Cold weather and snow came early this year. There was a storm on Christmas Day. I put up two wreaths and a sphere of evergreens by the door in haste before departing for Sarasota.
I flew from Providence to Sarasota on Friday, December 20. My brother and his family arrived Sunday evening from Oakland. We all missed Grandma very much, especially as she always enjoyed Christmas very much, and were all glad to be together again.
There is always time for a good story with Dad (in Grandpa's favorite chair).
As we have learned on many occasions, Grandpa's apartment at the Sarasota Bay Club is very comfortable, and the employees are always helpful and friendly. Evan and I had only one "pool party" (visit to the swimming pool), as the weather was relatively cool. We all had several grand meals together in their elegant dining room. Lauren and Steve are fine chefs, so we also enjoyed several great meals at home that they prepared.
The first order of business was to get a tree. On Saturday Grandpa and I went to his favorite place. We decided to get a tree about 5 feet tall to put on a table. We brought it home and put it in place. As usual, Evan and I decorated it as soon as practical after he arrived. He always loves putting up the decorations.
For Evan, no trip to Sarasota is complete without at least one visit to the Mote Aquarium. He always remembers where to find the tanks where kids can touch things and heads for them. This year he said the crabs were his favorite.
Steve, Lauren, and Evan exchange gifts with each other at home in Oakland but always bring some projects with them to make the season festive. As usual, Steve and Evan made German Christmas cookies called springerles to rave reviews. Lauren brought the mold and recipe for a gingerbread house that she and Evan made to deorate Grandpa's apartment.
My Dad supervising the exchange of gifts
Robert W. Adams
Nowadays we open gifts on Christmas morning after eating Grandpa's sourdough pancakes for breakfast. We gathered by the tree, and Evan passed out the gifts.
Evan at work figuring out all the parts for the erector set that Grandpa found in a catalog. It was still a bit of a challenge, but he took it home to California to work on.
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