December 2014 – Snowbirding
Since Thanksgiving not a lot happening. Many trips to the beach on Mustang Island, buying a fishing pole and tackle for the Gulf, maybe from the beach to catch our supper – Connie said she would gut and clean it – NOT.
Lots of Christmas shopping and putting up the few Santas we’d brought with us, a far cry from the last few years – not that much space in Junior so only 4 set up.
Just before Christmas we went to the beach and decided that we should create our own Christmas card for the UK family, sitting on chairs on the beach with the Gulf in the background – a nice 72 degrees (about 23 Celsius for the UK readers), it is definitely warmer than around our old neighborhood in Carrollton. On one trip across to Port Aransas on the ferry we spotted some of the local wildlife – a Pelican cleaning its feathers.
We had decided that even though we didn’t spend Thanksgiving with the family there was no way we would miss Christmas with them, so the week before Christmas we set off on the 400+ mile drive back to spend 10 days with Connie’s Mom and Dad. What a long, boring, mind numbing trip but Rusty slept all the way apart from a potty break in Giddings. The CR-V was loaded to the gills with gifts, clothes, toiletries and all the essential stuff we didn’t really need and wouldn’t use – just like any other trip we make. We travel with the rule that if you don’t take it then you will definitely need it.
Christmas was a blast, Christmas Eve with Aaron, Jenny, Michelle, Matt and the grandkids and then Christmas Day with all the family – lots of gifts and a load of fun after all the ‘normal’ gifts are opened with the white elephant/generic gift game – 18 unknown gifts.
With the required run to Sam’s Club for wine and other stuff and the road trips over 10 days we filled up the CR-V 4 times, at around $2 a gallon it was much less painful – the lowest was $1.86. The trip was over and we headed back to Aransas Pass – in the rain.
It was a great 10 days, thanks to Connie’s Mom and Dad putting up with the 3 of us and Buster and Paulette taking us to dinner on the last night in Wills Point.
Great to hear from you and sounds like you had a good Christmas.Very cold here but no snow and it is forecast to warm up a bit,5 degrees by the New Year. Enjoy your travels ,we will enjoy reading your blogs, must get out the maps to follow your routes.
I think your Mum will be pleased she stayed at home,train travel chaos here.
Happy New Year
Love Audrey and Douglas