Chris and Tina working hard. Hope they can make it to Christmas Dinner.

Chris finishing building ANOTHER guitar.

Can't wait to hear it!

Lennon busy with work...and preparing for Christmas.

He bought my warm winter jacket this year, and it is wonderful!

Christmas.

The house is together now with greenery and tiny white lights...accents in leopard print and gold.  The Spruce scented candle has everything smelling lightly of a Christmas Tree lot.

Making bark with dark chocolate and cashew pieces...skipping the fudge this year.

Now it is back to cleaning and arranging and scrubbing and making chocolate!

Have a Great Week!

 Because I am a sucker for amazing cat stories...

Meet Junior.

The little furball who was found walking out of this mess

by his much relieved family...the morning after the tornadoes hit Kentucky.

Unharmed.

Game Update:

 

WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Virtual Africa: Morocco

 

Today we are going to explore the country of Morocco.

The name means Kingdom of The West.

An amazing combination of coastline, mountains, snow, desert and Mediterranean climate. 

Think Southern California.

This is also the beginning of The Sahara Desert.

(...we will get back to this...)

Unlike most African Countries, this is a nation of beauty, wealth, and sometimes extravagance. 

Tourism is KING here...and they are good at it.

From snorkeling the coast to climbing the Atlas Mountains...or a camel trek through the Sahara they have something for everyone.

Casablanca...luxury spa hotels...incredible cuisine...they have it all.

Known as a rich person's playground...they take their tourist dollars very seriously here.

 Beautiful azure cities and vast market-places await.

World-renowned spice markets.

https://youtu.be/ucNcoIuKC9U

The Marketplace and Souks
 

https://youtu.be/C0oh-o1pY7A

Things to do in Morocco

The Don'ts of Morocco

https://youtu.be/DI35FJApFgw

Next: Libya...