Boxing Day 2012

We did a 190 mile / 306 km round trip in very wet weather today. Our first stop was for a delicious brunch - especially E's homemade ham and cheese quiche -- and presents with Phil's daughter S, daughter E and her husband D, and grandchildren Z, seen here giving Tater some love and B, showing Phil one of his new radio-controlled helicopters.

Z made delicious "sticky buns" all by herself, using a recipe I sent them some years ago - definitely delicious treats! Phil and B delighted in a little friendly wrestling over one of them, understandably so!

We went to my daughter M's apartment about 3:00pm, where more delicious food awaited us, including maple bourbon roasted sweet potatoes, cornbread, smoky black beans, fruit salad, and extra-gingery gingerbread made by her brother W. More gifts were exchanged, and we heard the details of M's cat's sudden acute illness and demise yesterday, and shared memories of what a friendly, funny cat Benny had been.

With several dates in the near future set to see each other again, we headed back north to Bellingham this evening, replete with good food and conversation, grateful for generous and thoughtful gifts, and most of all, blessed with the love of our families.

(Recommended: Phil's lovely photo of D and Z here, and my son's evocative meditation on Christmas here, on his blog, A Kitchen Full of Women.)