We made it to the Seabreeze RV Park at the Seal Beach Naval Weapon Station safely and without losing our tow car. That may sound silly, but this is the first time Bob has pulled a tow car and the idea left both of us a little anxious. There is a back-up camera which we kept on and looking at every few miles just to assure ourselves that we were doing okay.

Our plan is to be here 4 or 5 days to enjoy the beaches and the beach towns. Bob has a Military Officers Installation on the night of the 2nd. The installation will be in nearby Costa Mesa which is why we chose this park for our first trip out in the Pulse.

It is a relatively new park with about 80 spaces. The people here seem to be mostly retirees with large RVs. All seem very friendly and I feel a little like I am a villager with lots of time for walking and greeting other villagers.

I hope I do not jinx their good behavior, but Lucky and LuAnn have been well-behaved and have not barked excessively and have more or less walked properly on their leashes. Although we did take them out in the old RV it was usually just for a week-end and they were still quite young and other campers easily forgave them their yipping and lack of manners.

Sammi,on the other hand, is the perfect canine camping companion. She likes short walks. Can’t be bothered with other dogs and enjoys time spent inside where it is warm or cool depending on the air conditioner or heater.

The African Gray Parrots spent the afternoon in their cages that Bob put out on the picnic table. Both Tweetie and Josephine are expert travelers and take the whole adventure in stride. Tweetie however, started saying “Beddy Bye as soon as the sun went down so she and Jo’s cages are tucked away in the shower and the curtain pulled shut so the lights and the activities do not bother their sleep.

The weather today has been Southern California’s at its best. The sky was crystal clear and the brightest of blues. There was a warm, gentle sea breeze all afternoon and this evening many are sitting outside and enjoying the moderate temperatures.

Bob has my bed ready and since I was up at five this morning, I will post this first thing tomorrow morning. Good night everyone! Sleep tight.

The new motorhome with the Smartcar in tow is sitting out front fully loaded for a trip to Seal Beach. We will be enjoying some RVing for a few days and learning about our new vehicles by experience. As always I am a little apprehensive about the drive, but also looking forward to a little vacation time near the beach. I think we have lucked out on weather for the drive because I heard on the morning news that daytime temperatures in Los Angeles should be in the 70″s.

We have been told that wireless is available at our park, so I am hoping to do some posting while there. Wish us luck!

They arrived Christmas afternoon and once again, there stood before me the miracle of love and joy and laughter all rolled into that doubly delightful package called ” twins”. The tree was given the once over, the mechanical bear band held their attention all of 20 seconds. Meanwhile, Bob and I thrilled to the sound of “Nana and Papa” as young Danica called out to us in a voice that could be called nothing but musical.

The table had been set earlier, the dishes of food ready to be warmed, and the Honey-Baked Ham that Kristi and Theresa brought, ready for the oven. Just enough time to open presents before Christmas dinner. So we all headed for the living room and with a little help from Mommy and T, the gifts were rapidly opened and the kids busily played with new toys from their Nana and Papa.

I made Jello Jiggles for the twins and since this was their first experience with rubbery Jello, I grabbed the camera and continued to shoot as they stuck their fingers into the center of a piece and watched as it jiggled. There is no other word for the experience . . . Jello jiggles and toddlers giggle and wiggle and all is good in the world.

The Chrismas dinner menu included Rainbow Macaroni Cheese, a recipe from Maya Angelou through Oprah Winfrey, raisin carrot salad, sweet and sour green beans, and an outstanding ham. We topped it all off with home-made peppermint ice-cream. So much food, so many laughs, so much love. Contentment is the word that comes to mind and best describes the mood around our holiday table.

With dinner over, there was time to relax - not an easy feat with exploring two year olds, but we managed it. Bob had discovered an old video of Kristi’s little Dachshund of years past to share with us. We watched as a young Miranda and my almost as young, Sammi enjoyed a Dog show. Miranda is no longer with us and Sammi is an old dog, but Bob’s video made them young again in our memories.

With the winds howling and the cold settling in for the night, it was time for Kristi and Theresa,to warm-up the truck, slip Eric and Danica into pajamas, and with gifts tucked securely in the back of the pick-up, head out for the two and half hour drive home. With the twins tucked securely into their car seats, good byes and drive safelys were said. Then last minute hugs were given all around and in a blink we were looking at tail lights as they headed down Burbank Street.

As Bob and I headed back to the house, I was filled with a glow of happiness. I’m not certain I said it out loud, but the words warmed by my heart, were on the tip of my tongue. “Fortunate. How fortunate to know the love of family and the joy of grand babies.”

I really hadn’t planned to post before Christmas, but when this arrived on the front of a card from Bob’s daughter, Michale, I just knew it had to go up in all its irreligous glory. I hope I do not offend anyone, but all I can think of is some bloodhound with droopy eyes saying, “It’s okay, Dog is God spelled backwards”.

I find it humorous that the baby Jesus dog is a Maltese. Lucky and LuAnn think that is most appropriate, but believe me there is nothing angelic about those two and I think it is extremely poor casting! However, Sammi, our Doxie often has the same tender look as the Virgin Mary dog, when viewing the puppies. She would be excellent in the role.

So the countdown to Christmas is coming to an end. I wish you all peace and happinness. May your holidays be filled with love and contentment.

This came in an e-mail from my friend, Dianne. It is too clever to keep to myself so I am spreading a little non-Christmas humor your way.

My cold continues to get better, but just when I think it is gone, my throat is sore again, and my head feels full of cotton. Meanwhile, Bob has taken our new RV and the Smart Car over to a garage who did all the necessary work to hook the two up. Now when we travel to Seal Beach over New Year’s, we will have the car for sight seeing and for attending a Military Officers meeting where Bob will install new officers.

Since this is the second day of Hanukkah, I want to wish all my Jewish friends, “Happy Hanukkah” and with Christmas only 3 days away, Merry Christmas to my friends celebrating the birth of Christ. Happy Holidays to All !