Ramblin' Man (and Woman)

That would be my dad and stepmom. This fall they bought a 2001 Holiday Rambler Endeavor motorhome--40', two slide-outs, automatic leveling jacks, satellite TV, and so on and so on. My dad just retired from his oil field career (of 100 or so years) so that the two of them can hit the road and tour the country in their motorhome, stopping to visit relatives and see the sights (and sites) wherever they happen to drive. They have no schedule, no itinerary, no agenda--just an intention to travel and relax and see what there is to see.

Here are some pics of the RV (this is before they personalized it with their own possessions):

The motorhome is currently parked on our driveway. After packing it up yesterday, Dad and Beverly rambled to our home to celebrate Christmas with us. They will leave tomorrow for parts unknown (actually, their first stop will be Colorado to visit relatives there; thereafter, they're headed for parts unknown). There was much ooh-ing and aww-ing by the Dickinson Mobergs over the new motorhome of the mobile Mobergs. The girls were especially excited to tour it.

Then we went into our own stationary home for visiting. We got phone calls from our much missed out-of-state siblings in Nebraska, Oregon, and North Carolina, and we all took turns on the phone. Visiting was followed by food. Susan made a delicious supper of herb-encrusted beef tenderloin, shrimp pasta alfredo, fresh asparagus with hollandaise sauce, cold fruit soup, lefse, milk, and wine (and, for dessert, pear torte and coffee).

Then we gathered in the living room for some more gift unwrapping. In the morning we had read aloud three versions of the Christmas story (focus: Jesus), after which the girls opened gifts from Santa Claus (focus: Santa Claus) and from Mommy and Daddy (before then heading to our friends' house for a brunch of crepes, herbed fingerling potatoes, and roast lamb--yum!!). So last night we opened "exchange" gifts and the girls' gifts from Grandpa and Grandma. It was very enjoyable and made me think of how much fun it must have been for my parents and grandparents to watch my sisters and cousins and me open gifts when we were kids--the excited reactions, the trying out of new toys, the helping with the package opening and battery insertion, etc.

Afterwards we looked at photographs on the computer (the new version of hardcopy photo albums, I guess), and Dad and I played impromptu duets by ear on the piano. We then retired to the family room downstairs so that Dad and Beverly could finish viewing the Christmas decorations and so we adults could enjoy a brandy Tom and Jerry cocktail for a nightcap (Susan's mom used to serve those to us at Christmastime). Dad and Beverly walked home (i.e., across the driveway) to go to bed, and we all retired for some slumber after a most satisfying, snowless, extremely temperate, family-and-friend-filled Christmas day.

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