Christmas – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

Let’s Go to the Beach!

Current Location: The Sunset House in Grants Pass Oregon

Let’s go to the beach! I suppose that is something said more often in summer, or even spring or fall, but probably doesn’t fall off one’s lips in the middle of winter, at least not in this part of the country. But now that we are at last settled into our home, Mo and I have been itching to get the MoHo on the road, and the beach is just two hours west. That was one of the reasons we chose to build our home in Grants Pass; it is a reasonably easy drive to the ocean, without having to live in the salt air and summer fogs.

Is it surprising that once again we ended up in Brookings at Harris Beach State Park? Probably not to readers who have been around awhile. What can I say about Harris Beach that I haven’t said several times a year for the last 15 years?! Brookings is the Banana Belt of the Oregon Coast, and is known for great December weather. With a foggy inversion hanging around Grants Pass for the last week or so, we were definitely ready for some sunshine.

The beach complied with a great day of sun and temperatures in the 60’s. At least that was the case when we arrived on Monday afternoon. Packing up was a breeze, the MoHo was nice and clean inside and out, waiting in the RV shed, everything we needed for a simple two night stay took less than an hour to load. We had to bide our time before leaving since we didn’t want to arrive too early. Check-in time at the State Park is supposed to be after 1pm. Perfect.

We left in fog, but by the time we reached Hayes Hill just west of town on Highway 199 the sun was so brilliant I had to find my sunglasses. Ahhh. The drive was gorgeous, as always, even with the water in the wild Smith River at fairly low levels due to the recent lack of precipitation. Someday I am going to make an attempt to drive that road in a car and stop often enough to capture some of the beauty of the river and the mountains and forests through this part of the coast range. Taking photos out the window of a moving vehicle can’t begin to do it justice, and since I was driving that was even more of a problem. I had the same thought today as we returned, and I wasn’t driving. I did manage to get a photo of the snow surrounding us at the higher elevations, thankfully not right on the road, but real photos? As I said, maybe someday.

When we first arrived, the front row appeared to be completely empty? Really? What a delight! We didn’t have reservations, insisting to friends who asked that they were completely unnecessary at this time of year. Approaching the park entrance, we had a bit of a shock. The front row was completely empty because most of the park was shut down for a complete overhaul of the sewer and water system.

There were only 2 sites along the front row that were useable and as we continued around the C Loop (most of the back side of A and most of B loop were closed) we saw that C4, one of our favorite sites, was open with a reservation scheduled for late December. Score! A big rig followed us in, and gave up and left the park, shaking his head at the vacancy sign. Vacancy doesn’t mean anything is useable for big rigs or that the available sites would actually have hookups. Most of the vacancies were tent sites. The park volunteers let us know that the work was supposed to be completed by mid June of this year. We will see. But I don’t imagine we will try to get back to Harris Beach any time soon. Loeb Park is open, and is only $24 per night, but it is up the Chetco River, and is some distance from town and the beach.

Thanking the RV gods for our good luck, we were in our spot and set up in no time. One of the nice things about C4 is that it still has the tall trees and overgrown bushes that used to make Harris Beach so charming and private. The new thought for the park is to take down many of the trees (they aren’t native), and trim all the hedges into nice even rectangles.

Much of the privacy between sites is gone, and while the views of the ocean are accessible, so are the views of your next door neighbors. I miss the old overgrown feeling of the park, but I don’t imagine we will give up camping at Harris Beach in the future. It is just too convenient to town, to trails, to wonderful beach walks, and to home.

The sun was still out, and there was very little wind. We knew the forecast for the next day called for 100 percent chance of precip with high winds, so we quickly set up camp and headed down to the beach. It was so wonderfully warm, with no wind at all, and our light jackets were almost too much for us. We walked north from the main beach parking area where we can let Mattie off leash when no one is around.

She had a great time tearing around in the sand. That little dog loves to run and is sooooo fast! It was impossible to catch her in a photo since I didn’t bother to lug the camera with me and only had the phone. We sat for a time watching the water and the sky, and letting Mattie play as the sun began to go down over the waves.

There was more entertainment on the agenda that needed to be enjoyed on an evening without rain. The annual Nature’s Coastal Holiday was once again lighting up Azalea Park with over 500,000 lights. We attended the show in 2013 and didn’t want to miss it. We thought a fish and chips supper before the show was a great idea until I started searching and found most every fish and chips place in Brookings and in nearby Harbor are closed on Mondays. Note to self, bring food for Monday nights in Brookings! Luckily I had some great chicken enchiladas in the fridge so we didn’t go hungry.

It was completely dark by a bit after 5 when we paid our nominal $2.00 fee to enter the park. The show was breathtaking, even more wonderful than we remember from our visit four years ago. I have never seen so many lights, wrapped around every bush and tree and even spread over the ground to look like flowing water. The pathways around the park were lit, the gazebo on the hill was a beacon that could be seen from most every vantage point, and the music was pure Christmas, with Bing Crosby crooning, and of course, Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. I think the only light show I have seen that could come close to this one is the Christmas light show at Silver Springs in Ocala, Florida. I have no idea if they even still do that show now that Silver Springs is officially a state park and no longer a private amusement venue.

Everything was so lovely we had to walk around more than once to take it all in. Somehow all those lights and Christmas music are what makes the holiday the most fun for me. I am so glad that we went.

Afterward, we stopped off at Fred Meyer, the main shopping place in Brookings, and lo and behold out walked Doni, from Quilting and Life in General, a blog I have read for years. I had never met her in person, but recognized her face instantly. I can only imagine how it must feel to be leaving the grocery store and have some stranger accost you with, “Doni?! It is YOU! I have read your blog for years!” Doni is a quilter, and I found her blog through Paulette of Rick and Paulette from the very old days of early blogging. Such fun. And such a small world.

Yesterday we woke to hard rain and very dark skies. Somehow breakfast slipped in at almost 9am, unheard of for the two of us who are usually such early risers. The winds were high and wild and the rain was blowing sideways for most of the day. We decided it might be a day for a book instead of a walk, and wandered off to the Goodwill store in search of something used to entertain each of us. We also thought a stop at my very favorite local quilt store was in order, and imagine my sad surprise to find that the store was closed and the owner had retired last summer. I was heartbroken, but I guess after 30 years a woman can get tired and want to let it go. Our favorite bakery still had hours listed from 6am on Friday mornings through Sundays only, so I was glad I brought a stash of Christmas cookies that I baked last week to keep us fortified.

Fish and Chips are an important component of any visit to the coast, even a short one. We have spent several years passing by the Crazy Norwegian in Port Orford. Sometimes we pass because we are on our way somewhere coming or going, or the place is closed (probably a Monday). Nina talked about it often when she and Paul were staying at the lighthouse in Cape Blanco, and other bloggers have waxed poetic about the fabulous food to be found in the tiny establishment.

In spite of the driving rains, and high winds, we thought a 55 mile each way trip up the coast along Highway 101 would be a good way to spend part of a rainy day, especially with good fish and chips to reward us. The Crazy Norwegian turned out to be a great little place, with everything fresh and homemade. I loved the chowder especially, not too thick and homemade with some kind of herb that didn’t appeal to Mo but really tickled me. I think it was tarragon. The cod was from Alaska, and on the menu it stated that the supply of good fresh cod from local sources was too undependable, hence the Alaska version. It was moist and tender and done perfectly, as were the fries. The coleslaw was different, and the waitress said the secret ingredient was horseradish. It wasn’t my favorite. Coleslaw should have mayo in it! We were really glad we made the trip, glad to have tried out the Crazy Norwegian, but also decided that in the future we might be perfectly happy to return to the Sporthaven Marina that we found last time we were in Brookings.

Back to the RV in the rain, we settled in for card playing, skipping super since our two o’clock lunch held us over just fine, and reading our new books. I found a new author, Martha Grimes, and I am loving the book, “Dakota”. I think I’ll have to search out some more of her writings.

We watched the weather report, listening to the winter storm warnings for the coast range and for the Cascades, hoping that things would clear out by the time we had to leave at noon. I checked the weather channel this morning, and we played more cards while waiting for the snow to melt that covered the roads at the Oregon California border. I didn’t relish the thought of traveling Highway 199 in the snow. That road along the Smith is gorgeous and treacherous as well, with steep mountains formed from slippery serpentine rock that slides easily, and narrow lanes that drop directly to the river sometimes a hundred feet below the tiny almost non existent guard rail. Just ask Judy about that road! Ha!

By the time we left however, the temps were in the 40’s, the rain showed no signs of scary snow at least as far as Patrick Creek, and the road had no ice to mar our journey. Mo drove and I did manage to get a couple of photos out the windshield of the snow around us, but thankfully not on the road. When we got home, the sun was shining through the clouds surrounding Grants Pass.

Within a hour of arriving, we had dumped the tanks into our own RV dump, unloaded everything, and had the MoHo all backed into her shed, safe and sound. I made another batch of Christmas cookies, we ate our leftover fish and chips (of COURSE we had leftovers), I processed photos, and wonder of all wonders, here I am writing the blog! Photos probably won’t go in till later since tomorrow morning I am off to see daughter Melody and her family just two hours north in Eugene. So excited! Two hours isn’t that far, but it seems a long way after two years of having Melody living in the same apartment building with Mo and I. I really do miss having her close by and seeing the kids come and go and getting hugs on a regular basis. I’ll have to catch up on hugs tomorrow for sure.

December Days

Current Location: Rocky Point Oregon 45 degrees F at 5pm

We have no snow, not a bit to be found unless we drive to 7,000 feet elevation or more into the Cascades above us. Through the clouds, sometimes there is a break, and I can see a dusting on the trees on Pelican Butte and Mt Harriman in the Mountain Lakes Wilderness.

This year not a speck of snow

Makes it easy to put up Christmas lights, I must say. No slipping on the ice, crawling through big snow berms and such. Last year at this time Mo and I were shoveling and plowing in an unsuccessful attempt to stay ahead of the dumping white stuff. This year the lawns are still green.

Last year on the same date, and yes…there is Abby

In the past few years, however, it seems that winter comes later and later, with not much to speak of until after Christmas. Still, it is obvious that winter is upon us. The days are short and dark, and when the sun does appear it is very low in the sky.

Christmas quilts and decorations (25 of 25)

Christmas quilts and decorations (21 of 25)

Christmas quilts and decorations (23 of 25)

After a week at home, while I finished up the three kid Christmas quilts, we took off again for Grants Pass and the Cottage. Mo’s brother Dan came down to spend a couple of days with us to help Mo with some more of the electrical work. Mo also managed to get the newly moved bathtub to finally drain properly. Long story and boring, but enough to say that the tub now drains and the breakers no longer flip off at the slightest provocation. They even got a new box to the old tool shed ready for plenty of amps to eventually make it out to the RV shed.

It was a simple time for me, and I worked inside on Christmas projects while Mo and Dan rumbled around in the rain and mud. Got some nice visiting in with daughter Deborah in the evenings when she got home from work, and managed to keep everyone well fed.

On our way home back to Rocky Point, we decided to take the old road through Gold Hill toward Sams Valley instead of our usual interstate trek back to Highway 140. We ambled through Gold Hill and had a spontaneous hot dog lunch at a little stand along the main street. Then as we continued east, we saw signs for Ti’lomihk Falls on the Rogue River.

We parked just in time to watch a rafter and a paddleboarder go down the rapids. The interpretive signs at the park were wonderful, but I neglected to get a photo of them. This website explains what we learned about the “stone chair” that was central to the ceremony to honor the first salmon of the season for the Talkelma tribe. ON the website is the story of the planned whitewater park, and a video of Grandmother Agness Baker Pilgrim, one of the oldest surviving members of the tribe, speaking of the salmon ceremony and the stone chair.

Yesterday was the annual Rocky Point Ladies Luncheon. The luncheon is a tradition that has been going on for several years, and in the past was held at the local social club building, with some women decorating tables and the men cooking and serving. Stuff happens, things change, but a sweet lady here in Rocky Point, Gina, didn’t want to let it slip away so she set up our luncheon in a brand new venue.

I was a bit recalcitrant about it…at first, i didn’t even want to go if it was just going to be lunch in a restaurant. Glad I changed my mind.

We have a new place to go in “town”. Our community does not have a post office or a school and only one tiny store a few miles east on 140, but we do have a fire station. That volunteer fire department generates a lot of community support. But as far as a real town goes, we don’t have one here. But now we do have a “resort”. Ladies Luncheon at Harriman Resort (56 of 60)

Like Rocky Point Resort, and Point Comfort, Harriman Springs has been a presence here for many years. When Mo first started coming to Rocky Point in the late 80’s she would have lunch at the little marina store and cafe that was on the edge of the spring. Things changed, the little marina closed. Recently, the owner of the land adjacent to the spring decided to upgrade the property and build what he hopes will be a world class resort. Ladies Luncheon at Harriman Resort (53 of 60)

If the quality of the restaurant is any indication, he is going to succeed. We have all been waiting impatiently for the restaurant to open, watching along on Facebook on their page, and checking in now and then to see how things are progressing.

Yesterday, we got to see the new restaurant in action, with a truly delightful luncheon put on for our community ladies. Lyman, the executive chef is duly proud of what he is doing with the menu, and we were the lucky recipients of his creations, with a special party before the place is actually open. It was as much fun as the previous years, and a lot less work. I missed decorating the tables, and the men cooking, but oh my…the food was delectable the conversations were great and the views were beautiful. I even wore those six inch high heels I bought for Jeanne’s wedding! Love having any excuse to dress up, especially when I don’t have to walk too far.

Oh my…the mess of it!

I am putting up the rest of the house decorations, and retreating to my computer for the next couple of weeks in an attempt to complete the gargantuan scanning project that I started last Spring. Sheesh! It is taking forever…and not a small amount of time is spent scratching my head trying to figure out which year that was. Photos for the kids, scanned and put on an external drive. I decided it was way better than trying to get them all printed and given to each of them. That would have been impossible. It has been fun, though, and I have enjoyed perusing the past and writing small summaries of the years so the kids know where they were when.

A scanned photo of my 4 kids and me at Christmas 1973

Deborah behind me, Deanna left, Melody middle, and John right.

I think when that job is done, I can simply sit and enjoy Christmas.

Christmas 2013

In Rocky Point, Oregon on sunny day with only a bit of snow left around here and there

Christmas was lovely this year, with some good times with Deborah on Christmas Eve, and then celebration on Christmas morning when daughter Melody and my local grandkids, Axel and Xavier, joined us for breakfast and dinner. Not often we try to do both traditions on the same Christmas day, but somehow this year we wanted the eggs benedict breakfast AND the Christmas dinner.

In spite of the goodies in between those two great meals, we still managed to have a wonderful time eating a succulent pork roast dinner by 3PM without too much trouble. It helped that we skipped dessert after dinner, opting instead to sip Deb’s great dessert wine from the local Troon Vineyard in the Applegate Valley.

Family gifts were a part of the tradition, with some homemade stuff from mom and some incredibly lovely and thoughtful presents for Mo and I from the family as well. We had fun. The sun was shining, and with the snow melting the icy driveway kept us from going on the traditional walk or the other tradition, sledding. Kevin was in California working, so he and Melody talked via text and video, and of course the phones were ringing off and on during the day while we talked with distant loved family members. Truckers Deanna and Keith even made it home to Washington to spend Christmas afternoon with son Steven.

My sister Sal got a reprieve from trucking with a visit home to her loved ones in California, including her daughter Savannah, who managed to get south to sunny California for the holidays. She is a sophomore now at Oregon State and studying zoology, so Christmas break is definitely appreciated.

It was a simple day with lots of love and hugs all round, and another chance to appreciate the uniqueness of every single one of us. Nothing simple or ordinary about any family, I am sure, but somehow the holidays remind us of our bonds and our lives and what we love and what we share. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Today instead of doing the shopping thing that many are doing, Mo and I are backing up files, packing up the last of what is needed for our trip, and checking off the list items with relish. All is good for departure, and I am definitely ready for some desert time.

Christmas soon and then we are outta here!

Rocky Point Oregon high today was 36 and some of the snow is melting

In the midst of doing all the Christmasy things, I am packing for three months on the road. I am feeling just a little bit schizo, since my two deep desires are warring with each other. I want to do Christmas up well, but on the other hand, with our departure day looming so close, I am ready to get rolling, to leave the everydayness behind. I actually dreamed about eating juicy sweet oranges from the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield and I could taste them as if it were real.

I also dreamed about being in turquoise water swimming and watching turtles floating beneath me. Must be sunlight deprived I guess, and ready for some light and some warmth. Christmas lights are great, and at this time of year I have a LOT of lights on all the time everywhere, but nothing beats the real thing.

Still, in the mean time, I have been doing the traditions. I once again did a table for the annual Rocky Point Ladies Luncheon and enjoyed the wine and good food and laughter with local friends. The local men cook and serve and pour wine and the ladies eat and enjoy. It is a sweet community tradition, and though we don’t even have a post office out here in Rocky Point, we do have a great community. See Deb there in the middle of the group photo? It was a real treat to have her living close enough to join us at the luncheon.

Our only real snowfall this season was early in the month so Mo and I haven’t had to spend a lot of time plowing and shoveling. Instead, I have been tied to the sewing machine, and actually managed to get Deanna’s quilt bound and shipped, and finished some Christmas presents for my other daughters.

Mo and I traveled over to Grants Pass a couple of times, just a bit nervous about the 6 degree temperatures that Deb reported to us, but the MoHo was just fine with the small heater we left running. Deb didn’t have cold water in the cottage kitchen for a few days, but those kinds of temperatures are almost unheard of in Grants Pass, so hopefully that won’t be happening again very soon. The MoHo shed is big and built well, but still, without any heat, it is amazing how warm it stays inside.

With each trip we take a bit of “stuff” over for the big trip. The bikes and kayaks are there, and our single cruise suitcase that will have to be hauled around in the Tracker until we reach New Orleans. I keep wishing I could pick Erin’s brain about how they packed for their three months of travel in all sorts of conditions, but I guess that will have to wait till I am in Port Aransas and actually visiting with her in person. It feels a bit like being a full timer, but in a much smaller rig. I really don’t need three months of clothes. Mo reminds me that of course there will be laundry facilities along the way. I am laughing at myself here a lot, at how silly it is to try to pack for three months. People pack for a lifetime of full-timing with much less angst, I am sure. Hard to believe that Mo and I fit a week’s worth of cruising stuff in one suitcase….minus the snorkels however, they are in a mesh bag tied to the suitcase. No airplanes to restrict us this time.

We drove over the mountain to the cottage again last Saturday to spend an afternoon attending to travel preparations and details and to spend some time with Daughter Deb. Grants Pass is such a lovely small town, and it actually has a really cute “downtown”. I am glad that we settled on property there rather than over in Brookings where we looked originally. Brookings has the ocean, but it doesn’t have any kind of real downtown. Deb treated Mo and I to dinner at a well known established restaurant, overlooking the Rogue River, called Rivers Edge. It was a lovely experience in a lovely place and we all had a great time. After dinner we went downtown to view the charming musical lighted panels that line the streets. They are a different take on town Christmas lights and are so much fun.

The weather cooperated with no rain and temperatures in the low 30’s rather than single digits. Nice for walking, but also nice to have the car close by to warm up. We then went down to the park to check out more lights and then home to the cozy MoHo.

Jeremy was in full old-cat-mode and we got a taste of how this next three months will be a bit challenging. Fun, but challenging. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t imagine how I thought I could leave him behind. Although at 4am when he gets all talkative and needy I wonder at my sanity. Anyone who thinks cats are independent hasn’t lived with a cat for 17 years. Old cats are needy, needy, needy!

Tomorrow Deb will be here for Christmas Eve cooking time together, and on Christmas Day Melody and the kids will show up early enough in the morning to have our traditional eggs benedict Christmas breakfast. I am planning on a classic pork roast, bone in, with a sweet salty crusty rub. I love my Cooks Illustrated magazine recipes. Something as simple as a pork roast has a four page fine print article on the science and chemistry of making a truly tender, tasty roast. I did it once before so I know it works! Downtown Grants Pass at Christmas

On Thursday morning I will start putting away the Christmas decorations and packing up the last of the clothes and food for our trip. Back up the computer, back up quicken, make sure we have ALL the cords and chargers for all the electronics, the batteries and chargers and cases for the cameras, so much stuff to remember! Sheesh! I did remember recently that I will not be in the wilderness for the entire three months. I can buy something if I forget it, right? Still….I am making way too many lists and then trying to remember where I put them. I think that is why I am so ready to be gone. Once we leave, all the details slip into place and a sort of peace settles in.

I can’t wait.

Home in December

Rocky Point, Oregon 25 degrees F and partly cloudy with a high predicted of 40F

When we planned our winter trip south, we knew that December in this part of Oregon can be cold, snowy, and wintry. Still, I wanted to be home at Christmas in spite of the weather. Daughter Deb is close enough now that she can come over the mountain to share the holidays with us, and Melody and her family always come out for Christmas as well, with just a 25 mile trek from Klamath Falls to mom’s house in the woods. We have some great family traditions, one of which includes sledding down our hill on Christmas day.

There have been times when there was no snow, but not often. Last year the snow started in November and I counted 13 consecutive days of plowing and blowing as the snow dumped on us. This year November was sunny and the grass was still green. Then WHAM, that Big Chill that gripped the nation landed in Oregon as well, and our temperatures were as low as 20 degrees below Zero F. We broke all time records for cold for any day in Klamath Falls with readings of almost 30 below. Yup, you read that right. 30 miles north of the California border and it was -28F.

The good part about this cold spell however, was that it was just too cold to snow very much. Around the 5th of December, the snow started falling and Mo and I plowed and shoveled for two days, unable to keep up with the dumping white stuff. Then the true cold hit, the skies turned bluebird blue, and the snow froze in place, clean and dry after all our snow management. With temps that cold, there wasn’t much ice in our driveway and on our road, and we haven’t had to plow since then. The rest of the area wasn’t so lucky, however.

Daughter Deb over in Grants Pass spent a few days without water when the pipes froze. Grants Pass and the Rogue Valley are not used to that kind of weather, and there were hundreds of accidents on the local roads and freeways and most of the schools have been closed for more than 5 days now. We didn’t winterize the MoHo but left a heater running inside and the RV shed is completely enclosed, so we think all is OK. Our reason for buying the Grants Pass property had to do with lowest winter temps being an occasional bout with the teens and most of the time above 30F or so.

Daughter Deanna was right in the midst of the worst ice storm, just 30 miles from Dallas, where she and her husband spent 13 hours trapped in their semi on one of those “fake” hills at an overpass that no vehicle could manage. Deanna said someone would try and they all would slide backwards. Traffic was backed up for 40 miles or something like that. They finally got out of the mess to deliver in Memphis, run down to Miami to pick up some other kinds of fancy engines, and take off for Manitoba, where the cold was just normal Manitoba cold and not impossible to navigate.

Here at home, I managed to work on quilt projects for Christmas presents, and finally got the house decorated. I do love decorating for holidays, but for some reason it was a bit hard to get into it this year. I was dragging my feet. Possibly because I knew we were leaving just two days after Christmas, not to return until April. I definitely want to get it all packed up and put away before we leave, and of course I know there will be a bit of crunch time in that short two days as we finalize our packing for three months on the road.

Still, on Wednesday this week, I finally went out to the very cold garage (it was still around zero F, and Mo and I brought down the Christmas bins and I started unpacking and deciding what to use, what to skip. This year I will skip the Christmas villages, and those bins remain untouched. I decided to decorate the perfect little Christmas tree this year with the heirloom little pieces that have been with both of us for more years than I care to count instead of my fancy fruits and shiny globes that I bought for my Klamath Falls home when I moved there 11 years ago. The snowmen came out, and I laughed with Mo, saying “No matter how old and worn out I get, I’ll always be able to manage the snowmen, even if I don’t do anything else!”

Last night I finished up the lights on the porch, and in spite of the lack of enthusiasm I felt during the process, as I stood out in the snow looking at our cozy house I was so glad I had made the effort. Somehow it finally feels like Christmastime. Today I’ll go down to our Rocky Point community place and set a pretty table for eight for the ladies luncheon held here every year. The kids will come for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and the house will look like a Mom’s house is supposed to look. I’ll start baking cookies and make some fudge, listen to some Christmas music and be grateful that we decided to stay home once again for Christmas.

This year I even made the effort to do Christmas cards and the Christmas letter. I saw on the news not long ago how this old tradition is rapidly dying as we all seem to be communicating in different ways with social media and the internet. I decided that the letter and a sheet of photos was still a nice gesture. I still have old Christmas letters from lots of friends who used to send them. Mo gets lots of cards every year, I get very few. I do think I have friends, but maybe our friends are different kinds of people. Hers are more traditional, mine are all over the map. All over the map kinds of people tend to not send Christmas cards. So what am I, all over the map or traditional??!!

Who knows if we will be here every year. Sometimes we might like to take a break and travel somewhere warm BEFORE that winter snow and cold hits Rocky Point. Each time I have done that, however, my heart misses the old traditions of Christmas and my family, at least as many of my family that I can gather in one place at one time. Mo would much prefer to be elsewhere at this time of year, and when I first knew her, she would almost always be off somewhere in December, avoiding all the Christmas hubbub, calling me from Spain, or Costa Rica or some other exotic location. I am glad that she is tolerant of my need for family times and patiently waits for two days after Christmas to escape.