2009 Gingerbread House Competition

Enjoy these winning entries from 20 states that took part in the 17th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa.


Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Grand Prize
Jodie Stowe, Polkville, North Carolina

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Adult First Place
Ann Bailey, Cary, North Carolina

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Adult Second Place
Billie Mochow, Burns, Tennessee

Photo Credit peakdefinition.com
Description : Adult Third Place
Tracy Navin, Franklin, Tennessee

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Teen First Place
Lilli McFerrin – Black Mountain, North Carolina

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Teen Second Place
Courtney Gentry – Hendersonville, North Carolina

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Teen Third Place
Skyla Delerme – Asheville, North Carolina

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Youth First Place
Lydia Gentry, Hendersonville, North Carolin

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Youth Second Place
Karley Tenberg & Danielle Tenberg, Mooresville, North Carolina

Photo Credit: peakdefinition.com
Description : Youth Third Place
Emily Spafford, Maryville, Tennessee

The world's biggest model train set.

Here's a forwarded email from my favourite bloggy pally - Great Granny Grandma.

Thanks, GGG for fuelling my blog.

Enjoy!!!

This is the world's biggest train set which covers 1,150 square meters (12,380 square feet), features almost six miles of track and is still not complete.

Twin brothers Frederick and Gerrit Braun, 41, began work on the 'Miniatur Wunderland' in 2000

The set covers six regions including America , Switzerland , Scandinavia , Germany and the Austrian Alps.

The American section features giant models of the Rocky Mountains, Everglades, Grand Canyon ...

....and Mount Rushmore

The Swiss section has a mini-Matterhorn.

The Scandinavian part has a 4ft long passenger ship floating in a 'fjord'.

It is expected to be finished in 2014, when the train set will cover more than 1,800 square meters (19, 376 sq ft) and feature almost 13 miles of track, by which time detailed models of parts of France, Italy and the UK will have been added.

It comprises 700 trains with more than 10,000 carriages and wagons.

The longest train is 46ft long.

The scenery includes 900 signals, 2,800 buildings, 4,000 cars - many with illuminated headlights.. .

....and 160,000 individually designed figures

Thousands of kilograms of steel and wood was used to construct the scenery...

The 250,000 lights are rigged up to a system which mimics night and day by automatically turning them on and off.

The whole system is controlled from a massive high-tech nerve centre.

In total the set has taken 500,000 hours and more than $8 million to put together, the vast majority of which has come from ticket sales.

Gerrit said: "Our idea was to build a world that men, woman, and children can be equally astonished and amazed in".

Frederik added: "Whether gambling in Las Vegas , hiking in the Alps or paddling in Norwegian fjords - in Wunderland everything is possible."

It comprises 700 trains with more than 10,000 carriages and wagons. The longest train is 46 ft long. The scenery includes 900 signals, 2,800 buildings, 4,000 cars - many with illuminated headlights and 160,000 individually designed figures. Thousands of kilograms of steel and wood was used to construct the scenery. The set is on display to the public and is so big that they employ more than 160 people to show visitors around their creation.

Bern Onion Festival

The “Zibelemärit” (onion market) is hosted yearly on the fourth Monday in November in the Swiss capital of Bern. During the one-day festival, Bernese citizens and visitors will be able to buy plaited strings of onions, onion sculptures, winter produce, nuts, and crafts from more than 700 stalls.

Tom Arma

Check out these adorable infants dressed in Christmas masquerade costumes by Tom Arma - "the most published baby photographer in the world (New York Times)".