The End Of A Year

Our Kids, Beth and Ramiro

It's 7:30 and I sit here in Darien, lonely and feeling a year older.  Everyone, fortunately, is still sleeping and I have been up for an hour.  I can see blue skies through the trees, with some clouds and it's a chilly 26º out, so we can look forward to a nice day.

Yesterday Rami and I were up for at least an hour before the others, drinking coffee from his new coffee pot.  We talked about everything, from cameras, to politics, to the economy, to his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, and whether they have a chance at the Super Bowl.  Everyone starting getting up about 9:00 and Evie, unfortunately, felt terrible, a fever, cough, the works.  What is this, our getting ill every time we take a trip to see our kids. After a few cups of coffee, we decided that Beth would take Evie to the Urgent Care.  And since I was in the market for a new camera for Evie and me and a computer, Rami and I would drive into NYC to the famed B & H Photo, 420 9th Avenue, NYC, for those who might want to visit it sometime.  It's an experience, like going in the NYC Apple Store.  It took us close to an hour to get there but fortunately, they have a parking lot across the street for the store that's free if you spend more than a hundred bucks, which is pretty easy.

B & H PHOTO

We walked in through doors and guards and into this huge array of any kind of camera, video, printer, TV, computer, etc.  It's the old fashioned kind of the store (Stew Leonards's Grocery in Norwalk would be its counterpart).  It has not changed much inside in fifty years and unlike modern Best Buys, everything in this store is shoved together so that there are people and salespersons everywhere.  I would venture to say at least 500 people were in the store shopping on a Tuesday morning, close to a hundred agents.  We wound our way through aisles to the Apple computer section, looked at the new Mac Book Pro and Mac Air but we both decided it made sense to wait for the new Mac Book Air's arrival in the next couple of months,  the Pro just too cumbersome and heavy compared to the Mac Air.  We then went upstairs to the camera sections where close to a hundred cameras are on display so you can hold them, play with them, with a salesperson nearby to help.  And around the sides of the store are counters with mostly men in yarmulkes, seated behind the counter, with numbers above them.  You wait in line and when a salesperson finishes, a number lights up and you move to his counter.  We ended up talking to an older guy, my age probably, and he was very knowledgeable, knew the kind of camera I was interested in, pulled it out along with a couple of others, and we talked with him about the pros and cons for about 15 minutes.  I wanted something that could fit in my pocket, had a good telephoto, and was good in low light.  I ended up buying a Panasonic Lumix which seems to fit our needs perfectly, with a 30X telephoto.  He took our order, typed it in the computer, and gave us a printed order, which we were  to take downstairs to the cashier.  Downstairs,  20 cashiers sat behind booths, again with numbers, and we waited in line for one to open up.  I then paid, got another receipt that showed I paid, along with a 50 dollar gift certificate, and went to another line, another counter of 20 agents and when a number lit, I gave the agent my receipt and he went behind him to aisles of stuff hanging from bags, with numbers,  and picked up my camera.  And we were done, or so we thought, but Rami wanted to get something for Mitch's new GO PRO camera, so we walked back in, got what we wanted and I ended up getting a small, bendable tripod for my camera, one I could easily carry in my back pack.  And we were finally done, bid B & H adieu, jumped in our car and drove to the West Side to return a jersey for Marisa only to find out the store was closed, a waste of time.  So, we jumped back on one of the many thruways around Manhattan and drove home, getting there around 2:00.

Cameras To Handle

Camera Experts

Meanwhile, Evie had been to the doctor, had an upper respiratory infection, got antibiotics and cough medicine, and was sleeping when we got home.  Beth and Marisa were in the sunroom, knitting and watching  TV and Tyler was upstairs playing music on his new keyboard.  We then hung out the rest of the afternoon, but Mitch visitied his girl friend, Mimi, and I walked Cody for the first time.  Evie was up a couple of times but was too tired to stay up long, so she took a couple of naps during the day.

Mitch At Play

The Dartmouth Boys

Around 6:00, we started prepping for dinner.  First, we cleaned up the fat from our prime rib for tonight's dinner and put it back in the refrigerator to air dry.  Beth had brined the chicken thighs overnight, so she drained, washed and patted them dry and let them sit until Rami made up the coating for deep fried chicken, a combination of spices and flour  from a Thomas Keller cookbook. Then Mitch took over (Tyler was at the gym working out), and dipped each thigh first in the flour mixture, then in buttermilk, then in another bowl of the flour mixture until we had sixteen thighs ready for deep frying.  Rami took over and fried four pieces at a time, each batch for approximately 12-15 minutes I would say, as we all sat around the kitchen counter, watching the chicken sizzle, sipping wine and even Evie, who was  feeling a bit better, had a small glass of wine.  And while the chicken was deep frying, Beth was making homemade biscuits to go with the chicken, so we were having quite a dinner,

Deep Frying Chicken Master

Darien Fried Chicken

When the chicken was done, we sat down in their festive dining room and feasted on chicken, coleslaw, roasted corn salad, biscuits with butter and honey, and a green salad.  We ended up sitting at the table for an hour or more, all seven of us, talking and listening to music, exchanging our favorites, then playing them on Spotify which was fun.  Even Evie was able to enjoy herself and the food tasted good to her.  I don't think we finished dinner until 8:30, the dishes by 9:00 we everyone helping.

A Fun Dinner Of Food, Conversation, And Music

We then watched a WW II movie called Fury, while Marisa and Evie went up to bed, around 9:45. About 10:30, Marisa came down and complained about not being able to go to sleep, so I went upstairs with her and we talked until she got sleepy and since it was close to 11:00, I decided to go to bed rather than watch the rest of the movie.  It was the end to a busy day but not a very fun one for Evie,

It's 8:10 at the moment, Ramiro is up, and I am waiting for a message from Evie to see if she needs anything.

GOOD MORNING DARIEN AND THE ALBARRANS

Playing Telefunky With The Albarrans

Good Morning Darien

I am up at 7:00, some light filtering in through the trees.  Ramiro is also awake, at his computer of course.  He offered  to make me a cup of special coffee on a  Bialetti Six Cup Moka Express brewer, a small  coffee pot you put on a burner that makes a espresso kind of coffee, not too strong but no bitterness.  According to the Huffington Post, they tested fourteen different kinds of coffee pots and this made the best cup of coffee.  And by the way, Beth and Ramiro gave us a Bialetti for Christmas.

Bialetti Coffee Pot

We left Bristow, VA, yesterday to an awakening morning, some traffic as we drove towards Leesburg but not bad.  The rest of the way, unbelievably, was sunny, though Pennsylvania, New Jersey, across the Tappan Zee to Connecticut.  The drive took about six and a half hours, about 360 miles.  We arrived in Darien to a beautiful sunny afternoon, with blue skies.  Everyone was home, even Tyler from Dartmouth.  The boys helped us with bags and we were ensconced in the kitchen on stools in ten minutes.  Everyone was in a good mood and filled us in on the holidays, what they got, what they gave.

Relaxing In Costco Before Shopping

Sad To Be Leaving Costco

We did not waste too much time gabbing, however, as Costco was waiting for Evie. Beth had called us before we arrived to ask if they should wait to shop at Costco for us and Evie of course was an affirmative.  So, Marisa, Rami, Evie and I went off to a crowded Costco (doesn't anyone work anymore, just buy), and we of course did our part, picking up a seven rib prime rib for New Year's Eve and other assorted goodies for the next three days.

Granny Watches As Marisa Works On Loop De Loom

When we got home, it was wine time, so we sat around the table in their sun room and exchanged gifts.  The kids seemed pleased with theirs (money), and Evie and I  received all sorts of goodies from Trader Joe's, the coffee pot and best of all,  Beth knit both of us stocking caps (I got two) which is just what I had hoped for but did not think I would get.  One is a tightly knit black, the other my colors, a teal blend.  So everyone was happy.  We then got things ready for dinner, Rami grilled great burgers and Beth made a capresi salad, baked fries, and got the  fixings ready for the burgers.  Dinner was great and we cleared the table and all of us played Telefunky, a card game my Mom taught all of us.  We did not finish until 10:30, and then Evie went to bed because she was not feeling well.  While the boys and Rami played video games, I put Marisa to bed, then went to bed myself, tired from the long day.

Six Hours To Darien, CT

Goodbye Bissells

We are up early, as we hope to be on the road to Darien by 7:00.  We go the back way, avoiding tolls and #95, so we head up to Gettysburg, then past Harrisburg, across to Allentown, then up # 87 to the Tappan Zee to the Merritt, then to Darien.

Halle's Cool New Desk

We had a lazy Sunday morning.  Fortunately, I was feeling better even though I was up early.  The rest slept in, Hayden not getting up till 10:30, Jill at 9:30.  So, we did not get much done, just got on our computers and watched CBS Sunday Morning.  Around noon, Drew took off to Buffalo Wings, a restaurant about ten minutes away, to save seats for some of his buddies.  There are least twenty TV's going on in the bar, and at least one TV has every NFL game. Drew became a avid KC Chiefs fan when he spent a year in Leavenworth, KS, and went to a number of games with my son Tommy who is also an avid Chiefs fan.  Attending games in the Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium and participating in the tailgating makes you a Chiefs fan.

Rock Climbing

Halle and Sarah

At 1:00 I drove over to Buffalo Wings and parking lot was packed, so I had to park in front of the stores.  When I walked in,  people were waiting for seats but Drew and friends had a table.  It was packed of course, with everyone wearing a jersey of the team they were rooting for.  Despite at least twenty TV's, it's actually hard to watch the game because the various TV's are distracting and when a group cheers, you try to figure what team has just scored, and on what TV.  Drew's friends were from the neighborhood and I met then at his retirement party in July.  We of course had to order some wings to go with our beer, what else do you get at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Jill and one of the wives arrived at halftime, so I took off, had enough football and was starting to get tired, but it was good to get out with the guys.  While I was gone, Evie and Hayden watched Hayden's new favorite movie, The Maze Runner then took Halle and a girl for a walk in the woods behind their house.  The rest of the afternoon for me was spent watching football and falling asleep on the couch while the others watched the movie.

Halle And Her Momma

Drew and Jill came home around 4:30 and we, of course, watched more football, sat around having a wine before dinner.  When we got hungry, Evie and Hayden got dinner ready, Slovenian sausages, left over pizza, salad and for Hayden, the leftover stuffing from Christmas, a hodgepodge of a dinner but good.

We ended up watching too much football, the Lions and Packers, after dinner, then part of the Steeler game later in the evening but none of us could stay up for the entire game.  If we made it through the first half we felt lucky.  The girls and Evie, however, were smart and watched a classic teen movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off in the basement.  We were all in bed by 10:30.  I forgot...I bought gas for $2.09 a gallon earlier in the day! Far Out!

A Man And His Favorite Dog, Coco (in Bristow, VA)

Hanging Out With Hayden and Halle In Virginia

Bristow at 7:14 In The Morning

Drew and Jill, A Date Night At  Firebird 

I was up at 6:00, even though we did not get to bed until 11:30 because we stayed up and watched a two hour special on The Women of Saturday Night Live.  It was too good not to stay up for.  It looks like we will have some rain today, though the temperatures will get into the 50's. Tomorrow's drive to Darien, CT, looks as though we could have quite a bit of sun, no snow or ice.

Yesterday because I was not feeling well, I hung out on the couch, with a two hour morning waste of time when I went to the local Urgent Care, to check out my aches and pains.  The first place let us wait twenty minutes before asking for my health card, then told me they do not take Medicare patients.  Why not have a sign up, idiots.  They did have directions to another Urgent Care that did take Medicare patients, about ten miles away.  So we drove there, waited an hour to be seen, found out I did not have the flu (they can check my inserting a stick in your nostrils), so my aches, chills, and headache remain undiagnosed.  Take Advil.  Fortunately, I do feel a bit better this morning and have not taken any Advil since last night.  Hopefully, I am on the mend though I don't feel too peppy.

When we got back, Drew was putting together Halle's desk and drawers from IKEA, always a task, and when we took the top out to place on the drawers, we noticed a ding on the surface.  So, over Halle's objections that she did not care, Drew and Hayden drove off to IKEA for the second day in a row, fought the traffic and the crowds at IKEA and were able to get a new desk top.  And it was fine, looked great in Halle's room, so she is finally excited about her Christmas.  The rest of the afternoon we did little, watched football or basketball on TV, or movies on the iPads. The girls love to escape up to their rooms to watch a show on their iPADS.

We were supposed to all go out to dinner at a new restaurant nearby, even had reservations which are hard to come by but since I was not up to it, just Jill and Drew went, the rest of us stayed home and ordered pizza from Dominos.  I have to admit that I like Domino's pizza, perhaps because it's always greasy, but we all did a good job of devouring two mediums with bread sticks.  We then went downstairs and watched a movie that Evie and I had seen before but thought the girls would like, a film set in Australia called Strictly Ballroom.  It's funny and romantic, also kind of a Cinderella story, as the ugly duckling ends up becoming a Princess, wowing the crowd with her dances.  It's a funny, feel good movie, and both girls were attentive throughout, a sign of a good movie.

I then came upstairs and watched some basketball while  Evie and girls started a second show but Halle got bored, went up to her bedroom to watch a show, and Evie and Hayden came up soon after, and the three of us started watched the SNL special.  Hayden soon got tired, went up to bed just as Jill and Drew returned home, around 10:30.  They had a great dinner, met friends just as they were leaving, and ending up sittting down with them for another hour or two, a fun night.  We then watched SNL until 11:30 when we all went up to bed.

Blue Skies in Virginia

Blue Skies

The Bottiny's:  Julia, Walt, Ellen

We all slept in some, with me being the first one up around 7:25, Drew followed, the rest are sleeping at the moment.  I have come down with the flu or some variation of it, with chills, headache, muscle aches, the whole gamut.   I cannot remember the last time I got sick, maybe twenty years ago so I had forgotten how miserable you can feel, no energy, in fact, I was awake around 6:30 but did not have the mojo to get up.  We went to Urgent Care late morning to see if I had the flu.  The test came back negative so who knows what I have.

IKEA Crazy

Yesterday, because I didn't feel well, I mostly stayed on the couch and took Advil, napping occasionally, feeling better for an hour, then worst.  The girls left for IKEA at 11:00 and did not get back till 3:30 but they did get Halle a new desk for her room, so she is a happy girl.  Not as happy as she could be because her Dad is waiting till this morning to put it together.  Everyone came back with something from IKEA.  How can you shop without buying something you don't really need.  Evie got pillows, Jill glasses, the girls organizers for their desks.

Dinner With My Sister Ellen and Her Family

We were going to my sister Ellen's house for dinner around 4:15, so I showered and felt half way decent before we left.  It's about a half hour ride, depending on traffic, to Herndon.  It was really fun to see them again, especially their daughter Julia, who we have not seen in a couple of years.  The guys adjourned to the living room, the girls stood in the kitchen talking until it was time for dinner. Dinner was great, a lasagna, with garlic bread and salad, and many of us had seconds.  We talked about books, movies, and TV shows we like because we are all readers and into various series.  The Bottinys and Evie and I both like the new Showtime series, The Affair, and everyone was worried we would give away some of the plot line.  We had chocolate cake, with peppermint ice cream, a perfect ending to our dinner.  The girls and Drew had never had peppermint ice cream before so they were happy.  We left about 8:30, just as I was beginning to feel worst, good timing.

We stayed up because Saturday Night Live was having a marathon of their shows highlights from the 1970's up to the present.  It was really fun to watch and we taped the last few hours because it would be the first shows in the 1970's.

I am afraid I wont' feel like doing much today again, just relaxing on the couch.

IKEA and BOTTINY'S - Hurray!

Granny and Hayden

Deep Fried Turkey

Christmas Sisters

Both Drew and I are up at 6:00, Drew to work at home for the morning, me to enjoy a cup of coffee, watch CNN, wait for the sun to rise, and write my blog.  I think I have the better job.  At the moment it's quite chilly, 26ª but it will get up into the 50's later in the day, stay there over the weekend with lots of sunshine.

Mom and Daughter

Halle Gifts Her Dad

Halle's Stuffed Animal

Hayden's New Mac Air

We had a great Christmas here in Bristow, getting up early of course, by 6:30 and even Hayden, who might sleep in until 11:00 was up early.  In fact, she said she was awake since 4:30 she was so excited.  We took our time exchanging gifts much to Hayden's annoyance because she was so nervous as to whether she would be getting a Mac Air and she did not see any package under the tree that looked like one, alas.  Of course, her father had hidden it to make her squirm so when he finally pulled it out from under the couch, her face turned to smiles as screams.  Nothing like getting something you really want from Santa.  Halle got some neat things as well, but her new desk for her room was missing some pieces, so it will be returned and the gang are heading off to IKEA later in the day to pick out a desk.  And it looked like it was another good day for Apple as our grandchildren, Nick and Marlena in Kansas City also received Apple products, Nick a Mac Air and Marlena an iPhone.  When do Evie and I get one?

Deep Frying Turkey

Keeping Warm

Kitchen Gals

Most of the rest of the day we either watched a movie, The Giver, took naps, or surfed on the Net, though late in the day, I got out of the house and took Coco for a long walk.  We did not do much prepping for dinner until around 5:00 when Evie and Jill got the potatoes, stuffing, and Brussel sprouts ready for cooking and Drew fired up the deep fryer in the backyard, along with a fire pit to keep us warm.  It took about a half hour to get the oil up to 350º and the turkey had been rubbed with a Cajun spice the night before so it was ready.  We dropped it in the oil, let it fry for forty minutes, a 12 pounder, as we sat outside drinking a really good local beer called Vienna Lager.  I was surprised at the looks of the turkey when we pulled it out.  It was mostly blackened, looked as if it was burned to a crisp.

Getting Cosy

A Panoply Of New Knives

While it sat out for a half hour, Evie and Jill got everything else ready, so around 6:30  I carved the turkey, moist and tasty because of the rub.  There's nothing like the taste of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy to take you back to your childhood, to your first Christmas dinners, usually at your grandparents house.  And some of the awful tasting vegetables they liked, for example, creamed onions, turnips or rutabagas.  I still remember how awful they looked and tasted, but I would like them now.

We decided to watch a movie Evie and I liked called CHEF and thought the family would like it as well.  Like most movies we like, there were some uncomfortable moments because of language but the kids were not paying much attention to the the movie anyways so it went over their heads.  Halle was up and down through most of it and Hayden fell asleep, so it was the four adults who watched it. We all were tired from the day, so after the movie ended, no one wanted to stay up so we were in bed by 10:30, the girls not doubt to watch another show on their iPad or Mac Air.

Today the girls head to IKEA though Drew and I will stay home.  And late afternoon, we are excited to head over to my sister Ellen's home for dinner.  She lives in Herndon about forty five minutes away and we are anxious to see her kids, both of whom we have not seen in a couple of years.

Mele Kalikimaka From Bristow, Virginia

Granny And Her Girls

Christmas Morning Sky

Well, it's 8:00 and we have just finished opening all the presents.  The girls, needless to say are excited, especially our thirteen year old granddaughter, Hayden, who received a Mac Air from Santa. What a good guy.  Halle's big presents were a new desk, chair, lamp and a gymnastic mat.  So it's been a Merry Christmas for all.  Hayden was awake from 4:30 on, she was so excited. Everyone was up by 7:00, though I was the first one down at 6:30.

Yesterday was a fun day, not too much stress, and only three trips off to the stores for last minute gifts and food stuffs. It was a lousy day out, gray and wet with drizzle just about the entire day so we hung out inside, watching some basketball, wrapping presents, and getting ready for the big day, Christmas. The main event was going to be decorating some cookies in between neighbors stopping by and dropping off cookies or bottles of wine.

Halle and Anna at Work

We spent a couple of hours in the afternoon with Drew's good friend, Terrence, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, and  a member of his wedding.  His wife had recently died after a long illness, and he needed to get out of the house with his daughter.  So it was nice of Drew to ask them over so that his daughter Anna could decorate cookies with the girls.  While the girls decorated cookies, we sat around and mostly let Terrence talk, something it seemed he needed to do.  We had a couple of beers, enjoying talking with Terrence who we had not seen since July when he and his wife came to Drew's retirement party.

Relaxing After Decorating Cookies

Around 4:00, they left though Anna was having such good time with Evie that she did not want to leave.  As she was leaving, her last words were my Mom died, breaking all our hearts.  It's so hard for them because she is too young to really know what not having her Mom means.  But it was good for both of them to get away for a few hours.

'Chillin' and 'Grillin'

For dinner, we brought the steaks Evie won at the Viking Club.  We rubbed them with Thai fish sauce on Monday and let them age in the refrigerator until we grilled them around 7:00.  They were outstanding, perfectly cooked and amazingly tender.  Jill made roasted rosemary potatoes, mushrooms, a salad and we devoured everything.  We had, guess what, cookies for dessert, picking through the assortment of cookies, looking for our favorite.

Around 8:00, we all went downstairs to watch ELF once again, with Will Ferrell, one of the more enjoyable Christmas movies even if we have all seen it numerous times.  When it ended, about 10:00, Jill, Drew and I woke up, having slept  through a good part of it.  Only Evie and the girls ended up watching the it to the end.  After the movie, the girls went to bed and we started watching the newest version of Superman but Evie and I were too tired to watch it all, so we went to bed around 11:00.

A Rainy Christmas Eve Morning In Virginia With Our Granddaugters

Jill Prepping Dinner

A Wet Christmas Eve At The Bissells 

It was delicious to sleep in some, till almost 7:00.  When I came upstairs for my coffee, my son in law Drew was already up, doing some work as he's working at home today so he does not have to commute to the city today.  It's gray and miserable outside, 46º with a high of 58º with thunderstorms.  Today looks like a day of last minute shopping for Jill, perhaps a trip to look at the lights later today for the family though we may put it off till later in the week.

Our ride from Chautauqua to Bristow, VA was uneventful fortunately, just boring as it rained off and on most of the drive, and we never did see the sun or a blue sky.  Our only stops were for gas, once, and breakfast and lunch sandwiches at Mickey D's, convenient and fast.  We did not make our departure time of 7:00 leaving around 7:30 but it was no big deal.  We got to Bristow around 3:00 as expected, greeted by Jill, the girls and happy Coco, their dog.  They were excited to see us and the whole gang helped us bring in our bags, IKEA blue that is.

Hayden Bissell, Teenager

After packing, we had to go up and see the girls rooms, as they have fixed them up.  Both were really cute, very girly and Hayden even had lights and two mini Christmas trees.  No wonder these girls never want to leave their rooms they are so comfortable.  I talked with Hayden for a half hour about her dancing and school which was fun as she was very talkative.  And when she found out I had a Mac Air, she went crazy because she wants one so badly.  I tried to tell her there on other good computers but she wouldn't listen.  She wants a Mac Air.  I don't blame her.  While we were talking, Evie and Halle and one of her girl friends ended up decorating some cookies.

Halle, Happy Her Granny Has Finally Arrived

Drew returned home around 5:30, so we ended up relaxing around the tree, with wine and brie.  Jill made a beef stew for dinner so as it was heating, Evie and Jill put together the salad, and we had a great dinner around 6:00 as Jill, Drew and Hayden were going to a cookie exchange and wine party in the neighborhood at 7:00.  When they left, Halle, Evie and I went downstairs and looked for a movie with not much success so we ended up watching the old stand by, Evie's favorite, School of Rock for the umpteenth time.  It's still fun and brings lots of laughs.  When it ended, just before 10:00, we were both tired, so we put the girls to bed and ended up reading in our beds by 10:30, exhausted and happy to be with the Bissells for a week.  The girls are very excited about tomorrow, which is great. Nothing like grandchildren at Christmas time.

On The Road To Bristow, VA,. For Christmas With Our Daughter Jill's Family

Yesterday's Blue Skies

Long Point At Noon

It's earl, 5:45, as we hope to be off by 7:00, usually an easy seven hour drive.  I hope the roads are not too crowded, at least we are not going to be on the major interstates for long.

Yesterday went quickly, a beautiful sunny day on the lake, a change from the weather we have had the past week or two.  I did get in some yoga, my final class of the year.  It felt good to get one more class in.  I didn't stop or shop as I wanted to get home and get things organized for our trip, the car, the outdoors, and of course make sure we have everything we need for the next two weeks on the road.

Evie was busy while I was gone, packing cookies, clothes, dishes and stereos which we are giving to the Bissells, as we downsize our house a bit.  It's amazing how long it takes to get ready for a trip even if it's to our childrens' homes.  I usually can pack quickly but then keep going back over my list to make sure I have not forgotten anything.  I did some work outside, put a few things in the car before lunch so I felt pretty good.  Lunch was perfect, leftovers from last night's dinner of chicken and stuffing with gravy.  I spent the afternoon taking it easy, watching another episode of Sweden's Wallander on Netflix and I am almost finished with the John Wooten biography.

Around 4:30, we actually were done packing our things, so we able to get everything in the car before dinner so we would be ready to hit the road this morning.  We are a bit anal about traveling I fear.  It was just our luck to spend the day inside on perhaps the nicest day of December so far, no hiking or working in the yard.

We did manage to relax after filling the car with a glass of wine before getting dinner ready.  We had an easy picnic dinner, hot dogs and vegetable soup, both easy and good.  And we watched what we thought was the final episode of The Affair but learned that it's final episode is not until January 13th. It's a good thing because Noah's going off to jail and that would not be a 'nice' way to end an affair. We were both tired so we went to bed early, around 10:00.  I finished Wooden: A Coach's Life by Seth Davis and am not ready to read my next biography. DUTY, the memoir of both Bush and Obama's Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates.