Harris Happenings: Out with the old and in with the snow....Welcome 2011 !!

Click on the player above for a classic New Year's Day tune...
2011 is here and I can't believe it. I remember thinking as a child that I would be 'old' at this point in time. Well I certainly don't feel old but it's a powerful reminder of just how quickly a decade can pass.

The big event of the week was certainly the blizzard that impacted New England. While we didn't get quite as much snow here in Boston (we only got about 14 inches) it was an amazing experience for me. An interesting side story involves the Berkeley Building in downtown Boston. We noticed the changing beacon colors on top of the building after we first moved in to our apartment but we never really knew what they meant. A little research by Jennifer revealed that it is in fact a weather beacon.

"The Berkeley building is topped by a weather beacon with red and blue lights, which use a code to present the local weather forecast, using a popular rhyme as a mnemonic:

Steady blue, clear view.

Flashing blue, clouds due.

Steady red, rain ahead.

Flashing red, snow instead.

You could see the beacon flashing like crazy from our apartment window! Here is a picture from online-

Here is some footage from our balcony just after the snow started....

and some more footage from later in the evening....

Here are a few pics of the snow... I wanted to take more but the wind was blowing 50 mph!

Here's how they keep the streets clear-they don't mess around!

In the commons...

The blizzard kept us really busy for a few days. Thank goodness, Roman volunteered to take call for me. Here he is wearing both my pagers.

"I dare you to page me....."

Kenzie really seems to enjoy watching me practice piano. So I decided that every day I will let her 'practice' playing a little too. I wouldn't mind if she decides to become a classical concert pianist...hint, hint Kenzie! Here is a little clip of Kenzie practicing. She looks pretty comfortable on the keys. She actually found middle C!

We had such a wonderful holiday with our family. This week we had to say goodbye to everyone. Kenzie loved spending time with Nana and PawPaw. Here are a couple of pictures.

We had no major plans for New Year's Eve. I was on vacation so we took the opportunity to relax and enjoy the day. We did get treated to a fireworks show that was visible from our window and balcony. Here are a few pictures followed by some video of the finale. All in all the show lasted about 10 minutes.

Honey sent us up some black eyed peas from back home. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day. Here is a little bit of the history.

"In the Southern United States, the peas are typically cooked with a pork product for flavoring (such as bacon, ham bones, fatback, or hog jowl), diced onion, and served with a hot chili sauce or a pepper-flavored vinegar. The traditional meal also features collard greens and ham. The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork, because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion. Cornbread also often accompanies this meal." Courtesy of Wikipedia.

In another spin on the tradition, Pops actually counts out 365 peas for extra good luck! Here are our peas cooked and ready to eat!