The other two parties

Room for a couple more trees?

Not so much snow on the ground during our tree hunt at Bob's, this year. Here's Laurie showing off Elva's choice of Christmas tree. Rather larger trees were felled for the other family homes, so as usual it cost some effort, squeezing them all into the back of Don's van. Meanwhile, the ladies of the party had time to collect branches and dried milkweed stalks for extra decorations. Sheer enjoyment, as my photos clearly show.

Francine, Tracey, Jill and Elva

After the activity came the shared food (home-made) and wine (also home-made). Laurie had baked two of his ciabatta loaves for us. We had Glögg from a punch bowl, chili beef, chicken soup and cheesecakes. All of it delicious, while little pine siskins, nuthatches and chickadees fed more delicately from the bird feeder outside and a log fire blazed virtually on the TV screen inside, amidst Tracey's Finnish Christmas decorations.

Robert's home-smoked salmon

In the late afternoon we headed reluctantly back to town, making a detour on the way home so as not to miss the end of the Rockcliffe Flying Club's Christmas party when Santa touches down to hand out a gifts from his sack (aka old tail cover) in the warmth of the clubhouse. Don's Christmas present (to himself) is too large to bring into the clubhouse; it has to stay in the hangar. On Saturday Terry flew the yellow RCAF Chipmunk (C-FEGO) home from London (Ont.) to Rockcliffe with Don as co-pilot and Don's daughter Kathryn, as pilot of the outbound 'plane, accomplished a six-hour cross country return flight in windy weather.