Merry Christmas to All!

It is hard to be the dog of empty nesters.

Merry Christmas to all in our wonderful community.

I am actually catching a very early plane to spend Christmas in the Caribbean tomorrow.  We are going to St. Martin and Anguilla for two weeks -- it is our first full fledged vacation in three years due to a lot of complications in that time.  It's ludicrously expensive but it's a combined Christmas and twenty-fifth anniversary present. 

I've never spent Christmas away from the States, but the thought of tropical beaches, a couple of good books and a cocktail or two seems pretty irresistible at the moment. 

I will definitely be posting during the trip.  I suspect the fiscal cliff will seem less compelling from these climes. 

What are you all doing for the holiday?

Comments

[nancy]

A very Merry Bon Voyage, Sir C!

We are once again hoping that mudslides don't wash out the Am-tracks. If all goes well, we pick our son up at the station at 12:30 AM tomorrow. If not, we postpone Christmas until his arrival, by plane, train or automobile. Bus if he must.

Good wishes to you, both holiday and anniversary. 25th!

Stanley and Santa. Aww. :)

[Sir Charles]

L-t c,

Merry Christmas! You must be in prime Christmas mode with your son right now. Mine is now on the cusp of 20, so sleeping late takes priority over opening presents. Enjoy this moment.

I did not mean to step on your post -- I wanted to get something up before hitting the road. Sitting here at the gate bright and early. I assume it will feel strange to have a Christmas in 80 degree weather.

Nancy,

Good luck with the Amtrak travels for your son. May you all have a lovely holiday.

[low-tech cyclist]

SC, of course you didn't mean to step on my post! Mine wasn't even up yet, after all.

The little rascal got a Nerf football from his cousins (we opened those presents separately at his grandparents' on Saturday), so this morning I was teaching him throw a spiral. Felt like I'd stepped into a Norman Rockwell painting, and was enjoying it thoroughly.

I hope you have a great time in the islands, and that you and your wife close down the beach bars each night. A happy 25th to you both, in both applicable senses of the word!

[paula]

Sir C, nancy, low-tech cyclist, oddjob, prup, crissa, the bills, becky, kathy, mandos, emma and everyone else----
Hope all of you have a terrific week celebrating life, hope and the chance to be with those you love. We've been through a lot together this year, but -- good news! -- we're getting another one so we can try again. Safe travels and many good wishes.

[Crissa]

There's a few petitions up for this subject, but this one is well-written, if poorly advertised.

Require Liability Insurance Within 24-Hours of Possession, Purchase, or Ownership
Transfer of Any Semi-Automatic Firearm.

http://wh.gov/QZA3

I'm at my mom's house, keeping her company. We'll go over my my aunt's house for dinner. It's all very picturesque and boring, my family doesn't really have big arguments or anything.

[kathy a.]

merry christmas, happy fesitvus, and here's hoping for a good new year! it'll be new, anyway. ;)

sir C -- happy anniversary! hope you and your sweetie have a wonderful trip.

ltc, and anyone in the vicinity of little kids -- seconding SC's sentiment about those years being so darned fun!

nancy, crossed fingers about travel conditions. don't know if the storms have been hitting you, too; today, we are on a brief break today from downpours.

we're having son's girlfriend's family over for the feast tomorrow, and that will be a lot of fun! they love my son; we love their daughter; and the "kids" have reached a state of maturity (after all these years) where it is OK for their families to socialize. yay!

[beckya57]

I had a near-perfect evening last night: went to a fundraiser at a bar that featured all of our favorite local blues musicians with my husband and best girlfriend, while simultaneously following the Seahawks' latest opponent massacre on my phone and texting my 2 best male friends (one about the music, the other about the game). The phone and my husband both ran out of gas before me, my girlfriend or the musicians did. We're going to the same girlfriend's house for a vegetarian Thai Christmas dinner tomorrow. And thanks to our newly re-elected Kenyan Socialist usurper president I have today off (he declared it a holiday for all of us parasites, er, federal workers), so I got to play my uke and read the New York article about the National Review "Blues' Cruise" (check it out, it's a scream). Sir C, I hope you have a great time in the Caribbean; there's some wonderful snorkeling opportunities there, if you're so inclined. I am a bit worried: who's taking care of Stanley? Will he be properly pampered, or spend the season mournfully missing his people? We at Cogitamus need to know these things. We're not going anywhere, since we're going to Hawaii for another round of music camp in Feb and I have to save my leave time; thank you again Mr. President for giving me an extra day off! And happy holidays to all!

[Sir Charles]

Hey all. I am listening to the sounds of the sea as we speak. Not too bad a travel day, other than the getting up at 5:30.

Paula, kathy, and Crissa,

I hope you all have lovely Christmases.

becky,

Stanley is being boarded, which is the only downside to this trip. My wife and son were laughing because I announced in the pool tonight that if I ever win Powerball Stanley will be traveling with us by private jet. Sadly, he is a little too big for commercial air travel. I envy the people who can put their dogs in the seat in front of them.

My wife shares your joy at the extra holiday courtesy of the socialist usurper.

Hawaii in February should be wonderful. It's such a beautiful place. Alas, for those of us on the east coast the Caribbean is a much easier trek. (Which island are you heading to?)

[Linkmeister]

I'm in the tropics, but it's awfully gray and cloudy today with more to follow tomorrow, apparently:

Details for Tuesday, December 25 Showers early becoming less numerous later in the day. High 78F. Winds ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Evening: Cloudy during the evening. A few showers developing late. Low 69F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Ah well, can't swim in the pool every Christmas Day.

Mele Kalikimaka to all, and to all a good night.

[beckya57]

Sir C,

We used to go to the Caribbean more when we lived out east, but Hawaii is much more accessible to us left-coast types. It takes a full day to get to the Caribbean from here, and typically involves multiple changes of flights, with many possibilities for missing connections and/or losing luggage (we've done both).

Hawaii, on the other hand, is very easy to get to from here, especially now that several of the outer islands have non-stops from the coast (transferring in Honolulu carries many of the same hazards referenced above, as we also know from personal experience). We're going to Kailua-Kona on the Big Island, which is our usual destination. People keep telling us we should check out Maui and Kauai, and I'm sure they're wonderful, but we always end up going back to the BI; it's got everything.

Poor Stanley. We have also boarded many pets over the years. I'm sure there's a special place in pet hell waiting for us. How will you stand being separated from him?

[Sir Charles]

Hey Linkmeister! Hope you are doing well?

becky,

Leaving Stanley really is difficult. I wish we had someone who could stay with him in the house, but alas no one to fit the bill. (I guess I could just assign an associate :-) )

Way back when -- 1991 I believe -- my wife and I spent a week on Maui and a week in Kauai (after a week long conference in San Francisco) and it was pretty much perfection. We didn't have a whole lot of money in those days, but we found B&Bs and some places a little off the beaten path and had a great time. Have not been to the Big Island yet. Definitely on the list of things to do.

[nancy]

Our new Pacific Northwest winter with mudslides, falling trees and exceptionally heavy snow blocking routes. Visits postponed for now. We'll be celebrating Christmas by Thursday we hope. Good skiing next week though, once our skier and his gear arrive.

Meanwhile, be well all, and perhaps some Peace on Earth in the offing. Amen.

[Crissa]

Why would you take Highway 2 anywhere, unless you're going skiing?

It is quite wet and cold up here, though it sounds like us down on the Columbia won't have a white Christmas.

Apparently it's just as wet - although in heavier dollops - at my home in California. Which I rather want to get back to, really. Family is nice, but I miss my spouse and little house.

[nancy]

Empire Builder, Crissa, follows Highway 2. Train delayed. And planes all booked. Son will end up driving on I-90. On Thursday. Still, nasty and lengthy drive, about which I worry.
And lots of people need to take U.S. 2, to and from the northern center of the state. And they aren't just skiers. They live there. But the road situation is unheard of. Trees felling and killing on a major state route.

Best to you, wherever you are.

[Sir Charles]

nancy,

We had a similar phenomenon back east last year during Halloween. A big, incredibly early snow storm while the trees still had all of their leaves on. Trees can be mighty dangerous in ushc conditions.

I hope you and your family are safe and get together shortly.

I am sitting on a balcony overlooking the Caribbean right now and snow seems very distant. I just saw a little shark (I think reef shark) in the waters below. I am up on the sixth floor and from here it looked to be about one and a half to two feet long, swimming right at the water's edge near the surface. I noticed that the family that was down on the shore opted to head back to the pool after spying it.

[beckya57]

nancy,

Sorry to hear about your weather. Over here on the west side of the mountains it's just rainy and cold. We were supposed to get a white Christmas, but no such luck. :( Hope your family members arrive safely.

Sir C,

I'm sure you and Stanley will have a joyful reunion; something to look forward to. Your description does indeed sound like a reef shark. I've seen many of them over the years. They're harmless to humans. I remember snorkeling at Cod Hole in the GBR in Australia and seeing a bunch of them, but they were afraid of the cod (we call them Queensland Groupers here in the US, huge fish weighing about 400 lbs) and hung back until they departed. Pretty funny to see scared sharks. There's also a lot of nurse sharks in the Caribbean. They like to lie on the bottom in piles. Also harmless unless you're dumb enough to poke them, in which case they will bite (I've just heard about this, as I leave wild animals strictly alone).

If any of you ever decide to go to the BI, let me know, as I can give you lots of traveling tips for there. We've been there many times and know it well.

[Crissa]

Ahh, I've never taken the train east out of Seattle, only Portland. They usually bus around, though, don't they? They do that in California all the time - to the point that half of Amtrak in California is busses now.

[nancy]

For our amusement -- Christmas with the McArdles, oh my. "Christmas All the Year 'Round. url copy indicates that Charlie's original entry title was "Christmas With the Wanks." Looks like his inner editor intervened.

McMegan had an *amazon wishlist.* It was swell.

Times like this, I know for sure modern life is passing me by. Think I'll just stay put. Oldster I am.