Verna and Bob's Weblog

Merry Christmas 2025

Wow! This year has gone by so quickly! I guess that’s what happens when you keep busy in retirement, travel a lot and get caught up in everyday routines. At any rate, it’s time to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year in 2026.

The Birth of Christ according to the Gospel of Luke (summary):

The account of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke is one of the most famous narratives in history, focusing on the humble circumstances of His arrival and the celestial celebration that followed.

The Journey to Bethlehem
The story begins with a decree from the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, calling for a census of the entire Roman world. Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, to register. He traveled with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was pregnant.

The Birth in a Manger
While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth. Because the town was crowded with travelers for the census, there was no guest room available for them. Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped Him in cloths (swaddling), and placed Him in a manger—a feeding trough for animals.

The Shepherds and the Angels
Nearby, shepherds were living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

The Message: The angel told them not to be afraid, announcing “good news of great joy”: a Savior, the Messiah, had been born in Bethlehem.

The Sign: The shepherds were told they would find The Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

The Heavenly Host: A great company of angels appeared, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Visit to the Child
Once the angels left, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. They found Mary, Joseph, and The Baby exactly as they had been told. After seeing Him, they spread the word about what the angel had said concerning the child, leaving everyone who heard it amazed.

The chapter notes that while the shepherds returned to their fields glorifying and praising God, Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

December 24, 2025 by Family Holidays Religion

Kate and Jack’s 87th Anniversary

Happy 87th to my Mom and Dad on their Anniversary. They are with the Lord now, and I know they are getting the good wishes.

In the past (on social media), I posted the old black and white images of them, Mom on her wedding day, and Dad in his Naval Warrant Officer uniform. Lately, however, several of the Artificial Intelligence utilities on-line are able to restore and colorize the old photos.

They turned out pretty good, Mom in her youthful appearance and Dad, always proud in his uniform. Dad’s blue eyes may not have been that blue, but it looks like him, nonetheless.

So, we are sending them our happy anniversary wishes heaven-bound.

December 17, 2025 by Family Nostalgia

Toyz 4 Totz Annual
Wickenburg Car Run

Today, we attended the annual Cops Who Care Car Show and Toy Drive. The weather was great and the show was well attended by both cars and visitors. The toy table wasn’t doing too bad either — gonna be a lot of happy kids this Christmas.

Many of the attendees who brought the classics were also here last year, so pardon any redundant photos posted below.

When I was a kid in the late 1940s, my folks had one of these Ford Coupes modified with a bench seat for their three little boys to sit behind the driver/passenger seat.

Also, when I was a kid, there were a lot of these Studebakers on the road as I recall. This convertible is a member of the local Studebaker Club in the Hassayampa Valley.

We enjoyed the time spent at the Wickenburg Community Center today and look forward to attending again next year.

December 7, 2025 by Classics Nostalgia Photography

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy and blessed Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our Turkey Dinner this afternoon consisting of good breast of turkey with Dressing, Veggies and Cranberries. We had gravy on the turkey and dressing, of course.

We posed for this holiday portrait earlier today:

Click on either image to enlarge.

Deuteronomy 28:12 (NIV)

“The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.”

November 27, 2025 by Arizona Food and Dining Holidays

The Big Drip

Over the past couple of days, we have been enjoying some gentile rain showers to replenish the desert with badly-needed moisture. The showers, mostly, have been God-given blessings with the several instances of a little flooding here and there. It’ll get resolved, I’m sure.

As I went out for my morning walkabout today, I took several photos of Verna’s rain bucket under the rain gutter. I selected the above image to post in that it shows some of the dynamic action of the dripping water. Click on the image to enlarge.

I asked GROK to analyze the image.

The image shows a close-up, high-speed photograph of multiple water drops impacting a body of water (likely the surface of water in a rain bucket or similar container). This is a classic example of the fluid dynamics phenomena that occur when a drop hits a liquid surface.

This type of photograph is commonly used to study drop impact dynamics, coalescence, splash suppression, inkjet printing physics, and related fluid mechanics topics. The image beautifully captures several stages of the impact process in a single frame.

I love some of the stuff that comes out from some AI engines. Some, however, not so much. GROK does mostly OK.

November 19, 2025 by Arizona Climate Nerdliness Photography

Avalon 1998

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