Off To Virginia For The Holidays

Our Daughter Jill's Family, Christmas, 2016

7:28

It's early, just 6:00 and I have been up since 5:15.  I must be excited about Christmas.  We have a seven-hour drive ahead of us, to our daughter Jill's home, in Virginia, where we have spent Christmas the last four or five years. It's always fun and this year should be no exception as we also get to see my sister Ellen and her family, and Evie's sister Jean and her daughter Jennifer's family.  Christmas is for the family.

Tundra Swans A Swimming

Yesterday we more or less hung out, waiting for this morning to come so we could get started on our drive to our daughter Jill's home.  There was not a lot we needed to get done, so I thought but Evie always has things to do so she was busy a good part of the day.  In the morning, she put together the beginning of a carrot cake, leaving the frosting until Christmas Eve.  At least the cake is done.  There was also lots of washing to be done, so we look clean and spiffy during the holidays.

I was packed yesterday, as it does not take me long to figure out what to bring.  Tee shirts, boxers, socks, pants, and shirts, with a fleece, a couple pair of shoes.  That's it.  Same thing each time we go somewhere; I just make sure to take flannel shirts in the winter, short sleeve or lots of tee shirts in the warm weather.  I keep my choices to a minimum.  The rest is more difficult, making sure I have the chargers, the various digital devices, things like that.  And of course, since I a retired, I can't forget my pills, the bane of retirees existence, the reason drug companies are flush with cash.  Everyone my age takes pills.

Lunch was matzo ball soup and a schnitzel sandwich,  with mayo of course.  I finished my Elvis Cole and Joe Pike novel.  They are getting too predictable and started the next Longmire, THE DARK HORSE.  So far, so good. 

December Kayaking

Around 3:00, I put on my boots, slid into the cockpit of my kayak, broke about twenty feet of thin ice, and paddled along Woodlawn and Victoria for a half hour, scaring all the swans away.  There must be a couple of hundred hanging along the shoreline of Long Point, tufts of white in the sunshine.  They were too far away to get an interesting photograph.  When I got back, Evie was through packing and was taking a shower.

Breaking Ice

At 4:00, I still wanted to get some exercise so I went for a walk for the first time in awhile through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  The snow had melted enough so I was able to crunch through it, without much effort.  It's always good to walk in the woods, no matter what time of the year.

By the time I got back, it was wine time, perhaps a bit earlier than usual but what the heck, we are retired.  It's always wine time.   Before uncorking the sauvignon blanc, however, we packed the car, thinking it might be raining tomorrow when we want to leave.

We did not want to fuss much with dinner, so we had grilled hot dogs, Bush's baked beans, and a salad.  It always tastes good, especially with a beer.  We were anxious to watch a couple of more episodes of THE CROWN and had only three left, alas. So we ended up watching all three, so we have to wait for next year for another season.