Holidays in Papa's basement was always a joy!  Those of you who experienced may remember some of these finds: 

The steep steps down
The big freezer (who knows what was in there!)
The big yellow piano with the Mexican dancer decals (oh, how out of tune)
The corner booth table 
The fireplace with the Christmas stockings (like Santa would ever find them there!)
The storage and Cristie's playroom (with chalk writing on the walls)
and of course,
Grandpa's Bar!  (see photo).  Anyone remember the wind-up monkey?

Wonderful times were had there by many over the 40 years!  Thanks Papa for all the memories. 

Where Frances/Papa came up with some of these,
we'll never know!

I'm slower than molasses in January.

Here eyes were so big, you could knock them off with a stick.

Lower than a snakes belt buckle.

I'm so tired, my eyes are like two burn holes in a blanket.

When something is lost, it can be anywhere.

I'm deaf as an old post.

Well, that went over like a fart in church.

I'm weak as an old cat.

My nose runs like a sieve.

Some days, you just can't lay up a cent.

Oh well, what the hell!

And, the family favorites:

I'll just creep in, crap, and creep out.  
I'll just fly in, fart, and fly out.
or, 
I'll just peep in, poop, and peep out.

Sometime in the mid-90's, Papa and the Morse's came down to celebrate the holidays with us.  We had a cute little cabin in the mountains on Mistletoe Lane. That year, while eating our way through the New Year's Eve gourmet meal (aka "pig fest"), Papa looked at a garage sale painting hanging on the wall.  She asked me "Debbie Doll, when did you get that painting of the old Chinese man? I like it." We all turned and looked at the painting, but all we saw was a picture of a hallway and some stairs.  Papa cracked up watching each of take turns, getting close up, standing way back, and tilting our heads trying to see the old Chinese man.  But by midnight, each of us had finally seen what Papa saw right off...the old man in the painting.  I miss you Papa!

What do you see in the painting?