We try to keep the Holidays free when we are actively
sailing. This year we are fortunate to be able to spend another Holiday
season with our family. It is a Todd tradition to have our kids (and
their kids) visit us in ILM for Thanksgiving. The weather was nice so
we could mess around outside. After a great Thanksgiving meal, we
pretty much did nothing other than talk. Chris suggested that we check
out the Battleship North Carolina and so we did.
The kids (especially Collin) were excited
about seeing the restored battleship including the big guns, the bridge,
and the communications center. History says it was quite a site when
the North Carolina was towed up the Cape Fear River over 50 years ago.
Great times. Next season, we will be heading South so we will miss the
Todd tradition in 2017.
Three plus weeks later we headed up to Virginia to see
the kids for Christmas. Chris' family participates in their church's
"Living Nativity". Lilli played the perennial shepherd with her flock of
animals. It was cold so we shivered our way through the play.
Next day we went to another
Todd tradition; going to the movies at the
Smithsonian's IMAX theater near Dulles airport. This year it was the
latest Star Wars movie, "Rogue One". On our last day of visiting, we
headed down to Richmond to see Rob and Anne and our grand daughters,
Emily and Lauren to celebrate Christmas. Everybody was in a great
mood. We had our Christmas dinner at a fancy restaurant in the
Midlothian. Sadly, we had to head back to ILM so that we would not have
to fight traffic the next day.
;
