The Christmas / New Years holidays are usually fun but sometimes filled with overload, especially as the family dynamics change with age and distance and schedules.

Since we try to take a good amount of time off, there is the ramp up required to prepare both work and home to be ready. It can get a bit tense and in the days before Christmas I saw that certain look in the eyes of several people I know, and the look was not one of rest and total joy. Even if you don't buy into the commercial chaos there just seems so much to do. Of course I don't know many people who are calm and pleasant getting ready for a vacation alone let alone adding to it company, and visiting and special meals and gifts.


So this year was a mixed bag. Lots of fun with the family, but limited time off for me due to coverage and limited time when the family was all together and not traveling or with one foot out the door to do something.

Over Christmas we live in the area of the east that got 15-18 inches of snow. With plans to travel out of the area the day after Christmas and this storm predicted, our response was interesting. Watching the progress as the storm formed, this was really the only clear days (calendar wise) to travel, and as Christmas day approached and it was clear that it was coming in the next day, we launched off quickly and watched the progress from afar knowing that we may be coming back into a mess. But we've dealt with messes in the past and what is a few feet of snow. It all went well and the most difficult part, and that wasn't that bad, was coming back to a plowed street but 18 inches in the driveway and probably 2 feet near the road. With one pilot manning the car the rest of us bounded out, grabbed the shovels, fired up the snow blower and in a half hour we were all dug our and unpacked.

In the few more days I was off there was time for an afternoon of cross-country skiing and a few short runs to add to the workout log before the end of the year. Then back to work for a couple of days before New Years.

A very quiet New Years eve, except for taxiing a bit, and a quieted New Years Day. (too quiet)

I got to try out a few new recipes over the weekend, which is fun because I love to cook.
For New Years day I made Remi's Ratatouli.

The recipe is based off the dish in the movie Ratatouli and very different from ratatoulies I have made in the past that were more like stews. My biggest challenge was that it needed a short oval baking dish to be able to place the vegetables in a concentric shape. This was the best we had so the edges were not as round. The taste was wonderful served over basmati rice. No leftovers on this one.

Figuring out dinner for tonight as I type and as I look at the clock it is time again to become the taxi drive and do a kid pickup.

A happy, healthy prosperous and meaningful 2011 to all who venture on this page.