Last night I visited my parents, sister, brother-in-law and two nieces (aged 4 years and 10 months, respectively) in the depths of Swampy Frog Hollow (about an 80 minute drive from my apartment). Before we ate, we tracked Santa's progress around the world as he got closer and closer to North America.
We had a fantastic dinner with turkey, stuffing (which included apples, almonds, onions and sausage), cranberry sauce (whole berry), potatoes, carrots, rye bread and Riesling (now in a twist-off cap). I'm not much of a wino, but it was good for the toast. For dessert, my father also made a fabulous carrot cake topped with almonds and a thin frosting.
As usual, my immediate family exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve, and everyone there received useful and thoughtful presents from one another. We visited a while, then I drove back home, finally ending my night by unwinding with 2+ hours of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (I'm currently exploring the Shivering Isles).
Today, I'll be visiting with some friends and then I'll probably be doing some more painting or practicing once I get back home. Below is a pic of a painting I just finished for my friend Ann. I also added it to my slideshow on the top of the page.
One last thing: a couple of comments about my first poll.
1) You have to pick one of the choices. All following polls will be structured in the same way, with no option for a write-in vote. The reason for this is to force voters to pick the lesser of several evils (much like in real-life political elections).
2) It appears that "a snail" is the most popular choice. Maybe it really is true that slow and steady wins the race.
Anyway, have a great holiday! If you have to travel, drive safe!
