Two weekends ago Diane, Teddy and I took the coach for a cold, wet weekend to Beth Page campground in Urbana, Virginia. From Portsmouth it is about a ninety minute drive up I-64 to State Highway 17. It would be a lot quicker if not for slow drivers and lots of stop lights. I didn't mind so much because we were not in a big hurry. We left around two in the afternoon on Friday and the nights festivities would not start until five.

The purpose of this trip was to rally up with our fellow Colonial Virginians, our FMCA chapter and have our annual Christmas Party. It is a big affair for us. We have two catered meals, a big country breakfast on Saturday and a really good meal on Saturday night. After the meal is our traditional nasty Santa gift exchange. Gift steal is really what it is. The weekend starts on Friday night with happy hour at five.

We arrived just at four o'clock at the office at Beth Page. Our arrival would have been earlier but I missed the turn into the campground. That meant driving down a dead end street, unhooking the tow, backing up the coach and then driving back to the campground where I better not miss the turn again. I didn't. I did remember that this was a dry camping weekend so I filled up the fresh water tank in Williamsburg on our previous trip out.

We were led to our spot; a big pull-thru, hooked up, put out the slides (and they all worked great) and then Diane took off to the nearest food market to buy some peeled shrimp to take to the Happy Hour.

While she was gone, I sat up Teddy's new crate in the coach. He took one look at it and moved to the other end of the coach. I took one look at it and thought that it was a big thing to have sitting behind the driver's seat. It couldn't be helped, our original crate was just a bit too small and we just couldn't leave him in it for more than short periods of time. Teddy, of course, didn't want to be left for any periods of time.

Diane was not gone long. She came back in with a big bag of frozen shrimp, good sized ones, and I thawed them out for her, which took a few minutes. We changed into some clothes that were a bit more festive to match the occasion, packed up Teddy's Kong with some cheese, and then after he was safely stowed away, we hopped in the car and drove over to the conference center for the party.

It was fun to catch up with some friends whom we had not seen in a few months. We don't get the chance to camp with our fellow club members all that often, and this year was harder than usual with Nickolas being ill, and my work schedule requiring so much weekend work.

We chatted for awhile; had some drinks and I ate a ton of shrimp. Not just ours but some unpeeled ones provided by other people. After about three hours I left with Bill, one of our close friends to go back to our coaches. Bill and Micky were parked next to us. Diane and Micky decided to stay and play tile games for awhile, a long while but that was fine with me. I picked up a copy of Pursuing Happinessfrom a DVD collection provided by a Beth Page staff member and so I had something to keep me entertained for a couple of hours at least.

I let Teddy out of prison, (it's not that bad), and he sat on my lap most of the time the movie was playing. Every now and then he would move over to the co-pilot's seat and look out the door window like he was hoping to see someone, who; I cannot imagine.

The movie really got to me. Of course it did, because I am such a softy. It got to me the first time I watched it too, still I enjoyed it a lot. It is a movie that a lot of people should see.

Around ten thirty Diane came back through the door. Teddy was very glad too see her. We sat together on the couch for awhile, and then I took him out for his last walk of the day. At eleven we hit the hay. Teddy, after providing us both with lots of good night kisses, curled up at our feet and in just a few seconds was asleep.

We were up around six the next morning. I think I actually slept through the night. The fist time that had happened in quite some time. The hard cider I drank the night before must have had something to do with that, or maybe it was all the shrimp.

We got dressed, took the pup out for a long cold walk and at about eight thirty we put him back in his crate and drove over for breakfast.

It turned out to be a great one with eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, pancakes and good coffee. That last item is very important to Diane. Me, I am a hot tea drinker in the mornings when it is available and it was.

After this great breakfast, the Colonials had their annual big business meeting. This one was important because we had a new president, along with other officers, and we were setting up our rally schedule for the next calendar year.

After all the business yada, yada, yada, we were reminded about the coming evening's dinner, and gift "exchange". We all looked forward to it very much. The room was decorated really great, the tables looked nice and I was beginning to feel a bit Christmassy.

We returned to the coach and I gave Teddy some eggs and bacon that I smuggled out in a napkin. Then I piddled around making some minor repairs to various things that needed repairing, fastening down some molding, tightening a screw, gluing down a floor tile, that kind of thing. Diane ran the vacuum while Teddy barked at it.

I wasted my time trying to scan for TV channels. There was nothing close enough worth watching so the TV remained off. We sat and talked which was a good thing.

We talked about what we would do for Christmas where we would go and how long we would stay there. We planned to go to St Augustine for New Years with our daughter Jeri, Tom and Dylan, then over to Fort Wilderness for five nights. (I may extend that if I can) and then back home. We would be back in the office, so to speak, on the 8th of January. We thought this would make a good trip and I am sure that it will.

The big event for the day started at five, with a social hour, then dinner at six. Dinner was really good. We had a roasted pork loin, gravy, creamed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, long green beans with bacon, salads first, and then apple crisp for dessert. As I said it was really good. Then it was time for the gift giving/stealing exchange.

It was a hoot. I got to go first, that meant that there was nothing for me to steal but I had my choice of all the unopened presents and then after all others had gotten their gifts, either by crook or hook, I could look em all over and steal any gift that had not already been stolen twice before. I opened a big box with a large elf in it. Diane liked it and no one stole it although there was a lot of stealing going on. Micky had to make four trips up to the gift table; she couldn't hang on to anything she got until she stole one herself. That steal was number two so her gift was now safe.

At the end of the evening I exchanged gifts with Andy, a friend who liked elves and Diane collects snowmen, which is what he had, so the trade was good for both parties. The snowman is now sitting on our entertainment center and will most likely go with us to Florida next week.

Lots of our friends expressed their sadness at hearing about the loss of our Nickolas. They also shared our joy in knowing that we had a new pup who was adjusting great. Lots of people, who saw us walking him, commented on how handsome he is. He is handsome in a long legged cute kind of way.

The evening was over at around ten thirty. We made a quick getaway to our coach to let out the pup. We called it a day, retired to the bedroom to watch a Walton's Christmas special about two kids from England who came to America to escape the blitz. We both watched the whole thing without falling asleep.

In the morning it was back to the meeting room for a continental breakfast, more good conversation, a round of goodbyes and Merry Christmases and then we returned to the coach. We did not want to leave right away. We choose to walk around some, clean the coach a bit more and around two we left for home.

It was a good time.

This past Saturday we attended my mother's eightieth birthday party. We also decided to make it our family Christmas party as well. We also had a nasty Santa gift exchange that went pretty well. I stole a set of electronic key finders that don't work so hot , but it doesn't matter, the evening was fun. We met at the Surf Rider, a local seafood place that has the best crab cakes you ever ate. Diane and I had ours on top of a Cesar Salad, along with Calamari, She Crab soup and hush puppies. There was Birthday cake for dessert. It was nice seeing my two sisters, my brother and all our extended families. My daughters could not be there but my grandsons did attend. We kept them for the weekend. I looked around the room and was surprised at just how large the family had grown from just two people who met so many years before. I was glad to be there. I will also be glad to see my daughter, her husband and our little grandson in just a few days. I think they will take to Teddy and he to them quite easily.

Well I need to get to work. I am still sitting here in my pjs. I need to get to the bank and make a deposit and I have not done any Christmas shopping yet. There is no sense in putting it off to the very last minute. I also need to get the tree down from the attic. That should have been done days ago but my business has been, well, just busy lately.

So to all my readers and that includes you too Todd..please have a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and my God bless all of you.

Derrick

"Gramps"