We are wishing all our family and friends and everyone else a Merry Christmas from Down Under. Santa Claus was kind to us as I hope he was to everyone else. We enjoyed our Christmas Day with Aussie family. Now it's Boxing Day here and we are planning an afternoon at the beach after a lunch of prawns and crayfish!
Here's the Google image we are seeing Down Under. Yesterday we had the string of lights but not the kangaroo and joey. That was added today. I'm sure the Northern Hemisphere is not getting a kangaroo on their Google home page. So I thought you'd enjoy seeing ours. If Google adds anything to the image in the next few days, I'll update.
The Waifs' Vikki Simpson has been named Overall Grand Prize winner in the 2006 USA Songwriting Competition for her song, Bridal Train. The song tells the story of Vikki's grandmother who married a "Yankee sailor" and at the US Navy's expense broaded the Bridal Train from Perth to Sydney then on by ship to San Franciso to be reunited with her husband. The grand prize money was $US50,000.
Want to send the ISS crew a Holiday greeting? You can do it here by choosing a postcard, writing a message, and sending your message to the crew.
"Miss Potter", a film which relates the life story of Beatrix Potter who wrote "The Tales of Peter Rabbit" and 22 other children's books, will be released in the US in January. The movie stars Renee Zellweger as Miss Potter and Ewan McGregor as Norman Warne, the man who took her art and writing seriously and published her in 1902. Potter was an amazing watercolorist, observing the animals she owned and writing the fanciful stories based on their behaviors. Along with Peter Rabbit, she also created Squirrel Nutkin, Benjamin Bunny, Jemima Puddle-Duck, and Mrs. Tiggywinkle. She was a woman in a man's world, but she broke through the barriers set for her with her talent and her tenacity.
Residents in the Italian alpine village of Viganella solved an ancient problem with the help of a giant mirror. The small town’s unique valley location causes them to experience near darkness all winter long, with neighboring cliffs blocking the sun during daylight hours. The lack of both sun and warmth has long exacted a toll on daily life in the village; some have even abandoned the village completely for warmer abodes.
NASA Chief Michael Griffin has seven degrees: a bachelor's, five master's, and a PhD. In addition he's a certified flight instructor.
Here's a recipe for Stuffed Rock Cornish Hens that could easily substitute for the Christmas turkey. 
Exactly 6 days ago, Aussie and I were in front of the computer screen watching Discovery lift off the pad, lighting up the night sky. We've been to the Cape for a daytime launch and Aussie saw a nighttime launch, standing on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale about 200 miles from the Cape. It's quite chancy to catch a launch. Our first try ended in disappointment so we tried again the next year and after a delay of one day, we saw the shuttle lift-off. We weren't close in, but when they lit the candle under the shuttle, the ground shook and the sky roared. It was amazing to be there, but in truth you get a much better view from your TV set.
Jeff Bagwell formally retired from the Houston Astros Friday. He belongs in the Hall of Fame and will become eligible in 2011. 
Australia's first jet airliner, a Boeing 707, returned home today to become part of the Qantas Founders Outback Museum at Longreach. Originally named the City of Canberra, the four-engine plane will join a Boeing 747 and Douglas DC3 at the museum, which celebrates the airline's history and early aviation.
Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped walkway and glass-bottom observation deck that will jut from the canyon's lip 4,000 feet above the Colorado River, is a project of a struggling Indian tribe. The Hualapai hope to lure Grand Canyon National Park visitors to this section of the park where the tribe resides. The $30 million Skywalk is set to open in March 2007.
If you love a good story, you'll love the podcasts from This American Life. Ira Glass of WBEZ, Chicago National Public Radio, is the host. He describes his program like this:
In May '06 David Plotz of Slate.com started Blogging the Bible, chapter by chapter, starting with Genesis. He is up to 2Kings. He uses everyday language and keeps the philosophical stuff to a bare minimum. He stated his goal for the project as: I want to find out what happens when an ignorant person actually reads the book on which his religion is based. 
Ella Grace has acquired her first words: socks, sit, da, wash. When she says "wash", she rolls her hands together.
Our son bought a little Rubicon a year ago. Nothing fancy but it had potential.
Sad news from Victoria today where bush fires threaten the Chalet atop Mt. Buffalo. According to fire crews, it's a matter of when, not if, the fires will reach the chalet. A resort farther down the mountain has been completely destroyed. The chalet was the site of a conference Aussie and I attended several years ago. It's a grand old place with huge fireplaces in every public room, a lovely dining room, and those old-fashioned rooms like you see in old movies with antique furniture and footed tubs and lace curtains. What a loss!
