Christmas In Kentucky, Chapter IX: Be It Ever So Humble

Posted: December 30, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Christmas in Kentucky | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Wherein miles are traveled, Santa is impersonated, and home is reached

Dawn broke bright and early and clear on Saturday. I was up and at ’em and on the road by eight-ish. Good roads, windy conditions. Nine to ten hours’ driving, mostly uninterrupted.

Soundtrack from today’s journey: multiple phone calls to and from various family members. I got to play Santa and deliver Kentucky gifts to nieces, nephews, and great niece (as well as other kinfolk). Made it back to Mora at just after six.

Every day can’t be a holiday, because then holidays would lose significance. We need holidays, but we need the non-holidays too. Home now as I write this. “Back to life, back to reality.” It feels like 100 years since I began this trip. It’s cold outside. I’m tired and a bit melancholy.  I miss being near Mom.

– –

Monday is the last day of 2012, to which I will happily bid farewell. But I got a mulligan for an early Christmas gift. So something is in store.

Every mountain has its faces that’d make you want to stop
On this so-unwelcome journey from the bottom to the top

Move along
I believe there’s something beautiful to see
Move along
I believe there’s something beautiful
Just waiting for you and me
– Great Big Sea

Christmas In Kentucky, Chapter VIII: The Return Trip Home

Posted: December 29, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Christmas in Kentucky | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Image from chrisrue.com

Wherein my niece shows exceptional taste in film, an Illinois landmark is revisited, an early night is called, and a fantastic meal enjoyed

Image from canonmovies.blogspot.com

I believe I read once in The Good Uncle Handbook™ that it is my responsibility to introduce my nieces and nephews to the classics. I take this responsibility seriously (e.g., Mad Magazine, The Three Stooges.) So during this holiday break I have been introducing adorable niece Nolia to the best in animation. Her favorites so far: “One Froggy Evening” by Chuck Jones, and “Bad Luck Blackie” by Tex Avery.

So Friday morning I said goodbye to Mom and Nolia and Lady, and set out for home. Yeah, it was hard.

I was glad I waited the extra day. The interstate in Indiana was passable – the plows had been hard at work – but it was clear they had just finished earlier that morning.

Image from americanroadmagazine.com

Illinois has, without a doubt, the best highway rest areas in the country. When we made trips south with Dad, we’d pack a cooler and stop at these instead of fast-food joints. My favorite: the Skeeter Mountain Rest Area, on I-64 just outside of Grayville.

Image from Facebook

I made pretty good time through most of Illinois. I genuinely thought I would make it home to Minnesota by 11 pm or so. But at dusk the temperatures dropped, the highway began to glaze, and the radio forecasted heavy snow ahead of me in Wisconsin. Maybe I’m skittish, but I decided to call it a night. Pulled off the interstate in Rochelle, just 25 miles or so south of the Wisconsin border.

Took a room at the Super 8. At the recommendation of the young woman behind the counter, I drove a few blocks over to the Butterfly Restaurant for dinner. This proved to be one of the best decisions I’d made all day. Incredible food, huge portions, unbelievably low prices. If you’re ever down that way, don’t hesitate to stop there.

Off to sleep at about 11-ish, with plans to return home on Saturday.

Christmas In Kentucky, Chapter VII: Preparing To Embark

Posted: December 28, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Christmas in Kentucky | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment
monopoly devil

Image from genomicenterprise.com

Wherein weather conditions are not trifled with, adorable niece is introduced to The Infinite Game, and plans are in motion for a Great Meeting Of Clan McKinney at Christmas 2013

The snow has stopped, but Indiana still has glare ice on the roads and strong winds. I’m not willing to chance it. So another day here. Will set out for home tomorrow (Friday).

A quiet day with Mom, followed by pizza with Pete and Nolia. I’m stunned at the ruthlessness that the game “Monopoly” reveals in my family. “Aggravation” is like “Candy Land” in comparison.

Image from bkgm.com

To make up for it, I taught  Nolia the finer points of the game of backgammon. Seems safe, right? Nobody ever gets nasty in that game.

It will be hard to say goodbye and return home. I’m glad that Mom has Mary and Pete and Nolia so close by. And good dog Lady is ever watchful.

Plans are in the works for a big traditional Christmas in Minnesota next year with the entire family. This is something that we haven’t been able to pull off for more than a decade, for a number of arcane reasons. We shall see what we shall see; we won’t know till we find out.

Once again: shower the people you love with love this holiday season.

Christmas In Kentucky, Chapter VI: Held Over For One More Day

Posted: December 26, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Christmas in Kentucky | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Image from indianapublicmedia.org

Wherein I stay put

I came here to get away from this.

I ain’t driving home in this.

That is all.

Image from cbsnews.com

Image from indystar.com

Christmas In Kentucky, Chapter V: It Wants To Snow

Posted: December 26, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Christmas in Kentucky | Tags: , , | 1 Comment

Wherein a present-opening frenzy is revisited, a holiday feast is consumed, a game of financial acquisition is barely survived, and travel delays are anticipated

Woke up to Christmas morning, bright and clear and dry. Two days ago temps were in the 60s, but today there was a familiar bite in the air. It wanted to snow, I could tell.

Cinnamon rolls and coffee for breakfast, followed by the frenzy of presents being unwrapped. We’ve tried, believe me, but gift opening with my family has never been orderly.

It was a Southern Christmas dinner, definitely. Pork with barbecue sauce, crab cakes, butternut squash dressing, green bean casserole, shrimp wrapped in bacon and pepperjack cheese, hard rolls, vegetables, cranberry-maple-citrus sauce, pumpkin cornbread, and pecan pie for dessert. Whatta feast.

The clan gathered at Mom’s place for a table game. Adorable niece Nolia had never played Monopoly, so we gave it a try. Monopoly games traditionally go for quite a long time; my mom and aunts and uncles would joke that they were “only going to play till Tuesday.” It went a long time. And much like family games of Aggravation, it became bloodthirsty.

Sometime during the late afternoon we began to see and hear TV reports of bad weather on its way. Later in the evening the reports were confirmed: a blizzard advisory for northern Kentucky and the portions of Indiana and Illinois I’m about to drive through. White-out conditions predicted till noon tomorrow.

My original plan was to get on the road by 4 am and to make it home by 6 pm. But I don’t want to end up in the ditch again. So it looks like another day of family love and togetherness. As my dad would say, we won’t know till we find out.