Christmas in Tallahassee (2015)
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John, Elizabeth, and Kate drove to Tallahassee to celebrate Christmas with us this year We enjoyed our first vegan dinner of rice with tofu and mushrooms, green beans with almonds, mixed green salad with tahini dressing and pumpkin-ginger cheese cake. Later, we relaxed in the living room, playing "dress the bear" with Kate and sipping wine. |
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We prefer simple holiday decor and this year was no exception. Our citrus, wine, some of our cards (other cards were displayed elsewhere), and a new book (Cooking Light) were displayed in the kitchen (left), and a decorated tree was placed in the living room near the staircase (lower left) along with gold stockings and a treasured chair made by Bill's greatgrandfather Samuel W. Watson. Kate and Liz (below) are shown enjoying a Juanita mandarin from our citrus collection. |
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Our first full family day (after breakfast) started with opening our Christmas presents. Kate loved handing out the gifts (left). First, she tried out her sleeping bag (below left) and then opened her camping kit and camping book (below). |
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The real winner was the tent. Kate let out a number of squeals before the tent was ever assembled. She knew what it was--a bouncy house! And bounce (or, at least, jump) she did once she got inside. First, however, she asked to put on her new dress. |
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| The tent is fairly large and very easy to assemble. The Crawfords easily fit inside, much to Kate's delight. | |
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| A few other exchanged gifts included potholders from Harrison and Julia Christine (below left). The children at their school did artwork and then it was transferred to potholders for gifts. I am very impressed with Harrison's fish and Christine's turtle. Bill was extremely pleased with his new stack of books. Hamelman's Bread was a hit. Published by Wiley and written by an acclaimed baker, the main attraction for Bill was its scientific approach. He thinks maybe he'll start baking again in his spare time. Bill enjoys making and drinking mead, and this is only the third of the several books on meadmaking that he has kept after buying many. Old Southern Apples, a new edition of Lee Calhoun's saga of collecting and preserving apples in the South, was a no-brainer; Bill loved the first edition. Sadly, Edith passed some years ago, and Lee no longer has a nursery, but their legacy is very much alive. Finally, he has been enthralled with the Academic Press book on quality in wine making. | |
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Next day, we decided to have a day outside the house. First, we lunched at Samrat, where Kate charmed and amused us (and others, too), but was not hungry after having eaten three small meals earlier in the day. Then, we drove past the capitol, enjoying the decorations, and on to the Tallahassee Museum. Kate squealed "dinosaur" when we first started the trail. Designer Jim Gary made large dinosaurs and other creatures from old vehicles and they are on loan to the museum. Along the trail and on the foot bridges, we saw black bears, cougars, panthers, river otters, turtles, ducks, eagles, owls, snakes and more. Kate was so excited and had to have a conversation with each critter. John took our family photo on the foot bridge. The following images shows a little of the beauty of the area and was a nice spot for relaxing a bit. |
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| After the tour, we were exhausted so John and Liz bought take-out for our dinner. Kate had more fun playing and giving Grandmommy a lotion foot massage. I returned the favor and she approved! | |
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On the morning of the Crawfords' departure, Kate had her oatmeal in Granddaddy's office at her makeshift table and chair. As a surprise to us--but not to Liz-- she propped her legs up on the "table." Spunky girl! |
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Our dog, Prissy, is old and may not be with us next year. Being very fond of each other, Kate and Prissy share a good-bye kiss. |
| Although Will and his family weren't able to join us this year for Christmas, we have plans for a familty visit coming up soon. We'd like to share Christmas and other photos sent to us by Will and Christy, below. | |
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In conclusion, best holiday and new-year wishes from The Crawfords and The Outlaws. |
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