2011 - Cruising Europe: 38 Merry Christmas from Oceanside

At the end click on the youtube link to watch Dickie sweat!

Merry Merry - Happy Happy - Ho Ho Ho!

It's December, and here we are again with our annual steam-powered “Christmas Musings and Doings.”

Unlike previous years, we didn’t’ make any practical resolutions, so we could do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Be free. Waste away. Be irresponsible. That was the 2011 motto.
(Will be the same in 2012).

December: We drove to Oceanside, California to enjoy the snowbird-lifestyle for three months, and to celebrate Christmas on the beach – where palm trees sway and a cool breeze blows in from the Pacific. Oh, sure, it’s not like Christmas up north. We don’t wake up and discover that the landscape has been magically transformed by a blanket of white, unless a cocaine plane from Mexico has crashed on the lawn.

Speaking of Mexico, I swear that of the 114 million living there, 113 million currently reside in Southern California. Feliz Navidad. Una muy Feliz Navidad!

But Christmas is not about the (illegal) Mexicans, or the palm trees swaying in the breeze; it’s a battle of taking the annual Christmas photos and decking-out Dickie in Santa-shorts. For as long as I can remember, the process of taking these annual photos has been an exercise in patience and is always met with a series of reluctant groans -- and this year was no exception. Dickie is convinced that I do this to torment him. Hmm!

Now to the beginning of the year:

January and February: We ate and drank - mostly trying to revive our energy.

March and April: We did absolutely nothing.

May and June: As part of our continuing effort to make the world a little bit smaller, we put on a few miles in Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Russia and Scotland.

July and August: We had a few, but too few to mention.

September: We had a few more and ended up in Oregon.

October: We made a few toasts and hiked some crazy trails around Lake Tahoe.

November: We survived the “Five-Day-Thanksgiving-Harmony-of-Wine-and Food-Season; also called a festival of gratitude. Gratitude does wonders for the mind, body, and soul……and belly ache and tight pants.

December: See above.

P.S. We have tickets to the Holiday Bowl on December 28^th in San Diego. Dickie is pumped. GO BEARS!

Although we won’t be seeing you this Christmas, you’re in our thoughts and hearts. Hope Christmas brings you lots of reasons to smile and bountiful blessings.