Tonight we got our monster truck jam on! It was fun.

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Trucks were…

• Grave Digger®
• Son-uva Digger®
• Zombie℠
• Doomsday
• FOX Sports 1™ Cleatus
• Monster Mutt® Rottweiler
• Double Trouble
• Trouble Maker
• Destroyer
• Playin For Keeps
• Obsession
• Obsessed

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Quad racing.
This group came out 3 times to race. Isabel enjoyed watching them the best.

Double Trouble (left) and Doomsday (right).
Doomsday won.

Monster Mutt® Rottweiler (left) and Son-uva Digger® (right).
Son-uva Digger® won this race.

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I took a ton of photos, in the first half, but most of them didn’t turn out because I had the setting wrong on my phone. After the racing, we had a intermission, then there was motocross jumping (Isabel liked that too) and then was the monster truck freestyle. After intermission, I got my photo setting figured out and was able to take a few clearer shots.

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Zombie℠ doing freestyle.
We didn’t like this truck.

Trouble Maker doing freestyle.
This guy seemed to do some high jumps.

Trouble Maker was the only truck, that I can remember that did a 2-wheelie down the side.

Playin For Keeps freestyle ride.

Obsession freestyle.
This truck seemed bigger/taller to me than all the other trucks.

Monster Mutt® Rottweiler freestyle.
We would laugh every time this truck would fly through the air;
with it’s ears flapping and bouncing in the wind!

Son-uva Digger® freestyle.
Now he did some high jumps!

Grave Digger® freestyle.
Of course he got the most points for freestyle.

Gino has been saving his leftover fireworks from the 4th of July for just this occasion; New Years Eve!

According to official rules where we live we can light them off between the hours of 6 p.m. and 1 a.m. on New Years Eve. So let the fun begin…

 

All bundled up because it’s only 24° outside!

Looking way back to see the aerial display.

In between the aerial displays she’s throwing snaps on the ground.
She loves these.

Proud of her.
She’s been terrified of sparklers and anything that goes BOOM!

Slow going for her and the sparkler.
Starting to give it a little twirl.

They last longer in the colder temperature.

Sparks are flying at the end of her gloved hand!

Trying to get all the little ground fireworks to light was a bit difficult.

But they can create their own little spark and bang!

Box works.

Light up the night and that’s the end of our show.
I’m going in… my feet are freezing and I can’t feel my nose!

Happy New Year!

For something fun and different to do, we went to the Washington State History Museum for the 19th Annual model train festival and it was fun!

Isabel says, “Choo-Choo!” at the Model Train Festival at the Washington State History Museum.

Live Steamers presented by the Kitsap Live Steamers group.

These 7 1/2 inch gauge railroad cars are steam powered.

The group provides rides in Port Orchard from April to October.

All the gauges and gears inside make the engine run just like the big ones!
Thank you so much to this group of enthusiasts for sharing with us, it was wonderful to learn about your trains and to talk with them.

On the third floor the Pierce County Lionel group shared this articulated steam engine.
Very cool to watch.

On the fourth floor we met the Mount Rainier N-scale club. This group had the largest detailed display.

N-scale trains range from 1:148 to 1:160. In all cases the gauge is 9 mm.
These are the tiny trains.

One end of their display had these bridges and tunnels with trains looping through.
So fun to watch!

Around the corner from the bridges and tunnels was this cool army base.

I got a kick out of the detail with all the training and movement on the base.

The train coming around the corner was operated by a boy who was Isabel’s age.

What I really enjoyed was the fact that Isabel went up to this boy and started talking to him and asking him questions about his train. She never would have done that a few months ago! She’s really coming out of her shell with talking to strangers. She followed him around for awhile, while we finished looking at the display.

This feed barn, I really enjoyed because it reminded me of the town I was born in and
the feed mill my great parents owned.

The last group we saw (and we spent the most time with) was the Boeing Employees Model Train Club, such nice and friendly gentleman.

They didn’t have much movement on their tracks (only 2 trains were going around)
but they enjoyed what they did.

Tonight we headed to Zoolights at P.D. Zoo and Aquarium.

We picked the perfect night (no rain) to go and the perfect time to go! We arrived right after the gates opened at 5 p.m. and we were through the lights in an hour.

Looking down the hill from the gate area.
(click on the photo to see a large image)

A bit dark but… at the Seahawks tree and the 12th man.

The red wolf enclosure.

Along the trail as we walk.

The zoo has changed over to all LED lights and the colors are so much more vibrant and pretty!

Tacoma Narrows bridges.
The left side are the “cars” coming over the bridge and the right side are the “cars” heading over the bridge. Awesome!

Isabel and I at the purple tree.
Isabel’s favorite spot.

Not very cold but our faces were getting chilly by the time we headed back toward the gate. Next year need to remember a scarf and maybe some gloves, if you don’t keep your hands in your pockets.

Mount Rainier.
Gino commented that it was better looking with more detail than in years past.

Looking toward the aquarium house and the large octopus on top of the building
and polar bears on the lake.

Looking up the hill toward the gate area at the top.

Gino and Isabel at Zoolights 2014.

Today we headed to our local warehouse store for household necessities.

Leaving our house it was clear, but arriving at the warehouse store, it was foggy. By the time we were heading back home most of the fog had lifted only to leave a bit behind for a gorgeous sunset!

Looking west along the freeway.

So pretty with the fog adding effect.

Coming out of the fog just before getting to town.

Gino finished the Christmas lights on the house and outside yard. Enjoy!

Front view of house.

With more plants, he can add more lights than before!

South side of yard looking east.

Close-up view of north area of house.

South side of house looking north.

My front door wreath that I picked up at the tree farm when we purchased our tree this year.
(BTW: we added the LED lights – they did NOT come with the wreath)

My fresh evergreen wreath in better lighting.

We are finished decorating our tree. We took a few days to decorate and worked on it slowly, which was lest stressful then trying to get the whole thing complete in one day!

Complete with nativity and gifts from my brother Jerry and his family.
(We brought the gifts home from Utah last week)