Christmas 2014: Oakley, Sacramento, Merced
On this tenth day of Christmas, I thought it might be fun to share some pictures from our various Christmas gatherings around Northern California. We had a beautiful time in Oakley, Sacramento, and Merced, our respective homes where our parents live. It was a nice time to see family, relax, and take a break from work.
On Christmas Eve, we first stopped off in Oakley where Tiana’s Mom and Ron live. In attendance: Tiana’s brother Stevie and his wife Shan, Tiana’s sister Shalina and her daughter Katie, along along with Jason (Ron’s son). Not pictured, but they added plenty of excitement to the gathering: Gus the American Boxer, and Rosa the chihuahua, Stevie & Shan’s dogs.
(Below in each gallery, if you hover over each picture, it will pop up a brief caption underneath each. You may also click on a picture it will enlarge it to see the full size and you can click over to the next picture in the gallery.)
- A present from my lovely bride.
- Tiana is opening up a new woven basket from Shan & Stevie!
- Momma Linda opening up a new 1000-piece Ravensburger puzzle.
- Me opening up a sweet Opinel knife from Stevie & Shan. I immediately started using it to cut pipe tobacco plugs :)
- Katie opening up gifts from Stevie & Shan
- Ron smelling his gifts.
- Shalina opening up some treasures.
- Shalina also receives a puzzle!
- Ron re-enacts the cover of his gift.
- Shalina opening up a cow skull ornament.
- Wow. Shalina HAND-PAINTED this rock for me.
- Stevie is excited about the gift he’s opening up.
- Stevie is stoked about the Mac Baren HH Mature Virginia from 2007.
- Ron is ecstatic after drinking the pickle juice from this jar. Seriously.
- Shan receives a knitted gift.
- Katie & Shalina
- The look on Shalina’s face!
- Shalina & Katie in an enormous convex mirror!
- Some punzies for me!
- Tiana excited about this handbag/clutch
- Cheers!
Then we traveled to Sacramento (with Stevie, Shan, Shalina, & Katie in tow) to spend Christmas day with Tiana’s Dad and Denise’s family. I didn’t take as many pictures here, but the Christmas cheer was no less in effect. We exchanged presents, ate a ton of delicious food, participated in a white elephant gift exchange (I received a white sock and an ornament), and even played games of Love Letter and Elevenses with Katie, Kevin Jr., and Shannon.
- Christmas morning at the Tapley House
- Smoking tobacco pipes whilst in the shop with Laz & Stevie, working on some pipe tampers and listening to classic rock.
- Stevie & Laz’s finished bullet pipe tampers.
The next day on the 26th (Boxing Day), Tiana drove to my hometown of Merced to spend the day with my parents and my sister Jenna and her husband Kenny. Of course, Dexter the right-handed dog (hah, Latin jokes) joined them. My cousin Amy and her Mom (my Aunt Carol) also spent time with us. Amongst many kind gifts, my Aunt gifted me a bunch of flower seeds that I am excited to get started soon in our small greenhouse out back!
We were in Merced from the 26th to Sunday the 28th. Visiting Merced is always a welcome, extra relaxing time for me as my parents’ house is surrounded by an acre of lawn and blanketed in the crisp quiet of the neighborhood out in the countryside.
- My Mom sits in front of their beautiful Christmas tree.
- Jenna receives an Origami Owl pendant necklace.
- Kenny receives a Chimay gift set including the White, Red, and Blue, a long with a Chimay goblet.
- Dexter receives a new bone chew toy!
- Tiana seems excited about something gluten-free! :)
- My Mom receives a classy lunch tote while Dexter chills out next to his new bed.
- My Mom loves chemistry and history, so I got her a book on how “seven elements changed the world”.
- One of two gifts of boardgames. This one is from Santa so it is Russian Railroads :)
- I got my Dad a digital download of Trainz: A New Era, which is a train simulator. He was up late installing it and played it for much of the following day :)
- Merry Christmas!
We’ve still been unpacking all of our stuff and trying to re-organize our house since we’ve returned in between daily chores and briefly returning to work (well, Tiana had to work yesterday on Friday). There are a host of exciting new (and silly and funny) books to read; calendars to hang up; mugs to drink out of; pictures to hang; boxes of childhood memories to go through; a puzzle to assemble; boardgames to play with fellow nerds; and even a home brew kit to get started. Our family has been far too generous with us; we are blessed. That reminds me: we hung up some stockings and forgot to see what is inside!