Our ridiculous Christmas Letter

The 2011 Tall Tales of Mike and Chris

Every winter, as the weather gets cold and the days get short, you hear, go south for the winter, it will be warm. So in 2011 we did. We started out by heading back to North Carolina to my sister, Gale’s home, where we had left our trailer and our dog, Bernie. We thought North Carolina was in the south, but we were fooled. It snowed and snowed! So we high-tailed it out of there and found snow in South Carolina. Then we headed to Georgia’s Jeckyl Island where it was cold, but did not snow. We won’t describe the misery of frozen sewage tanks and water pipes every morning no matter how many faucets we left dripping. (Hair dryers came in very handy!) In Savannah, it got a little warmer, but it wasn’t until we were halfway down Florida that we finally hit 70 degrees.

We loved the beauty of the trip south! We enjoyed visiting with Aunt Joyce and Uncle Dick during their annual trip to Jeckyl Island, and we were overwhelmed by the Everglades! So many amazing animals including crocodiles, alligators, panthers, pygmy rattlers right in the camp and birds of every amazing color and design possible.

Unfortunately, while driving through northwestern Florida we stopped in a business parking lot to make lunch. Immediately, two men in a truck wanted to know what we were doing. Then we noticed that the business had no name and the tall fences circling the buildings were topped with vicious biting barbed wire. As our stomachs sank, we realized we had found a secret CIA outpost and that we would have made a better choice if we had eaten lunch on the hills of red ants! Every time we turned around after that, nondescript cars were following us! We headed north and visited with Amie, Tony and the boys during their trip to visit with Tony’s father and step-mother in Mobile, Alabama. We enjoyed wonderful hospitality and got to see our very first Mardi Gras parade complete

                                                             Moon Pie dance!

with flying stuffed animals and moon pies. We toured the USS Alabama with the Parkers, but sometimes when I turned around, I saw men ducking out of sight. We worried that they were possibly after the Parkers now that we had been seen together. The agents followed us to Huntsville where we visited with Aunt Joan and cousin Linda. The agents followed us through Arkansas where we soaked in elaborate ancient soaking pools in Hot Springs, AK and while we dug in the dirt at Diamond Mine State Park.( I think they stole the diamonds we should have found.) They followed us through Texas and into New Mexico and all the way down into the Carlsbad Caverns. I think the agents even enjoyed seeing the petroglyphs at Three Rivers Petroglyph National Recreational Site. But then rabid terrorists required attention and the agents needed to go. They arranged for our demise by having a lady (agent also) crash into us. These were old agents who forgot about airbags. We survived and only needed a little fixing. AND now we have matching surgery scars on our backs. Not every couple can say that!!!

We flew back to Washington nursing our wounds and moved back into our house. We started mowing and cleaning, pulling weeds and cleaning, and Mike put a new roof on the house. Then we mowed again and cleaned again and pulled more weeds. And we missed our old trailer lifestyle. We listed our house for sale. In 2 and ½ months, 2 people came through the house. But our frustration paid off! We were able to do a lease option to buy with a very nice couple. And buy a new trailer and truck.

We are set to campground host at  Saddleback Butte and Big Sur in California and Salt Water State Park and Deception Pass in Washington. We are very excited and can’t wait to start in January.

While we were traveling, our grandchildren continued to grow. Noah is 6 and attending first grade. Luke is 4 and attending preschool. They are both swimming and taking karate.

Lola will be two in February. We were able to visit with her in October and loved seeing her run and run in the park. Amie and Tony are working very hard and running marathons. They have been able to enjoy great vacations, including Thanksgiving in Mexico.

Marty, Taylor and Lola reside in Foster City California where Marty is employed at a Toyota dealership and Taylor is a stay at home mother. Bobby and Alison have recently announced that they are expecting a baby in June.

We were so excited that we immediately arranged a campground host position two miles from them for May and June. Marisa is living in San Francisco and traveling all over the country and beyond to give presentations to rooms full of doctors. She has been able to travel for fun as well. We are very proud of all our children, their spouses and children. We are very blessed.

We hope that you have a wonderful holiday season filled with peace, love, laughter and joy!

Love,

Mike and Chris