December 25
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| Sue's beautiful home. Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...
There were a few snowflakes spitting out of the clouds this
morning, but there was no additional accumulation. That's good,
because we're going to New Hampshire later. But first: Christmas in
Maine!
We went to Sue's for breakfast, which
was Mel's favorite Christmas morning food – homemade, giant, gooey,
fantabulous cinnamon rolls. Oh, man! That just cannot be good for
you. But, you know, it's only just this once...
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| Punch-stitching by Sue. Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
Following breakfast, we exchanged
gifts. And, may I say, Sue is the Crafts Queen. No one else need
apply, because there's just no point. She made a beautiful, intricate
quilt for Melissa, all stitched in swirls and things. Really, it is
marvelous, and I'm sure it looks amazing on the bed. And then there
were quilted dresser-top runners for Zack and Harry, also too lovely
to actually use. What if a pen leaks on there or something? It would
be a travesty. For me, Sue made a bag ala Vera Bradley, with six
pockets on the outside and ten pockets on the inside, a magnetic
closure, and a matching zippered clutch. And also a punch-stitched
sachet bag full of Maine spruce needles that can hang from a doorknob
to make the entire room smell like a walk in the woods. My gifts to
her and Jim paled in comparison, which is, shall we say, an
understatement. I am such a slacker! Note to self: You can do it!
[Thank you so much, Sue. I love the bag and use it and the clutch all
the time, and the sachet smells amazing! My local friends are amazed
at your skill.]
Jim's kids and grandchildren arrived
just as the four of us travelers were leaving to go to New Hampshire,
but we had an opportunity to meet them, which I had hoped to do.
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| Couldn't help myself. Photo by Chris. |
The weather was gray but got
progressively warmer as we neared our destination...all the way up
into the 30'sF!
It was a lovely drive, though, about 2
½ hours, down to New Hampshire on the interstate and then over to
Nashua. The scenery and topography were about the same as in Maine,
with rolling countryside and lots of trees. There was no snow on the
ground here, so, no white Christmas for those in this part of New
Hampshire.
The home of Melissa's Aunt Stacy and
Uncle Dano is a very cute, renovated, and tastefully decorated Cape
Cod. Where the side porch used to be, there's a cozy,
cathedral-ceilinged family room that leads out to the garage (where
the drinks were being kept cold). The kitchen is all Sub-zero and
Bosch, with beautiful cabinetry. They've been working on the house
gradually, and it's worth the effort. Between Sue's gorgeous home and
this one, I'm going to have a hard time cooking in my kitchen when I
get home!
On with the tour. The living room has
built-in bookcases on either side of the fireplace (which I've been
dreaming of having at my house), and the downstairs bedroom/den is a
television room. It's all set up with fabulous surround sound, of
course. The family photos on the wall drew my attention, as many of
them are of past generations. I love to look at old photos.
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| Mmmmm..... Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
The large group that was assembled
packed tightly around the dining room table for a fabulous feast of
traditional Christmas fare – turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots,
green beans with bacon, peas with pearl onions, cranberry sauce,
gravy, stuffing. I ate too much. So did everyone else. And don't even
get me started with the cheesecakes and chocolate and Whoopie Pies
and cookies. It's a wonder nobody had to be taken to the hospital.
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| Christmas packages waiting to be opened! Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
The gift exchange was lighthearted and
enjoyable, with some gag gifts preceding the “real” ones. Again,
everyone was so generous to us! Pat and Heather gave me a monogrammed
Bean bag, and Harry unpacked a bag filled with honey and maple syrup
from Maine and special Maine blueberry soda and sarsaparilla. Uncle
John and Aunt Pat found Hampton Company popcorn to give to Harry (How
did they know he likes popcorn?). Uncle Dano and Aunt Stacy gave us
New Hampshire maple syrup to take home. And speaking of home, how are
we going to manage to bring all of these wonderful gifts with us
without our luggage being overweight? Well, it'll be worth it if we
are. So there. What a happy problem!
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| Zack & Mel Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
We had a very good time and were so
glad for the opportunity to meet Melissa's father's side of the
family. They made us feel completely at home and included us in all
the banter, and we felt very welcome.
Melissa is well loved by all of her
family. I may have neglected to mention something about the other
night, when we went to see her Uncle Barry's band. Traditionally,
when Melissa walks into the room, Barry makes it a point to play
“Sweet Melissa.” We weren't disappointed at Fastbreaks. The
affection that is shown to Mel is genuine and heartwarming.
Have I mentioned that homes here have
basements and attics? You can stash all your “stuff” away, out of
sight, and the rooms you live in can be tidy and uncrowded. Wouldn't
that be great? Those of you with basements and attics, I hope you
appreciate them!
The drive back to Maine started off on
the wrong foot as we turned right instead of left or something. We
ended up in Massachusetts. So...Christmas in Massachusetts! Melissa,
who was driving, was a little upset about this turn of events, since
the long-enough ride home already would now be made even longer.
As we neared the coast and, therefore,
the freeway north into New Hampshire, it started to sprinkle and
sleet lightly. In New Hampshire, it started to sleet more heavily and
to snow. By the time we crossed the river into Maine, there was
packed snow on the road. Just ask the guy who spun his vehicle around
on the bridge. We nervously watched the temperature
drop...32F...31F...30...29...down to 20F. That would mean ice on the
roads, which hadn't been cleared, sanded (for traction), or salted
(to melt the ice).
Melissa drives excellently in this weather. She
did an admirable job, and we never slipped or slid or skidded. We
drove along at a steady 40 – 45 MPH, following a single-file system
down the center “lane” of the freeway (nobody could see the lines
in the road, so single-file seemed like a good idea). Occasionally, a
[language alert] complete jackass would decide to pass on the left or
right, showering road sludge all over the windshield and momentarily
obliterating our already-limited field of vision. Happily, there were no tragic circumstances
for anyone, and we got back safe and sound (obviously). We were only
about an hour later than we had expected, which was quite an
achievement, but it's after 2 a.m., all the same.
Tomorrow: Christmas at Grandma's!
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