Jaron's hairdo in progress, including hair extensions.

Here is the finished product...

Jaron and our friend Netti who did the braiding.

The newest addition to the furry Marshall's came to join us Christmas morning. Introducing...Slinky.

Proud mommy Stevii...

Crookshanks (left) is very suspicious of this new alien life form in the house (right). There has even been some hissing and growling reported. Will Crookshanks embrace her new role as caretaker for the adopted one? Or will she continue to fight her impending destiny? Tune in next time - same bat time - same bat channel...

Holiday Trip

Below is a selection of photos from our holiday trip to the northern most section of the Philippines, on the island of Luzon (same island we live on). The area (province) is called Illocos Norte and we flew from Manila to Laoag (the captial of the north) and then spent time in the towns of Vigan and Pagudpud. Laoag is the home province for the Marcos family. Imelda "shoe queen" Marcos was on the same flight as ours on her way to the Christmas festivities in Laoag. Her husband, former dictator, Ferdinand Marcos' body is still preserved for viewing there but we didn't get around to that, so no pictures of that here.

Vigan is an historic town from the Spanish era and still retains some of the architecture from that time. A section of town still has cobble stone streets and horse drawn carriages called "calesas".

Pagudpud is a beach vacation spot on the north most tip of the Philippines. Some compare the beaches there to the white sands of Boracay. The sand was nice, but not quite as powdery soft and the atmosphere was much more peaceful and relaxing here.

We hope you enjoy the pictures.

The living room of the historic house we stayed at in Vigan called Villa Angela.

The dinning room of the historic house.

Getting ready for a carriage ride into town.

The oldest church in Vigan.

Michelle's parents standing in front of the oldest bell tower in the Philippines, dating back to the Spanish era.

Stevii trying her hand at pottery.

Davis at the potters wheel.

Jaron took pottery classes when we lived in NY, but she was a little out of practice.

The kids enjoying some dessert in the town center.

Breakfast time!

An old phonograph with an Elvis record. The springs were broken so to get it to play music you had to manually spin the record around, which is quite difficult to do and maintain the right speed. Ultimately, it ended up sounding like the chipmunks instead.

Michelle's parents had this bedroom (the same one that Tom Cruise used while in the Philippines shooting the movie Born On The 4th Of July).

A small dining area / kitchen.

The historic house we stayed at. Yes, Tom Cruise stayed here too. (okay almost 20 years ago, but still...)

The sign for the house.

The crew shopping in historic Vigan.

As we were walking through town, some locals challenged Michelle's dad, Bill, to a game of 9 ball. He suggested they play someone better -Davis. Davis was successful and won the game.

Davis shopping for some "antique" coins. He found one as old as 1897.

Michelle's dad, Bill, relaxing on the street in Vigan.

Another shot down the main historic street in Vigan.

Horse drawn carriages are still used in Vigan for both locals and tourists.

Each of the strings shown here are gathered together to prepare for weaving or coloring.

These have been dyed and are being hung to dry before they are prepared for weaving.

Here is a weaver making placemats I think. She is 18 years old and is paid by the meter.

Here is the what it looks like when she is done. The gap shown between the two hands is the area where the material is cut to separate the placemats.

Check out this load. We passed this truck on our drive from Pagudpud to Laoag. Although we couldn't say much for ourselves as we had 12 people in a 7 passenger Toyota minivan.

Christmas decorations in the town center of Laoag. They are made of recycled products and natural materials.

Mary and Joseph in this manger scene are illuminated with lighted glass jars (mayonnaise, tartar sauce, etc.)

The sinking tower of Laoag.