Alabama - Days 24 & 25 - Christmas celebration

Ozark KOA
Tuesday, 24 and Wednesday, 25 December 2019

And a Happy Christmas to all!  It was great for me.

David and Anna drove from near Dallas to Ozark yesterday in about 10 hours.  It would have taken me double that amount of time.

They spent all day both days with us here in the RV, which was really nice for all of us.  The critters liked having someone else to pat them, and the walks were easier because I wasn't having to hold both dogs at the same time.  Although I think it was a bit of a surprise to my co-walker when the dogs decided to start wrestling with each other.

Anna took this photo of my RV, which I'd just gotten washed on the 23rd.  First bath since I bought it more than 2 years ago.  I was a little surprised to find that the dirt and bugs from the highway weren't actually holding it together, and it sure looked a lot happier.

Ozark
On the 24th, we humans decided to go to Ozark for some lunch, forgetting our options would be limited on Christmas Eve.  In fact, other than the fast food franchises, our only choice was the Blue Agave Mexican restaurant.  We discovered Alabama's take on Mexican food wasn't like either the Tex-Mex we were used to, or like Mexico's version either.  For instance, when Anna asked for some queso to go with the chips and salsa we'd been given, what she got was sort of runny melted Velveeta - the white cheese variety.  And when Anna asked about it, the waitress assured her it was queso.  And it was this same runny queso that they put on the nachos David and I ordered.  Very odd.  On the other hand, they had Victoria beer, which is hard to find even in Mexico, so I was happy.

On the other side of the courthouse square is an ice cream shop, which we patronized after the Mexican food.  The ice cream is made there in the shop, they told us, and it was pretty good.

Across the street is the First United Methodist Church (at left) which has a very unusual steeple (at right).  The church doesn't seem to know it's unusual, though, because it has no signs around the building about it, and on their web page, they talk about the building itself, but refer to the steeple only when saying their antique stained glass windows were stored for many years under the steeple.  That's it.  The entire steeple structure is obviously made out of some kind of metal - it looks like tin but couldn't possibly have lasted this long if that's what it is.  The rest of the church, which they're very proud of, is to me pretty standard red brick.  But this steeple can be seen from blocks away and may be unique.

Anna took these photos, and I'm very glad she did because they show how "a picture is worth a thousand words."

one of the nice old houses in Ozark

After gawking for a while, we drove around town a little to gawk at the very nice old houses.  The town's much more pleasant than you'd ever dream from just the franchise businesses along the highway.

Back in the campground
On Christmas Day, David put a 3-lb ham in my crock pot, which I've never tried before, and it turned out very well.  Anna had brought all the way from Texas her cranberry salad I like so much, and some deviled eggs which I'd thought about making but hadn't gotten around to.

I don't think I contributed much of anything to all this feast, other than making Momma's coffee cake for breakfast in the morning.  But I appreciated everything very much.

Anna gave David a Texas-opoly game for Christmas, and we played that in the afternoon.  Like Monopoly but with Texas-type stuff like "Bluebonnet Lane" and "You ain't from around these parts" (jail).

they're about to start wrestling

Dexter

Gracie

Intermittently we walked the dogs, who enjoyed the extra attention and the nicer food I gave to them and Lily for Christmas dinner.

Gracie never seems to want to have her picture taken - hope she's not wanted by the law some place.  This under-the-table photo was the first time she showed herself for Anna's camera.

When my family left that evening, my frig was packed with all the leftovers - like half of Anna's mincemeat pie (which she also brought from Texas), most of the ham, most of the cranberry salad, most of a stick of Summer Sausage they brought, the loaf of Corsicana Pecan Bread they brought me, some green beans, all the breakfast sausage I'd bought that we didn't eat on Christmas - a truly stunning amount of food, considering there's just me to eat it.  But oh well.  I can suffer through, I guess.  I won't have to cook for a week at least.

It was really wonderful to have them with me.  I lived alone for 16 years before I moved in with my mom, and I've been alone since she died, so I'm really used to spending holidays on my own.  But this reminded me of how nice family can be and I'm really grateful to them.