Best E-mails of the Week   12/22/02

Merry Christmas !!

Merry Christmas!
http://web.icq.com/shockwave/0,,4845,00.swf

Click on, or Copy and paste for this holiday card from me to you.

http://www.castlemountains.net/flashdec/xmas_house.swf

Interview with Santa:

http://www.hallmark.com/hmk/Website/Shopping/Greetings/nfz1599_detail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0825223356.1040818963@@@@&BV_EngineID=fadcgckdhkhdbedcfchcgg.0&fromPage=/Website/Shopping/sh_eg_home.jsp&sku=nfz1599&oid=-102130&desc=E-Cards&first=1&price=&text=Interview+with+Santa&pname=Interview+With+Santa+(Interactive)&cname=Just+for+Fun&page=1

Here is a very creative site where letters of the alphabet are used at the zoo.

What kid won't love this?

http://www.bemboszoo.com/
 

Here is a site to check ski conditions at any mountain you like.

http://www.skitownweather.com/
 

Buying gifts for men is not nearly as complicated as it is for women.
Follow these rules and you should have no problems.

Rule #1: When in doubt - buy him a cordless drill. It does not matter if he
already has one. I have a friend who owns 17 and he has yet to complain. As a
man, you can never have too many cordless drills. No one knows why.

Rule #2: If you cannot afford a cordless drill, buy him anything with the
word ratchet or socket in it. Men love saying those two words. "Hey George,
can I borrow your ratchet?" "OK. By-the-way, are you through with my 3/8-inch
socket yet?" Again, no one knows why.

Rule #3: If you are really, really broke, buy him anything for his car. A
99-cent ice scraper, small bottles of deicer or something to hang from his
rear view mirror. Men love gifts for their cars. No one knows why.

Rule #4: Do not buy men socks. Do not buy men ties. And never buy men
bathrobes. I was told that if God had wanted men to wear bathrobes, he
wouldn't have invented Jockey shorts.

Rule #5: You can buy men new remote controls to replace the ones they have
worn out. If you have a lot of money buy your man a big-screen TV with the
little picture in the corner. Watch him go wild as he flips, and flips, and
flips.

Rule #6: Do not buy any man industrial-sized canisters of after-shave or
deodorant. I'm told they do not stink - they are earthy.

Rule #7: Buy men label makers. They’re almost as good as cordless drills.
Within a couple of weeks there will be labels absolutely everywhere. "Socks.
Shorts. Cups. Saucers. Door. Lock. Sink." You get the idea. No one knows why.

Rule #8: Never buy a man anything that says "some assembly required" on the
box. It will ruin his day and he will always have parts left over.

Rule #9: Good places to shop for men include Northwest Iron Works, Parr
Lumber, Home Depot, John Deere, Valley RV Center, and Les Schwab Tire. NAPA
Auto Parts and Sear's Clearance Centers are also excellent men's stores. It
doesn't matter if he doesn't know what it is. "From NAPA Auto, eh? Must be
something I need. Hey! Isn't this a starter for a '68 Ford Fairlane? Wow!
Thanks."

Rule #10: Men enjoy danger. That's why they never cook - but they will
barbecue. Get him a monster barbecue with a 100-pound propane tank. Tell him
the gas line leaks. "Oh the thrill! The challenge! Who wants a hamburger?"

Rule #11: Tickets to a football game are a smart gift. However, he will not
appreciate tickets to "A Retrospective of 19th Century Quilts." Everyone
knows why.

Rule #12: Men love chain saws. Never, ever, buy a man you love a chain saw.
If you don't know why - please refer to Rule #8 and what happens when he gets
a label-maker.

Rule #13: It's hard to beat a really good wheelbarrow or an aluminum
extension ladder. Never buy a real man a stepladder. It must be an extension
ladder. No one knows why.

Rule #14: Rope. Men love rope. It takes them back to our cowboy origins, or
at least The Boy Scouts. Nothing says love like a hundred feet of 3/8" manila
rope.
 

Mary's brother Jerry is visiting us for the holidays. 

Here are pictures he took in Albuquerque this past fall.

This is the hot air balloon in which he rode.

About 800 balloons participated in the Hot Air balloon festival.

This is one of the most highly photographed events of the year.

At night they do the "Glow" where they light the balloon interiors.

That stagecoach balloon is the Wells Fargo Bank entry.

Pete