BOU AVENUE
Christmas 2001
Christmas 2001 was hectic for me.  The weekend before Christmas Day, Kelly Wood and I headed up to Edmonton, Alberta to have dinner and an early gift opening with Bob (Kelly's dad) and Una Wood.  Joining us were Chris Wood (Kelly's brother) and Edwina (Eddie) Podemski.  Una prepared a huge, scrumptious, penultimate Christmas Eve feast for us all, and the balance of the evening was spent exchanging extravagant gifts.
Everyone get enough food?
From L to R are Kelly, Una, Chris, Bob, and Eddie.
This man needs some professional help!
Bob tries out his new sweater, headlamp and whistle.
On Christmas Eve, Kelly and I returned to Calgary to prepare another feast for Chris, Eddie, Evalyn Wood (Kelly's mom), and Dan Millar.  Then on Christmas Day, we had another gift exchange before I caught an afternoon flight to Seattle, Washington to join my mom, Grace, my brother, William, his wife, Lynette, and their two sons, James and Daniel, for dinner.  It was the first time in a long while that my immediate family (except for my father who passed away in 1998) was actually together on Christmas Day.
Hugs and kisses
Kelly and Sonny embrace each other.
A last glimpse of Sonny's beloved sofa-bed...
Eddie and Chris watch Evalyn opening her big present.
Bloody kids just won't stand still!
A Fistful of Bou's:  William (in blue) hangs onto rambunctious Daniel (5 years old) while Grace hangs onto acerbic James (8 years old).
I spent much of the remainder of my Christmas break hanging out with my mom and my brother's family in and around the Seattle area.  We toured Snoqualamie Falls and the Chittenden Locks as well as taking some short walks both in the greater Seattle area and in Kirkland (where my brother's family lives).
Mon dieu! They're sitting still!
Daniel and James relax in the lobby of the hotel overlooking Snoqualamie Falls.
People line up for hours for this stuff!
Sonny is still somewhat bewildered by the popularity of Krispy Kreme donuts.
Wonder which billy goat Gruff drove a VW Beetle...
This Volkswagen-loving troll lives under one of the bridges in Seattle.
After a restful week in Seattle, I finally flew home on Christmas Eve just in time to meet Kelly for a fabulous fondue dinner party at a friend's place.  What a way to end the year--with more eating!!