Sacramento Speed Stackers

 The Sacramento Speed Stackers Club demonstrated their expertise and skills at the West Sacramento Moose Kid's Holiday party. These kids are absolutley amazing! For information about Speed Stacking see this website: http://www.speedstacks.com/howTo.php

Mulege: Children's Christmas Party

The most traditional style of Piñata looks a bit like Sputnik,
with seven points each with streamers.

We baked 120 cupcakes for the party.

Santa and his helper arrive on a quad-runner.

Each child got a toy from Santa, one cupcake, a bag of candy
and a cup of soda.

Many thanks to Cathy for sending these great photos of
holiday festivities in the village of Mulege, Baja Sur Mexico.

Holiday Festivities Baja Style

In Mulege Mexico, the vaquero's dress up their horses and parade through town and back up to the mission. This year it started right down the road from us, so we had a great view!

Thanks to Cathy in Baja Mexico for sending these photos.

Nugget Market Holiday Display

Thanks to Florene Kunder for this great shot of Nugget Market's Holiday Display.

Holiday in Fort Bragg

Florene sent this photo of the Museium in Fort Bragg, CA elegantly decorated for the
holiday season.

The Sari: Traditional Indian Dress

Several employees of the Riverbend Senior Care Facility in West Sacramento wore their beautiful Saris, all made in India, to their annual holiday party hosted by West Sacramento Moose Lodge.

60,000 Christmas Lights at Trinity Presbyterian Church

Trinity Presbyterian Church on Park Boulevard in West Sacramento has 60,000 Christmas Lights on every night until January 6th, 2009. Tune your car radio into 88.7 FM and you will see a synchronized ballet of lights dancing to the beat of the Christmas Carols playing.

See more Holiday Lights in West Sacramento here.

The State Capitol Holiday Lights

Our group from West Sacramento visited the State Capitol grounds to see the holiday lights.

Snoopy Vs The Red Baron

Snoopy, the World War I Flying Ace, is in position on Brenda Way and stands ready to defend Santa Claus from attack by the Red Baron.

West Sacramento's Christmas Basket Project

Helena Helmond's volunteer crew were busy sorting and delivering food baskets and toys to families needing assistance from the West Sacramento Christmas Basket Project this weekend. Debbie, Tom and I delivered fresh rigatoni, salad and french bread (donated by the West Sacramento Women of Moose) so the crew could enjoy a hot lunch.

In 2008, Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 21st

Thank you to Prof. Phil Kass and daughter Lauren Kass for sharing these photos of their family Menorahs. Lauren says "the metal one was my Great Grandparents' and the stone one is from Israel"!

Trivia: Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December on the Gregorian calendar.The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a special candelabrum, the Menorah or Hanukiah, one light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night.

UC Davis: Equine Athletic Performance Laboratory

The Claire Giannini Hoffman Equine Athletic Performance Laboratory (EAPL) at UC Davis, completed in 2005, includes an equine exercise clinic with a treadmill for Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) patient examinations.

Trivia: Claire Giannini Hoffman was the first woman to serve on the boards of Bank of America and Sears, Roebuck & Company. In 1949 Mrs. Hoffman became a director of the Bank of America, succeeding her father, A.P. Giannini (Amadeo Giannini). A.P. Giannini was the founder of the Bank of Italy, later renamed Bank of America, and of the Banca d'America e d'Italia in San Francisco, in 1904. The bank was established to serve working class citizens of the area, especially Italians living in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. The bank survived the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 and was one of the first to offer loans to businesses to help rebuild the city.

West Sacramento Recreation Center Pools

Photos of the Slide Pool, the pool with beach entry, water features and lazy river, and the Competition/Lap Pool at the new River City High School and Rec Center

The West Sacramento Recreation Center at the new River City High School Campus held an open house last weekend. All individuals interested in using the Recreation Center must first get a Rec card from the Parks & Recreation Department at the Civic Center.

Dave's Christmas Trees

It's not to late to get a great Christmas Tree from Dave's Christmas Trees in West Sacramento.

Open 10 AM - 9 PM

Nov. 28th - Dec. 23rd

3010 Burrows Avenue West Sacramento

The Moon Before Yule

On December 12, 2008, the full moon occurred closer to the Earth than it has done at any time for the past 15 years. Marv Perrigo sends us this great photo of the new moon over the Bahia Concepcíon (captured with his new Nikon).

Giant Maple Leaf

Thanks to Denise Fernandez for sharing these beautiful photos.

Rasta Dog

Tig Marley is enjoying his "Rasta" style knitted cap--keeps him warm in this cold weather and also looks really cool! Many thanks to Cathy Perrigo for sending us this great photo.

Santa Visits West Sacramento

Santa toured the streets of West Sacramento this week and with the help of the West Sacramento Fire Fighters, many candy canes were distributed to kids in the neighborhoods.

Holiday Travel

"Sampson" by Bryan Goggins, created for the Sacramento International Airport Baggage Claim Area.

Greeting sign in the Cancun Airport. Notice the sentence on the bottom (it gave us a laugh).

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Russ purchased this bracelet for me in Mexico when we visited Tulum, the pre-Columbian Maya walled city along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea.

Trivia: On December 12, before the Christmas season "officially" begins on December 16, Mexicans join together for the festivities of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is one of the most important dates in the Mexican calendar. Las Posadas, Spanish for "The Inns", is a nine-day celebration with origins in Mexico beginning December 16th and ending December 24th.

Dane Zanes and Friends at Mondavi

Dan Zanes and Friends performed last week at the Mondavi Center. A great show for both kids and parents. dan zanes: news

Dan Zanes, the leader and songwriter of the legendary Del Fuegos can be seen on this link to Youtube-be ready to tap your foot and sing along: Dane Zanes on YouTube.

Pea Soup Fog

The entire Sacramento area has been under a shroud of dense fog making
difficult driving conditions for commuters.

Fundraiser for the West Sacramento Christmas Basket Project

Mauda Butte, Corine Orozco, Pat Bledsoe and Christy Jourdan representing the Kiwanis
Club of West Sacramento, presented Helena Helmold, Director of the West Sacramento Christmas Basket Project, a donation from the Kiwanis for $1000 at the 4th Annual
Fund Raiser held at the West Sacramento Moose Family Center.

Kudos to Debbie Norton-Johnson and Christy Jourdan for all their
hard work in coordinating the 4th Annual Taco Night Fundraiser for the
West Sacramento Christmas Basket Project. The proceeds of the dinner and raffle
were over $1500.00 this year.

Moose members Ignacio and crew did a great job cooking up the taco, beans and rice for the dinner. Over 125 people attended the annual event held at the Moose Lodge in West Sacramento last Saturday evening.

In-N-Out Burger is open on Reed Avenue in West Sacramento!

The burgers and fries are hot and delicious and the staff is friendly and ready to serve!

Remembering Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

Members of the U.S.S. Whitney Pearl Harbor Survivors Association were gathered
in San Diego last spring their annual convention. We met them while touring the Midway.

"National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day" was established by Congress, by Public Law 103 308 as a time to commemorate Americans who died as a result of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Link to National Geographic Pearl Harbor Memory Book.

Fundraiser Benefit for the West Sacramento Christmas Basket Project

TACO NIGHT DINNER TO BENEFIT THE CHRISTMAS BASKET PROJECT

The West Sacramento Moose Family Center will host the 4th Annual Taco Fundrasier to benefit the West Sacramento Christmas Basket Project on Saturday, December 6, 2008.

UPS - Packages Piled High

Wendy with her UPS truck loaded to the ceiling with packages. The closer we get to the Christmas Holiday the faster you will see Wendy run! The UPS Package Handling Facility in West Sacramento is located at 1380 Shore Street off Harbor Boulevard.

Trivia: United Parcel Service, Inc., one of the world's largest package delivery companies, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007. UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.

National Cookie Day December 4th: Pick Your Favorite Recipe

Our family enjoys getting together to bake and decorate cookies each year. Here are some of our masterpieces!





1-2-3 Cookies 7 Layer Cookies Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies Almond Crescent Shortbread Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Apricot Fold-Overs Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Biscotti Blueberry Cookies Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Bronwnies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buccaneer Snowballs Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Window Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares Crème Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies Ginger Crinkles Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookies Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee Jumbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings Kiss Cookies Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers Lemon Angel Bar Cookies Lemon Bars Lemon Cake Cookies Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies Lemon Squares Linzer Tarts Log Cabin Cookies Luscious Lemon Squares M&M Cookies Magic Cookie Bars Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies Melting Shortbread Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies Mincemeat Cookies Mincemeat Goodies Molasses Cookies Molasses Forest Cookies Molasses Sugar Cookies Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies Mom's Old Fashion "Puffy" Sugar Cookies Monster Cookies Moravian Christmas Cookies Nana's Famous Soft Southern Cookies Nitey Nite Cookies No Bake Chocolate Cookies No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No-Bake Cookies Norwegian Sugar Cookies Nut Balls Oatmeal Bars Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies Oatmeal Coconut Crisps Oatmeal Cookies Oatmeal Scotchies Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk Ooey Gooey Squares Orange Slice Cookies Parking Lot Cookies Peanut Blossoms Peanut Butter Bars Peanut Butter Blossoms Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies Peanut Butter Chewies Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut butter fingers Peanut Butter Reindeer Peanut Butter Surprises Peanut Marshmallow Cookies Pecan Puff Cookies Peppermint Snowballs Peppernuts Persimmon Cookies Persimmon Cookies Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins Pfeffernuesse Pffefferneuse Cookies Pineapple Filled Cookies Pizzelles Potato Chip Cookies Potato Flake Cookies Praline Cookies Praline Strips Pterodactyl Nests Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Chip Cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Cookies Queen Biscuits Quick Cookies Raised Sugar Cookies Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars Raspberry Meringue Bars Really Peanutty Butter Cookies Reese`S Brownies Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies Rich Lemon Bars Ricotta Cheese Cookies Royal Almond Christmas Bars Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies Russian Tea Cookies Russian Teacakes Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies Sand Art Brownies Santa Claus Cookie Pops Santa Claus Cookies Santa's Butterscotch Melts Santa's Shorts Santa's Special Squares Scotch Cakes Scotch Shortbread Scotcharoos Scotcheroos Seven Layer Cookies Short Bread Cookies Shortbread Skor Squares Snicker Doodle Cookies Snickerdoodles Snickerdoodles Snow Balls Sour Cream Apple Squares Sour Cream Christmas Cookies Special K Cookies Spice Cookies Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Spritz Cookies Stained Glass Window Cookies Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies Swedish Sugar Cookies Sweet Marie's Swiss Treats Taralle (Italian Cookies) Tea Time Tassies Texas Brownies The Best Shortbread in The World Thumbprint Cookies Thumbprint Cookies Toffee Squares Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies Vanilla Waffer Balls Walnut Butter Cookies Walnut Crumb Bars White Chip Chocolate Cookies Wild Oatmeal Cookies Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies Yummy Yummy Peanut Butter Blossoms

Macy*s Downtown for Holiday Shopping

West Sacramento is just across the river from the Westfield Shopping Mall in Downtown Sacramento and that makes holiday shopping a breeze! I especially like getting in the holiday spirit at Macy*s.