Thursday, December 31, 2009

Dod Montage

In honor of our beloved Dod, we dedicate this photo montage.

Do you believe in Dod?

San Diego, CA in front of Amanda's casa.
The exclusive Dod gang.
Pacific Coast Highway.
The memorable sixty-six thousand, six hundred sixty-six and six-tenths mile mark.
The Dod warming her rear by the fire.
We'd be lost without our 2010 road atlas. The atlas comes in second to the Dod.
Sonoma Valley vineyard, CA.
Pacific Ocean.
Camping in N. California.
Parking lot camping at a boat launch in N. California.
Hanging out with Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox.
Waiting patiently while we toast a Milwaukee's Beast to the Pacific for Dave.
The Dod's stinky older sister carting livestock around the country.
Chris driving his 65% of the time.
Multnomah Falls in the background.
Having a beer at Rogue Brewery on the pier in Astoria, OR.
Olympia National Forest, WA.
Olympia National Forest, WA.
I crush you.
Olympia National Forest, WA
Olympia National Forest, WA.
Me logging in my 35% driving time (according to Chris).
RV camp in Idaho.
Horsethief Lake Campground, Idaho.
Relaxing in Idaho after a long day of fishing. What an excellent campsite.
Peek-a-boo Dod, I see you!
Always cheers! to the Dod.
Saki and Guinness cheers to the Dod in Boise, Idaho.
Little Dod below a balancing rock.
Big Dod below that same balancing rock.
Taking in the colorful fall view in Uinta National Park in Utah.
In front of a petite waterfall in Uinta National Park.
Full-leisure mode in the Canyonlands, Utah.
Resting near the Colorado river.
Canyonlands National Park, Moab, Utah.
Eavesdropping on the Three Gossips in Arches National Park, Utah.
Three Gossips, Arches National Park.
In front of a vineyard in Colorado.
Kiki's Garden in Rifle City Campground, Colorado. Best campsite ever.
Remember this shot? The Little-Dod-That-Could among the huge RV monsters.
The Dod is the fifth face on Mount Rushmore.
Sunset in the Badlands, South Dakota.
Badlands, South Dakota.
Lake Herman State Park, South Dakota.
Our stopping ground, Walmart.

Our first night camping with the Dod at the Indiana Dunes. Only three and a half months seems ages ago! Just look at Chris' little beard!

The Dod abides.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Home For the Holidays

Chris and I enjoyed a smooth and short flight back home last Wednesday. Deo picked us up in Detroit with a lit-up wreath illuminating his Ford. We all spent Wednesday evening watching movies and warming up by the fireplace. Thursday, we head to Ypsilanti to check out Josh and Kaylan's new house. It's beautiful! Their backyard is huge and the rooms are decorated and painted very nicely. The basement is amazing - Kaylan has her own craft room and Josh has a work room too. The kitties - Saturday and June - told me they totally dig their new home. They also have a furnished hang-out room in the basement complete with a poker table (which I and apparently Katie too mistook for a miniature pool table) and Big Buck Hunter video game. "Now that there's a grandaddy buck. Yeehaw!"
Josh generously treated us to dinner at Red Sea, an Ethiopian restaurant in Ypsi. The cuisine was interesting: split peas, collard greens, lentils, Awaze beef tibbs, veggie alecha and spiced chicken all served on a platter of injera along with a side of injera with which you eat the entrees. Injera is a spongy pancake-like bread used to eat Ethiopian cuisine. Instead of using traditional utensils (spoon, knife, fork) you tear off bits of this cool, moist bread to pick up bites of food off the shared platter. All in all, I'm happy to have finally tried Ethiopian food but I'll quote Kaylan's dad after the waitress cleared the table when he asked "Sooo, what's for dinner?"
On Friday, Dad, Chris and I drove to Grayling to spend the weekend with Chris' family. Bob said they'd be ready to party when we got there and, boy, he wasn't kidding! We had a rambunctious time chatting, eating Bob's homemade smoked duck and venison jerkey, Jan's homemade fudge and artichoke dip, and finishing off a fifth of Disaronno and a lot of Busch beer.

Saturday morning we watched a couple classic Christmas movies: Jingle All the Way with Arnold Schwarzenegger (okay, not really a classic) and Christmas Vacation with the Griswold's (definitely a classic). After lunch we went to the hill off Margrethe Blvd. for some excellent sledding! I'd say the highlight of the sled trip was watching Dad do a backflip off the saucer. It was amazing.
Me, Deo, Denise, Chris, Darin, Jan and Bob on the sledding hill.
Daredevil Denise on the fastest sled of all!
Chris in his orange hunting hat and green saucer.
The dad's sharing a Peach Schnapps and Captain Morgans mix to warm the tummy and the toes.
The Peters kids speeding down the hill on the toboggan.
Deo, seconds before the legendary backflip.
Look at that form!

After sledding, we decorated the Peters' family tree. Afterwards, half of us took a short nap before enjoying an hearty steak and potato dinner. Bob got a little carried away and made about 20 delicious cheesy bacon potato servings made out of only five giant potatoes. :) After dinner, Chris broke out his bad-ass electric guitar and entertained us with a few tunes. I was forced to play my harmonica and everyone was polite enough not to laugh.



Sunday morning, we exchanged gifts and I received a pillow embroidered with a bear that I had been admiring at a shop in downtown Grayling two summers ago at the Canoe Marathon. I can't believe Jan remembered! Denise got me Wild Honeysuckle lotion and Pear Glace (my favorite!) spray from Victoria's Secret. Darin made me an awesome tee-shirt with "What What" ironed on the front. Sooo cool! Inside joke, but Arik would get it.

It was a fun and festive weekend! Deo and I are putting up our tree now and watching our favorite Transiberian Orchestra DVD.

Happiest holidays to all!