Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas

All Twenty One Of Us

7:00 AM

It's pitch black at 6:30 on this Christmas Morning and I am the only one up although I chased Halle off the couch and upstairs when I came upstairs for coffee.  She said she couldn't sleep. I assume the girls will sleep in until a reasonable time, let's say 8:00.  We will have to see.

Yesterday was an interesting and busy day, to say the least.  We were having Drew's family over, a total of 19 for dinner so we had to be tres organized.  Drew and I were out shopping by 10:30 only to find the liquor store did not open until noon.  We had, however, other errands to run so we did get some things done.  By noon, Jill had gone off to get some things at the store and soon after Hayden and Halle also drove off, to do some last minute shopping.  And the final run was at 3:00, as Drew drove off to pick up freshly made croissants from a French bakery for Christmas morning's breakfast.

Jill With Mom's And Sister's In Law

Drew's family was not to arrive until 4:00, so much of the afternoon was spent prepping dinner although Evie had made a couple of pans of ziti ahead of time to make it easier.  And she made a carrot cake a couple of days ago so all she needed to do was frost it.  Drew and I helped out when we could and watched football on the Red Zone, which gives you the highlights of all the games, not just one.  We were also having chicken thighs to go along with the ziti so Evie roasted them around 3:30, getting them out of the way so we could then bake the ziti.  That's when the fun began.  After the chicken was baked, the stove did not seem to work.  We played with it but, alas, it seemed to have broken and we still had ziti to bake.  So Jill called a neighbor, a poor guy who was home sick, and he was happy to let us use his oven.  So we took two zitis up the hill, baked them for forty-five minutes and we at least at dinner for the gang.

The Girls Enjoying A Glass Of Wine

Drew's Sister In Law, Marty, And Daughter, Brie

Everyone arrived around 4:30 and it was fun to see Drew sisters and brothers and their children, some we had not seen since their wedding over 20 years ago.  The kids are mostly grown up, a few in high school like Hayden .  And it's fun to see how well cousins get along (like our grandchildren) even though they may see each other only a couple of times a year.  Dinner ended up being great, the ziti devoured and a few pieces of chicken left.  So Evie and Jill were happy.

After dinner, because of Evie, of course, the kids went wild.  Evie brought Genga along so eight of them played Genga on the kitchen table, yelling and screaming each time the tower fell.  And Evie introduced them to spoons, which is also a loud and raucous game and it was questionable if the table would survive.  The rest of us talked, sipped a cocktail or glass of wine and had a dessert made by Drew's Mom so we never did get to the carrot cake.  Everyone left around 8:30, happy and full of good food and drinks.  It was a fun way to spend a Christmas Eve.

After everyone left, we sat around talking and decided to watch Christmas Vacation until a couple of us went to bed.  Evie helped Hayden wrap a few last presents before also going to bed although Hayden stayed up until 1:30, a late end to a fun day.

And All Through The House...Lots Of Stirring

Merry Christmas From Us and Jill's Family

7:21

Well, it's back to normal in Virginia, as Drew and I are the only ones up at 7:40.  We have been sitting here, discussing politics and sports and watching Sports Center with an occasional break for CNN.  And it's a pleasant morning, some sun and clouds, temperatures in the 40s, quite a difference from yesterday's rain and temperatures in the 60's.

Like today, Drew and I were the first ones up Saturday morning although didn't get up till almost 8:00.  Slowly Evie and Jill got up, then finally the sleeping granddaughters around 10:00 with their sleepover friends.  They asked Evie if she would make crepes but we were out of milk, so off Drew and I went to Safeway to pick up a gallon of milk and flour.  When we got home, Evie had already put the crepe pans on the stove, so she mixed the flour and milk and eggs, and started making crepes, surrounded by five very hungry girls.  They loved the crepes, with sugar and lemon, and had two or three apiece.  It was a fun way to start our five days in Virginia.

A Girls Crepe Line

We then hung out for awhile, a couple of the girls went home and Evie and Jill sat around finishing the list of what they needed from Harris Teeter for the next couple of nights.  We are having a total of 21 tonight, mostly Drew's family, for a Christmas Eve dinner and tomorrow we will have a more manageable 12, with three young ones.  Jill orders online and just has to pick it up later in the day, saving time by not having to shop aisle by aisle.

Natalia, Halle's Friend

A Few Of The Cookies Left

Evie had made lots of sugar cookies at the lake, knowing that our granddaughters and their friends liked to decorate cookies.  So a couple of Hayden and Halle's friends came over around 2:30 and they decorated cookies for the next hour or so.  Drew wanted me to see the new brewery in Manassas, about 15 minutes away so we drove off to get a beer.  It's on what used to be a farm and is quite a development. 

Two Silos Brewery

Outdoor Igloos At Two Silos

Igloos

At this time, only the brewery is open. with lots of outdoor seating as well as maybe 10 igloos outside for inclement weather.  We went inside, ordered beers and had to stand because the inside was packed as well as much of the outside despite the wind and rain.  And they serve food which makes it even more desirable.  Next door is a huge barn which when opened in the next few months, will be a restaurant.  After one beer, we were ready to go home but it was nice to see this great watering hole.

The Barn At Two Silos

We then watched some football, sat around talking and getting ready for dinner because we were going out to the Firebird Grill, about ten minutes away, a neat local restaurant chain.  We had reservations, fortunately, so we were able to sit right down.  They have quite a menu, but most of us got their specialty salads except for me. 

Hayden, Jill, Halle, And Drew, With Coco And Dasiy, The Dogs

I could not pass up the Kobe beef meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans.  The servings are substantial and I am not sure any of us finished our meals.  It was a fun night out especially since it was so miserable outside.  Hayden drove us home, the advantage of having a young driver when you have had a couple of beers.

Halle And Her Volleyball Teammate, Dryden

We were home by 8:00, and Hayden went out shopping with friends for Xmas presents and the rest of us watched some TV until one of Halle's volleyball friends stopped by with her Dad so she could give Halle a present.  The father, a volleyball aficionado, is a real talker, fun to be with and they stayed for a good half hour to forty-five minutes, entertaining us with his stories.  He's a pastor of a local church and he and his wife have adopted four special needs children.  When he left, we watched a bit of football before most of us went to bed.  Drew stayed up, waiting for Hayden and watching the end of the NFL game.

Daisy, The Rescue Dog

A Dreary Pre Christmas Eve Morning

Our Granddaughter Hayden And Friend, Caroline

Our Granddaughter Halle And Friend, Shelby

A Man And A Relaxed Dog

Not much to see or enjoy on this Saturday morning at my daughter Jill's home in Virginia.  It's overcast, wet, the trees barren, with no snow in sight.  I am sitting in their little-used living room because Hayden, their sixteen-year-old daughter, fell asleep on the couch in the TV room and I did not want to disturb her.  Usually, Drew and I are up early, watching Sports Center, talking politics and sports but he has yet to rise and it's 7:45.  He must have had a late, late night.

Saturday Morning In Virginia

We were fortunate to have an easy and safe drive to Virginia yesterday.  I worried about icy roads but it was just warm enough when we left, 33º, so that the roads were wet but not dangerous.  We take this drive maybe six times a year and yesterday was one of the least enjoyable scenic wise, as it drizzled or was cloudy and overcast most of the way so that we never had the urge to take a photograph except a restaurant called McClure's, not exactly a picturesque moment.

Sorry, Linda And Ron, We Did Not Stop

We did make good time, as it takes us seven hours no matter how fast or slow we tend to drive.  We made our typical three stops, at Mc D's for breakfast in Warren, for lunch in Berkeley Springs, WV, and at Crossroads Grocery And Fruit Market near Winchester, Virginia, and arrived in Bristow around 3:00.

Halle Hanging With Friends

Halle and five of her friends were in the front yard playing some volleyball and the group volunteered to help us take our luggage and stuff into the house which was great, fast and easy for us.  Hayden was taking a shower and came down excited to see us, as was Halle.  Drew drove in 15 minutes later, Jill a half hour later and we were finally together.  The girls had friends over for a sleepover, so it was a busy, noisy house.

Jill And Drew In His Ugly Sweater

Jill and Drew were going to a neighborhood party, so Evie and I picked up Halle from a volleyball practice in Manassas around 7:00 and we got to watch her team practice for a half hour which was fun.

Halle Diving

Passing

We stopped at Chick-fill-A and brought home dinner for the three of us.  Hayden and her friends had gone to Panera earlier for dinner so we did not worry about them.  We sat around watching TV with Hayden, Halle and their friends, watching two surf and shark movies, Shallows and Soul Surfer, neither of which we had seen.

Cosy Evening With Friends

They are fun to be around and it was fun getting to know their friends some.  I was exhausted by 10:00, having been up since 5:00, so I went to bed around 10:30 and Evie soon followed.

The Good Dog

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.

Wrapping And Packing (Winter Solstice)

Morning Scramble

9:11

At 7:26 there's not much of a morning sky, just grayness, with close to a hundred Canadian geese and Trumpeter swans strewn along the lakefront, splotches of black and white on the gray lake.  It's 28º with some wet snow predicted for this evening, perhaps tomorrow when we head off to Virginia.

Hooded Merganser

Tundra Swan

Yesterday was a long day for Evie, not having gotten a good night sleep the night before.  I was my chipper self, but I ended up not doing much, to be honest. Around 10:00,  I drove off to Lakewood, to the post office, to Wegman's, mostly to get out of the house and do something.  The gang at the coffee shop were talking about the snow storm supposedly coming this weekend, for Xmas so it looks like we may have a white Christmas here at the lake.   We are through mailing packages to our grandchildren.  When I got home, Evie had gotten some things done, as there was a pile of wrapped packages, ready for our trip tomorrow.

Evie had made me some matzo ball soup for lunch and grilled a couple of cheese sandwiches, so I was a happy boy.  I watched some boring Sports Center, not willing to start a series until I return after Christmas.  We both took it easy in the afternoon, although Evie is not very good at taking it easy.  So mid-afternoon, she got out the dough, beater, and made one of my favorite cookies (I have many) Russian tea cakes.  I read much of the afternoon, took a short walk and we both ended up taking mucho photos of the geese, ducks, and swans in our front yard, an amazing mass of waterfowl.

Mostly Ducks

A Happy Couple

A Symphony Of Ducks And Swans

Mallard And Swans

Dinner was another favorite from our days in Turkey, Wienerschnitzel, using a pork tenderloin that Evie had pounded out between wax paper and breaded.  We had baked red potatoes and a salad along with the Wienerschnitzel.  The pork tenderloin was done perfectly, topped with melted butter and lemon juice.  I was happy and we watched three more episodes of THE CROWN, the first two, about crises in Elizabeth's tenure were outstanding, the third less compelling about her sister Margaret's bohemian friends and marriage to Armstrong-Jones.  It's a series well worth watching.

The Republican Tax Cuts: Killing The Beast...the beast, in this case, is the government.  By cutting taxes on corporations and the wealthy, the money needed for entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid among many others programs, will not be there.  Thus, the Republicans will have to cut entitlements, their ultimate goal.  The poor, the struggling middle class and most likely our children and grandchildren, are on their own.  As an aside, I don't know anyone who wanted or expected a tax cut...just saying.

Lake Opens...Get Out The Kayaks

6:52

7:58

8:08

It's 7:50 and I have been up for an hour, awakened by the honking of geese, watching the dark cloud filled sky slowly turn to gunmetal blue.  Thousands of waterfowl (geese, ducks, seagulls, and swans) filled the lake the past few days, mostly to the north of our home but today, they have returned as the lake ice has melted.  It's 32º out it's once again a noisy lake.

They Are Back

Yesterday it got up into the 40's, as the melt continued, the roads cleared, the pines losing their frosting.  We are trying to get organized for our trip and because Evie is bringing a few dishes for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner she wants to get as many things done beforehand as possible. It's always nice to be organized.  After breakfast, I drove off to Lakewood, to the can man,  then to Sears to return a pair of jeans I had ordered from Lands End.  It makes it easy.  And I ended up doing some shopping, get some sweatpants cheap. I  felt like the only shopper in the store.  On the way home, I stopped at Key Bank to pick up some cash for our trip to Virginia on Friday.

When I got home, Evie was ready to drive off to Jamestown, to the dentist for a teeth cleaning, then a stop at Sam's, Wegman's and Skillman's in Bemus Point.  I made myself lunch, a toasted cheese sandwich with ramen, watched some Sports Center, read and took a nap.  Around 3:30, I went for a short walk up the hill and back, 20 minutes if I take my time. 

Woodlawn Creek

I ran into Jeff, our neighbor, who was cross-country skiing.  He keeps track of the snowfall and last week, we got 47 inches.  The year before, the same week in December, we got 59 inches.  I had forgotten that we got that much snow last December.

Evie put away things from her mega shopping afternoon and she even picked up a pair of slippers for the both of us from Sam's Club, again a deal.  Around 5:30, we had wine time, with some appetizers and started making lists of what we needed to bring to Virginia.  It was fun to finally get back to our routine of a late afternoon glass of wine or two with appetizers.  And dinner was easy, the leftover dinner of Slovenian beans and potato soup and pork chops with sauerkraut.  It was even better than when we had it on Sunday night.  We watched the usual TV, Vice News, and Stephen Colbert, as well as some news before going to bed.