Holidays 2019

This holiday season turned out to be pretty jam-packed!  We haven’t left town for Thanksgiving or Christmas since we moved to Corvallis,  (OK, Salem doesn’t count) and I must say that it’s been quite fantastic.  This year was a little different however.  First of all, we got a last-minute invite to a dear friend’s last-minute wedding on Long Island.  On Thanksgiving morning.  How could we say no?

Despite my horror at traveling cross country the day before Thanksgiving, we somehow managed to have the most pain-free travel I can ever remember.  No traffic, no lines, and the flight arrived an hour early!  Our friends graciously put us up in a ridiculous Gilded Age mansion on the Long Island Gold Coast.  

The wedding took place at William Cullen Bryant’s estate, Cedermere.  It was quite a lovely and stately place.  It’s been ages since all of my old pals were all together, and with our growing families to boot.  The wedding and reception were the most fun I’ve had at a wedding since my own!  Josef was on his best behavior and made quite an impression.

After the wedding we stayed in a Brownstone near Harlem for 2 nights, riding the subway around, playing with a gang of local boys in the nearby playground, eating an authentic Georgian feast, and visiting the Museum of Natural History.   Josef’s favorite exhibit was the one on early hominids.  

For Christmas we went to Ogden to visit Grammanette and Josef’s many cousins.  He received four different Lego sets from his many admirers, and spent hours putting them all together.  We visited the hot springs, and made snowmen, and of course played with cousins.

I also squeezed in a little journey to Havana, Cuba, but that is a tale for another post!  As fun as it all was, I think next year we are gong to stay put for sure!  It’s hard to go into tax season without a quiet and restorative winter break. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.