Pretty low key but some good snacking. The four volunteer couples got together at the bunkhouse to watch the game and hang out. Mark and Deb are avid Kansas fans so they are stoked for the game. Others just like a good football game. There is even an alternative “sport” for the non-enthusiasts. Check it out.
Brian and Johnna meet us for steak at a little café in Rosenberg. Food is delicious and it is wonderful to share some time with the kids. Time is flying by as we finish up work at the refuge and do the final planning for our trip to New Zeeland/Australia. We will get to spend a little more time with them the weekend before we get on our way.
The ditches on the volunteer job site are full of water to the very top. Fortunately, they are used to moving water around here. One fire pump and a transfer pump get it down to about 6” of water and another 6” of muck. It is an improvement though. We pull wire and re-bury conduit. It is a lot of shoveling and slogging in the mud but feels good to get it done. Three new sites with power and water. Yeah.
A couple hundred feet of 2” conduit and plus some of ¾ waterline, the ditch work is about done. Pull some wire and pressure test the plumbing then we are ready to back fill. The sites are going to be ready before the new volunteers get here, as long as it doesn’t rain too hard this weekend. We shall see.
The porch roof will have to wait. We have conduit and waterline to run to finish up the RV pads before another volunteer couple arrives later this month. Wielding a shovel is nobody’s favorite task. Boots grow to be 10 pound weights as we slip and squish on rain slickened mud cutting through rock strewn clay and black dirt. Some on-the-fly planning and a number of rain delays really slow progress today but we are set to dive in in earnest tomorrow, if the weather allows! Shovels flailing, our crew manages to dig a 20ish foot long trench 2 feet deep. Only 175 ft or so more to go. No fear though, the backhoe guy gets going on it tomorrow. Yeah!
Kent’s brother Todd died in 2007. That memory is brought into sharper focus as we learn that his wife, Martha, just passed away. Kent makes the trip to Louisville to share in the memorial and spend time with her sisters and family. It is another reminder to cherish every moment we have with those we love.
This week is roof time. All hands on deck, the entire volunteer crew plus intermittent help from local staff cut and install porch roof rafters. It is going pretty smoothly. Winds kick up by the end of the week so roof sheeting will have to wait for a calmer day – -next week.
Family time in the Big Easy. We are spending a week in a Hosteeva rental condo just off St Charles Ave. in New Orleans. Brian, Johnna, Kent and I make it a road trip as we drive in from Houston (thanks Johnna for taking on the chore of chauffeur for the week) while Mike, Tracy and Willa take to the air from New York. By evening the 21st we are all settling in at our home for the week. Laid back time includes decorating the traveling Christmas tree (mostly cheering on Willa as she decorates the tree – fantastic), icing cookies and a gingerbread sleigh and reindeer (a cute but short-lived result), assembling an elephant puzzle, silly fun team games, and strolls up and down St. Charles. Nana and Grandpa make the most of Willa time taking walks, blowing bubbles and just finding fun anywhere we can. Our family exchange this year involved each of us anonymously donating an item that best represented our 2019 to a grab bag. We drew those items and attempted to determine who contributed it and what it represented for their year. It provided a fun way to get a little insight into each other’s lives. It was unanimous, we should do it again some time. We do a bit of cooking: burritos, corn chowder (nice job Mike), pizza, and stuffed roasted squash (thanks Tracy) for dinners. Mike’s cinnamon rolls make a perfect breakfast for Kent’s bday and his Vegan Derby pie the bday “cake”. Vegan baked French toast was a hit as well. We do some eating out; Café De Mond coffee and beignets of course, some fantastic etouffee, beans and rice, jambalaya and gumbo at a hole in the wall joint, the Bayou Bistro, gourmet hotdogs (the kids found this place while they wandered the Quarter), awesome drinks and Vegan dishes at the Green Goddess and a meat eaters fix of burgers at the Trolley Café. We take in some quintessential NOLA French Quarter entertainment: a very talented violin player showing his skills in Jackson Square, a wonderful high energy live band out on the street, and Music Box Village a unique artistic stop where we can “play” the actual structures and make music. Very cool. Kids night out involved a sampling of clubs. It IS the coastal south and huge live oaks line the lanes and canopy the walks in City park. It is a beautiful place to stroll anytime but even more magical at Christmastime when the trees are lighted with displays ranging from graceful and romantic to odd and whimsical. The NO Aquarium is pretty spectacular. At first Willa is a bit overwhelmed by the huge tanks and oddly lit spaces but before long warms to it making for a great visit. I get my Sazerac fix and a wonderful special treat when Brian and Mike take me out to the nearby Avenue Bar for a little Mom and son time. Perfect. It has been a great week. Kent and I are enormously blessed to have time with our entire family together. There is no greater gift.
One more gathering, Christmas in Pennsylvania. Merry First Christmas Harlow. We gather with Bob, Lou Ann, Molly, Clark, newest addition Harlow, and Carol. More cookies, great food, a fair amount of football, and a chance to catch up on what’s happening with everyone. It is a great closing to our holiday Season. Love and hugs to everyone.
Johnna and I get into the spirit early with a trip to the Nutcracker Market in Houston where one can find just about anything Christmas! Since I didn’t actually need anything, I think I did pretty well to come home with just a fun Holiday Tee shirt. Johnna found a beautiful snowman-sporting wreath for their front door and some very tasty fudge. Ho, Ho, Ho…..it is indeed Christmas time…well, close enough.
Happy Birthday Brian! We all go out for a fun Mexican dinner then celebrate the occasion with candles (not the relighting kind) on a West Virginia pound cake. Saving the real bash for 2020 – the big 40! We hang at their place for a great Thanksgiving dinner that includes all the classic dishes and “help” get the Christmas decorating started. Now I am really feeling the spirit.
Hill Country Texas Christmas wine trail, it is a great road trip with Brian and Johnna and we find a couple nice wines along the way.
Cookies…lots of cookies. Carol is in town and Johnna graciously allows us to take over her kitchen. The must haves, chocolate chip and peanut butter blossoms. Add to that a pumpkin sugar cookie, no bake orange balls, and gingerbread plus some of Carol’s specialties; raspberry bars, fudge, date pinwheels, and florentines. The freezer is packed with holiday goodness after a bit of taste testing! Oh yeah!
Our first efforts are trail maintenance. Muscles are complaining a little but it is satisfying work. Birding is pretty good and the cold snap seems to have beaten the mosquitos back.