Happy Holidays

Sunday we held a family gathering/holiday/birthday party at our son's house. There were about 25 people, but the yard is very, very deep so it wasn't crowded. Family gatherings aren't crowded anyway.

I've been meaning to get a picture of this tree. The face is plastic. DIL Peg says he's a fun guy. He reminds me of the tree people in the Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, he's also a fungi tree and is slated for removal. The face will find a new home. There are lots of other trees on the lot.

There was lots of food, as happens when families get together. Everyone brings something and usually adds a little something else as long as they're coming. These are not the only groaning tables. We were in charge of the meat. Chicken, hamburgers and steaks went on the grills.

Games were played. Attendees aged from 2 to grandparents. A game of 4 square was chalked on the driveway. It involves a ball, 4 people and not bouncing the ball on the lines. I'm not sure exactly what the rules are. There was also a cornhole game played with beanbags and sloped ramps with holes in them (one hole in each ramp). The trampoline was a big hit as usual. Two of our grandkids are having fun here.

It is becoming a tradition to make ice cream! Hand cranking is supposed to be a team effort. DD the ice cream expert has learned that the colder the mix is, the better and quicker the ice cream is. DSIL Chris is the main crank man. The end result is awesome. Fruit in a number of varieties and syrup, chocolate and caramel of course were added to the base of vanilla as desired. One of the perks of being the main crank man is the privilege of licking the paddle.

Since it was a beautiful day, and not too hot, my sister took advantage of the chance to refresh her motorcycle riding skills. She rode quilter daughter's bike and Jeff (in the blue shirt) was her guide. She lives about 1 1/2 hours from here and never lived in this neighborhood. She came prepared with jeans and boots. With 4 bikes on site, there was a helmet that fit her head. Now she's dreaming of owning a bike.

Quilter daughter has made a girly bag for her bike. She uses it on quilt shop hops. We got to see it up close. It's still a work in progress, but when she's on the road, you know the rider is female. Details are on her blog.

The day ended with a campfire. That actually is a firepit which can double as a grill. It has sides and a lid. Wood is easy to find when you have many trees.

I had a relaxing weekend with 4 days off work in a row. I had a long to do list and some of it actually got done.