My son, Scott’s, first Christmas, we had a professional picture taken at JC Penney’s in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He sat on a gaily wrapped package, dressed in a little red vest, bow tie, and dress slacks. His outfit is complete with moon boots, a Wyoming staple. He wore those boots every day his first winter walking.
Kayla, my adopted daughter from China, arrived at our Boise house in the spring 2000. She was 8 months old. When her first Christmas rolled around, it was easy to have her join Scott in the Penney’s photo studio for our annual Christmas photo. The photo studio in Boise was much fancier than Cheyenne. In Cheyenne, there was a camera set up in front of a tree background in the open store. In Boise, there was a separate studio where 4 minions snapped pictures as a steady stream of children dressed in party clothes paraded through. The children marched up on a stage and sat on small boxes. Parents could choose from a variety of backdrops.
Our most exciting year, Scott and Kayla were sitting on the little stage and suddenly disappeared behind the backdrop. Apparently, the little present had held one too many children and just gave out. As the mom, standing behind the camera I was stunned. The backdrop flopped back down but my kids were nowhere to be seen. They were on the floor behind the little stage, unhurt. This incident required me to sign a whole series of reports. I received several calls from Penney’s insurance to make sure that no damage had begotten my children.
In recent years, I debate whether to print cards. After all, everyone sees what you are up to on Facebook. My Christmas list has drastically reduced as family members and friends pass or move and don’t provide forwarding addresses.
Today, I bought my Christmas stamps. The purchase was an act of intention committing me to printing 2019 cards. The digital world makes it so much easier. If we aren’t together for a picture, I can go online, pick out a frame with individual shots and make it look like we are at least in touch with each other. This year we were all together. We went to Hawaii in May and we spent Thanksgiving together in Buffalo, Wyoming. My husband, Pete, and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a trip on the inner passage of Alaska by ferry. We have lots of memories to share.
Now I have to brave the crowds at Costco to pick up the cards. Why bother in the current cyber world? I decided to continue the tradition one more year because 25 years of family Christmas photos is really a lovely gift to my husband and me.
Volcano National Park: Plan an entire day including the round-trip drive from Kona or stay in the park at Volcano House. The active lava lake spewing red fire creates fine strands of golden fiberglass, called Pele’s Hair, after the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes. They’re formed when lava is ejected into the air and small droplets are caught by the wind, which then cools and stretches them into very thin strands. This melted gold is breathtaking to see and touch but be careful it can cut your hand. Touring an active volcano is a good reminder that earth is always changing by forces outside human control. Be sure to take a tour with a ranger to have a better understanding of man’s relationship to nature. Before man brought predators to the islands, large birds and flora were the only inhabitants. Our ranger described how the birds became large and flightless because of the lush vegetation. Imagine a five foot tall owl greeting you as you walked the rainforest.
Akaka Falls State Park: There is a short loop walk to see amazing falls in a tropical rainforest setting. Cost of entry is $5 per car to park in the lot at Akaka Falls State Park or $1 for walk-ins (if you park on the side of the road outside of the park boundary). The 0.4-mile loop trail to the waterfalls is paved, although there are some stairs. Plummeting 442 feet, it’s easy to see why Akaka Falls is one of Hawaii’s most famous waterfalls. A viewing area includes protective railings so that you don’t fall over the edge while capturing the waterfall’s slender but powerful plunge into a gorge created by years of erosion. My kids had fun doing pictures for snap chat of the falls going into their open mouths.
My Private Idaho 