Friday December 24th

Christmas Eve.

Headed for the "NO WHINER DINER" for breakfast.  Unfortunately, this diner doesn't open until 11:00 am.  Somehow that defies the definition of DINER!

Went to another place and it didn't open till 11:00 either.

Ended up at reliable old Denny's.

Afterward we all took a stroll through the Pecos River Village, the River Walk and Millennium Park.  The temps were in the low 50's and windy.  But, I'm not going to complain when the temperature back home is in the 20's.

We stopped at a grocery store to get some items for this evening's pot luck dinner.  When we got back, we picked up our mail which had accumulated for about a week before we had an address to which it could be forwarded.

The resort operators were in the process of smoking hams and deep frying turkeys in preparation for tonight's event.  We did more paperwork and went through all the mail.  Thanks to everyone who sent Christmas cards.  They've become an important part of our holiday decorations and a nice reminder of home.

Judy prepared a nice cold salad to take to the Pot Luck Dinner tonight.  Thanks to Brianna, we accumulated 10 packages of Ramen Noodles, and we've been carrying them in the motor home for over a year (like nuclear waste, Ramen noodles have a half-life).  She found a tasty recipe for a salad that used up 8 of them; a significant space saver and a real crowd pleaser.

When we got to the dinner we mingled with folks from all over the country.  Some that are on vacation and others that live full time in their RVs traveling all year long.  Dinner was served; smoked turkey and ham along with the deep fried turkey.  We've always wanted to try fried turkey and finally got our chance.  It was delicious!  There were about 30 folks at the dinner and a wide variety of side dishes and desserts were brought by the guests.  The pecan pie was OUTSTANDING!

After dinner we went back to the coach and started to watch the "A Christmas Story" marathon.  I never get tired of watching that movie.  Especially the pink bunny suit and the 'tis the season to be jarrwy parts...always funny.

Midnight Mass at San Jose Church was next on the agenda.  A modern style church, it was a real departure from the centuries old churches we had seen in Louisiana and Texas.  A 12 voice choir accompanied by Spanish guitars sang Christmas songs and the traditional hymns during the service.  The Church had a beautiful Nativity scene that reminded you of what Christmas is really about.

It was after one in the morning before we hit the sack and the visions of sugar plums began to dance in our heads.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!