Christmas in Kansas (Dec. 2008)

As a bit of a replay from the year prior, my son Jonathan and I arrived in Roeland Park KS (a suburb of Kansas City) on Friday night, Dec. 12, 2008. Last year Jon piloted his VW Jetta; this time around I did all the driving -- in my two-seater Mazda Miata; we were a bit tight, space-wise, what with all the gifts brought along for daughter Lindsey, her husband Brian and (MOSTLY, OF COURSE!) my 20-month-old grandson Cormac. We exchanged presents Saturday morning. While Ralphie (main character in the now-classic movie “A Christmas Story”) and his family ended up at a Chinese restaurant for their Yuletide meal, we opted for Indian! After a fine lunch of such delicacies as goat meat and tandoori chicken, Brian took Cormac home for a nap as the rest of us hit a few stores and just had a nice time walking around a beautifully restored old shopping district in Kansas City. Saturday evening one of Brian’s fellow gastroenterologists hosted a holiday party, so Jon and I babysat and had a fun time with the little guy -- who seemed to be entranced by segments of (what else?) “A Christmas Story”! I think Cormac liked Ralphie’s kid brother (but let’s hope he does not start eating mashed potatoes in a similar manner!). On Sunday, after we all enjoyed a delicious brunch at First Watch, Jon and I hit the road for Chicago; I got home to Wauconda around 10 PM -- just hours before temperatures plummeted and all the rain turned to ice (WHEW!). I was fairly tired the next day, but the exhaustion I suffered was certainly worth it -- Christmas in Kansas was fantastic!

Also see link to movies I shot: < F-O-R-T-H-C-O-M-I-N-G >.

--Bob ("Grampapa") Friend