What a relief to have the lead-up to “the holidays” over. When you’re in a business that counts on sales during one month and those sales are dependent on 1. how many things you are able to make, and 2. how well you market your business, the pace becomes more and more frenetic. So Christmas Day for me was a relief. Work was over. The house was clean (as clean as it gets) and fixed up (after we’ve lived here for almost twenty years and finally replaced floors and some windows.) We had pretty Christmas lights outside. The weather was beautiful. The food was easy to prepare (don’t peel potatoes this year and see how it goes–it went fine). Best of all family was here (except missing the TX branch).
Here are snapshot photos of the day.
Matt brought his drone.
The sheep have been in the barn and corral area for the last month because the pasture is soggy and I’m waiting for the grass to get some growth, but I set up the fence to let them out onto part of it for the day.
The drone gives us a great view of the property. There is a video taken with the drone on my website.
We opened gifts. I bought Dan a series of used books that are by author Stan Lynde. Our last name is unusual and we had found a book by this author on our most recent road trip. Dan got about half way into it and found that pages 140-180 were repeated and 180 to 120 were missing. When I looked into replacing the book I found that the author was dead, his publishing company no longer existed, and that there were about 7 or 8 books in the series. So I hunted them all down and wrapped up the Stan Lynde books for Dan Lynde.
Dan made DIL, Meryl, a marker for her parking spot to reflect her new job as an Orange Theory coach. 
My daughter sent us all aprons embellished by the grandkids. 
Time for getting dinner in the oven. Chris, mac and cheese lover that he is, has become a cream sauce expert.
While dinner was cooking we went out for another drone session…
…and a family photo. 
Dinner on the table.
We may have started a new tradition with a game from Santa. It’s a card game based on the old computer game, The Oregon Trail, that my kids loved to play years ago. 
You can play with up to six players so we created teams so that all 11 of us could play. We may study the rules between now and the next time we play. Our wagon team eventually all died–there may be better strategy than we used. 
After pies (pumpkin and apple) we moved onto a game my niece has on her phone. 
Trying to get my brother to guess Valley Girl.
A lively time was had by all.
And to all a good night.
On the fifth day of our visit we took a field trip to Cabella’s. There is plenty of entertainment even if you don’t go for the shopping. We started with the aquarium.
There are rooms full of animals.
There are spectacular horns on these and other sheep. By the time we finished eating and shopping it was getting dark and we headed to Wimberly for the Trail of Lights.
Dozens of local businesses and families light and decorate the gardens of the 12-acre EmilyAnn Theater & Garden. This is an annual event and a major fundraiser for the theater.
Containing him worked a little better.
We had the truck loaded and I 
About 10 am. Dan and Matt and I got in the truck and headed for Big Bend National Park, about seven hours away.
Here the Chisos Mountains rise out of the desert. The park entrance is at an elevation of 2848′ and the peaks rise to over 7800′. Our camp the first night was at 5400′ which meant that there was still snow from the storm which had come through.
We got there towards dusk and found a campsite just as it was getting dark.
Kasen slept while…
Kirby helped make pink pancakes.
Then the big kids went for a run. Two of them tried the baby jogger but that wasn’t going to work. Instead they took the real kids in the jogger.
The trail continues around the pool behind those rocks.
Public access is restricted by use permit from June through September.
I can imagine what a popular site this would be in the summer and being only about 20 miles from Austin.
This is the view looking out over the pool. 
Water drips from the ledge above. 
Someone didn’t read the sign.
I remember well that as nice as it is to get out and see beautiful country it’s not exactly relaxing when you are keeping track of a toddler.
When we got back to the parking lot they both still had plenty of energy to burn off.
Back home having dinner.
The view from the back walkway.
There is the decorated tree just inside the gate on the right.
Everyone else was still in bed but I went for a walk up the road as the sun was coming over the hills.
I got back to the house and checked inside the truck. Dan had chosen to drive to Texas instead of flying. He says, now that he has retired, “everyday is Saturday” and he preferred to throw a road trip into the plans. He had left five days before I did and spent time hiking and camping along the way. He met me at the airport in Austin on Tuesday. Now that all the kids were at the house we had to spread out with sleeping arrangements and he decided to continue with the camping mode and sleep in the truck.
Eventually everyone else came out into the snow.
Kirby started a snowman with the help of…
…Uncle Matt…
…and Aunt Meryl.
I love these kids.
We changed planes in L.A. Wildfires had started burning a few days before this trip and this is a view of the smoke from two fires blowing out over the ocean. We soon left that behind but even now there are fires raging in S. California. December! Here in N. CA we’ve had one good rain in November and nothing since. But that’s a topic for another post.
I got there Tuesday night. Kirby and I went out the next morning. She showed me her chickens and we collected eggs.
She showed me the tree near the front gate that she and her mom had decorated.
We walked down the road…
…and I didn’t know until this point that her ladybug boots have holes in them.
I have been told that Santa is taking care of that.
We looked at decorations on other properties.
Eventually Kirby got tired of being the subject of photos.
A picnic lunch after the walk.
We have another cutie in Texas as well.
I spent last Christmas there when he was only a few days old.
Brother and sister get along well.
Thursday afternoon it began to snow.
Kirby spent some time outside before it got dark.
Chris built one 8-foot and two 10-foot tables for the use of the wedding party. He also made assorted game pieces and a very cool guest sign-in board.
Chris getting advice from his sister.
More advice. Stout tables.
Some of the bridal party who helped the day before. They were all there–what a great group of friends Chris and Meryl share.
Table inspection by the resident cat…
…who, having done his (her?) job, needed a nap.
Wedding rehearsal. I didn’t get all the guys in the photo because I was seated in my mother-of-the-groom chair.
The girls minus the bride.
Meryl’s parents hosted a dinner the night before the wedding and here are my three beautiful daughters!
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