Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
That’s a long way down!
I was up, but Mary took a long winter’s nap, not getting vertical until 8:00 am. The roosters had their cup of coffee and were off to work. I was pounding the keys to get the birthday website into shape (Joe provided 100 pictures of the event).
Robin called and told us Nick had to work, so we had an open ticket. We asked Dru to join us, and she could make it! She’s always a pleasant addition to any event—like confetti in a vacuum cleaner or a cat at a dog show! You can’t help but smile, even if it’s slightly chaotic!
By 11:30, we started getting ready, with Mama in the shower belting out Christmas carols like she was auditioning for a Broadway musical—complete with her shampoo bottle as a microphone! I half expected the neighbors to call in a noise complaint for excessive holiday spirit!
Poor Scout, he howled the entire time!
Meanwhile, I was getting my clothes ready for the adventure. Since it would be 45 degrees in the evening, I went to get my ever-so-warm black leather jacket!
We went by and picked up Dru. Then, we headed to Corona, arriving at Robin’s at 2:30 p.m.! We shared a glass of Eggnog in a Moose Mug and visited Robin’s Christmas trees.
From “Christmas Vacation,” an Uncle Eddie special!
Robin, Bob, and Nick go all out at Christmas, decorated from stem to stern!
The Living Room family tree.
Robin’s Family Disney tree is fantastic!!!
The Den Disney tree.
From there, we headed to Riverside, where Bob drove the sleigh and the mighty eight reindeer. We landed just at the end of the day.
We meandered around like lost tourists for an hour, popping into every shop we could find—at one point, I almost bought a rubber chicken, thinking it was a pet! Finally, we decided to go to dinner, but only after figuring out how to leave the “shop till you drop” trend behind us. Who knew shopping could be more exhausting than running a marathon? The shops specialized in “junk” or, as Robin, Dru, and Mary would say, “Little Treasures”.
Bob and Robin led the parade.
Bob kept his hands to himself.
The stores were full of antiques (which is French for junk).
Shopping
Bob wanted to touch Santa, but we kept him away.
What your hands there, big boy!!
We found a large tree with huge silverized glass balls, and the reflection was perfect for a selfie.
The Christmas ball reflection came in handy!
The Inn had their famous dolls on display around the whole periphery! Santa waved us in!
Santa welcomed us to the Inn.
We could NOT pass this shop up! It was filled with unique items and charming decorations you couldn’t find anywhere else. The atmosphere was inviting, and every corner of the store held a delightful surprise. We browsed through quirky knick-knacks and handmade crafts, letting our excitement guide us from one treasure to the next. It felt like stepping into a winter wonderland, and we could not resist picking up something to take home as a memory of our adventure! Most of us put them back down and escaped without junk being brought home!
One more store.
We dined at Dwayne’s inside the Inn. I went for the special steak, and it was perfect!
Wagu Beef was their specialty!
Dru had a good time. She knew Bob and Robin from previous get-togethers and appreciated their humor.
Ladies!
Bob added a load of giggles to the table as the evening progressed.
We had a wonderful dinner filled with wine and spirits.
We were put in the corner for apparent reasons!
Just us!
We walked for a few minutes after dinner and decided to go home.
Liles To Tower; need clearance to land at home!
From there, we headed home via Robin’s house. It was an easy drive, and the fog was starting to settle.
http://lilesnet.com/Christmas/Christmas2024/2024-12-20-riverside/index.htm
