UMTravels

I must be home for the holidays. And no wonder I spent three days in the mountains — if I say here at the folks, its lazy daze time.

With three papers coming each day — and today being Sunday — yikes, what a pile of reading. I’m usually done with coffee and on to soda pop by the time I’m finished with the papers. Good thing I got a bunch of my stack of reading done up in Red River.

At least I left the house today — if only because my niece Karen called and needed a fourth for Aggravation. It’s the family game — now passed to another generation. I think it got it’s start in our family because it was something that the 6 to nearly dead could all play. In my web search I was able to find this graphic — though the boards in my family have been square with the marble holding areas to the right corner, rather than under the starting place.

Looks likes a nice board — this one is available from Smith’s Woodworking for $40 — it is red oak after all. It is your basic Parcheesi like marble get to your home base kind of game — bu it does bring out the competitive spirit in this bunch.

For dinner the parents (dad on the grill, mom in the kitchen) did a Grilled Copper River Salmon, pan fried potatoes, and cole slaw for dinner. Add a glass or so of the Navarro Pinot Noir and it’s a dinner that I might have made for myself.

Turns out Christmas eve isn’t today. My father and the nieces rebelled — Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas no matter my argument that the actual birth date of Christ is most likely NOT the 25th of December, but that it was a convenient date several millennia ago. So TOMORROW night is when we start drinking the Red Baron’s and maybe get to open a present or two. I’m no longer the family elf, so it’s doesn’t make all that much difference to me anymore. I’m here for the food and booze and family and presents, not necessarily in that order.