01-26DEC10 - Houma, LA (merry x-mas!)

Although we have been back in our old home town of Houma, LA, for over three weeks; not much has been happening in the weeks leading up to Xmas. The month started off with Dan gone for two days to a very short job for LSU NCBRT near Anniston, AL. After his return we started our annual round of doctor & dental visits. As usual even though everything appears ok, we still have to schedule some follow-up appointments. And as usual, these appointments will stretch into January, if not February of 2011.

In keeping with the “commercial nature” of the season we (or more correctly – Corrie) spent a good deal of time Xmas shopping. In between appointments & shopping trips, we did find time to visit with old friends & get together again with our son (Joe) for another family dinner & a new game called Taboo; where once again Rebecca showed she doesn’t like to loose.

Sunday, 19DEC, was our Anniversary & Dan planned a special day by getting tickets to that very romantic Broadway play – “Spamalot” written by Monty Python. If you are not fans of Monty Python, than we probably couldn’t begin to explain the plot. For those of you that are fans, the play consists of about 75% from the 1975 movie “Monty Python & the Holy Grail”, a little bit of the 1979 movie “Life of Brian”, & some bits & pieces from the BBC TV show. If the “Knights who say NI”, “bring me a shrubbery”, or “bring out your dead” mean anything to you, then this is a play for you! The cast even threw in references to prominent NOLA natives, Hurricane Katrina, the Saints come marching in, & even the fact that the Baltimore Ravens had just beaten the Saints in football while the play was being performed. Lastly, Spamalot won the Tony for Best Musical in 2005.

http://www.montypythonsspamalot.com/

From Spamalot it was off to Upperline Restaurant for romantic & excellent dinner. The Upperline was opened in 1983 by JoAnn Clevenger. Today it is still run by Ms JoAnn Clevenger, who is definitely hands on! She handles all reservations & seating arrangements, meets you at the door, escorts you to your table, & stops by your table several times during your dinner. The Upperline is the creator of such “standard” New Orleans dishes as Fried Green Tomatoes w/Shrimp Remoulade, Spicy Crispy Oysters, & Jalapeno Cornbread w/Aioli. During the holiday season they offer there Reveillon Menu, which is a fixed price four course dinner offering several choices from there best dishes. Truly one of our best dining experiences ever in New Orleans!

http://www.upperline.com/

http://secondlinenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=52:restreviewupper&catid=6:arts&Itemid=4

On Wednesday, 22DEC, all our lives were some what disrupted, with the arrival of two foster kids placed under the care of Rebecca & Raymond! As we mentioned in our OCT BLOG Rebecca & Raymond have volunteered to be foster parents. Late Tuesday they received a call from a nearby Parish social service agency, asking to place two siblings (ages 3 & 4) in their house for several weeks, or longer! Privacy laws prevent us from discussing the kids, their situation, or showing pictures; but let’s just say that some people should not be allowed to be parents! Even with all that has happened in these kid’s short lives, they appear to show no scars, were happy-go-lucky, & most important to Dan – reasonably well behaved! The kids introduced us to a new Xmas tradition, sprinkling sugar on the ground to attract Santa’s reindeer.

Xmas morning both kids were up early impatiently waiting for us; forcing Rebecca to call us on the cell phone, telling us to get over there quickly. As usual with young kids, all the packages were ripped open in less than five minutes, & numerous small pieces of various toys were scattered everywhere! That afternoon Joe joined us for the holiday dinner. This year everyone voted for the main course, & the winner was spareribs. So along with the traditional mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc, we had BBQ ribs. It was a great Christmas & the two kids definitely made it special! We used Sunday to rest & get the RV ready for the road on Monday, 27DEC, to head to Florida & get together with our friends the Guldenschuhs.