Recovery mode....

Another Christmas has come and gone and today I'm still feeling like I'm in recovery....from eating too much on Christmas Eve. We traveled to Monteux on Christmas Eve to celebrate with Alicia's daughter and her family which included opening presents, listening to music and eating...(lots of eating.) In France many families get together on Christmas Eve and have many different meals during the evening. This included appetizers, then more appetizers, then the main meal and later dessert. Like I said, this goes on throughout the evening spilling over into the early morning. It's about a 45 minute drive to Monteux and we finally arived back home at 4:00 a.m. Needless to say Christmas Day I did not rise early and the rest of the day was a very lazy one for me. 

It was a very good time with lots of great food and the girls really enjoyed their presents. We also had a surprise visit from Santa Claus himself. Turns out Santa was knocking on the wrong apartment door but he did stay long enough to ask the girls if they had been good or bad this year.....they both insisted they had been extremely good the past year. He took them at their word and many presents were opened soon after he had departed for his many deliveries. 

Twas my first Christmas away from my family back home in Missouri and naturally I had some Christmas homesick feelings. Mom always has the house decorated very nicely and it usually is full with my 3 sisters and their families. This year as always dad made his world famous pancakes complete with fried eggs, sausage and bacon. Although I ate enough for a family of 5 here, I think I could have found room for that as well. 

"Yes Santa, I've been VERY good this year, as for my sister, well............"

I spent some time late this afternoon out in the vinyard behind where we live. I took some photos of the east end of the Vaucluse range which towers over the northern side of the valley we live in. I've taken quite a few pics of this range since arriving here and often see hang gliders taking off from the top of the range and slowly gliding to the valley below. It looks like a lot of fun and I'm sure the views while gliding are tremendous....just not sure I'll be doing that anytime soon...but, you never know...:-) 

Looking northeast towards the Vaucluse range earlier this month.

Late this afternoon...daylight fading quickly.