All This and the Solstice Too!

Jan's Two Cents:
December 21 is a special day in our family. Dear momma-in-law Doris, my late grandfather, my cousin Marissa and my daughter-in-law’s mom Sandra all share “little Christmas” as their birthday, too. It is a great day to have a birthday: the start of a new year and each day thereafter lets in a little more light.

I continue to keep busy with two quilting groups, two bridge groups and classical guitar -– though I learned only one new piece this year. We also have a step counter and most days get in our 10,000 steps -- before breakfast.

My picks for highlights of the year are the visit from Bob Nagel in March, the Via Rail train trip to Winnipeg in May but most important, Allison and Doug presented us with grandchild number two -– Benjamin Douglas, in late July. I am thrilled to have the matched pair, and those of you who have known Alan forever are probably amazed to see how well he has taken to being a grandparent –- as long as he doesn’t have to change diapers. I love watching him with his pal Lexi, and marveling at him interacting with other young children. All that stuff about how wonderful it is to be a grandparent is actually true!

We have been getting out for hikes in the Sooke Hills with our pals and each time Alan takes the iconic picture at the top of the hill. This gave him the idea to look through our past albums and resulted in a new photo set, The Way We Were:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigadore/sets/72157628426075667/with/6517410881/
Wow, have we ever changed. Still, we are grateful to get to the top of the mountain and anticipate many more wonderful outings next year.

Alan's Two:
It's not endless repetitions of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer I like best about the holiday season currently underway. No, my best-of-season choices are a] the excuse the calendar provides to go out on Christmas bird counts, and b] at long last the days start getting longer again.

Jan marvels at me interacting with young children as if this were a revelation, a first-ever phenomenon. It ain't so: Lexi and Ben are capitalizing on a long-established talent of mine. Though I never aspired to be a father, I like to imagine that I was a minor star in the uncle role: a master at entertaining kids through the simple device of turning over rocks to discover what creepy crawlies we might find under them, a sure bet at clowning a laugh or ten out of the most case-hardened two-year-old.

Jan correctly mentions how important our outdoor adventures are, particularly the frequent all-day rambles we relish with four-star pals Mary and Mike. But sometimes we take a break from fresh air and look for indoor entertainment. While Jan quilts I indulge my archival proclivities, wallowing in projects related to the First World War. Jan's list of highlights omits one that I would flag: our latest cross-Canada trip by truck-and-camper. When all was said and done we visited ninety communities across the country, mostly to see war memorials featuring soldier statues. Yeah, I know, most folks would rate such a trial somewhere between a triple root canal and a bad case of gout, but no, even Jan -- bless her heart -- decided it was a brilliant game plan, albeit more for the ancillaries it delivered than for the monuments themselves.

It was my aforementioned Dear Old Momma who learnt me the benefits of counting my blessings. How grateful I am that I can still bushwhack with pals a decade and a half younger, still remember what happened an hour ago without consulting a pocket notebook, still conduct myself such that cherished pals continue to put up with me.

For a taste of why I might like to hang out with them, consult the following seasonal confection:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigadore/6552707233/in/photostream

We both hope the holiday season delivers all the eggnog and turkey you can stand and we wish you all the best for 2012.