We left ROAM safely tucked away at Brunswick Landing Marina in Georgia and headed back to Texas for the holiday season. Michelle, the Dogs, and I piled in to our new/used car and headed out for a wonderful but busy land adventure. We really enjoyed time with friends and family, though looking back, it seems a bit blurry. We raced back and forth across Texas, visiting my Dad at his new place north of Houston, visiting Michelle’s parents in the Hill Country, spending time with Patrick, Heather, and Finley Noodle Soup (Oldest Son, Daughter-in-Law, and Grand dog), and slipping annual doctor visits in between all the travel. I haven’t dared to figure the actual mileage, but I think we burned over 4,000 highway miles running around and I’m CERTAIN that we wore out our welcome with all our relatives!

When not on the road, I spent a lot of time taking pictures of deer, antelope, and a particular windmill on the Ranch in Leakey. Michelle got plenty of quality time with her Mom & Dad.

After Christmas, we packed up the car (now with a new (to me) Windsurfer loaded on the roof) and headed to Colorado for a little ski time. Our youngest son, Sean and his girlfriend drove out from Denver and our oldest, Patrick, flew in with his wife Heather. The snow was excellent, the skiing was epic, and our time with the kids was wonderful. Though we were anxious to get back to Roam, we wish we could have lingered for another week with the kids.

The doctors say we’ll likely live another year and our family has seen more than enough of us for the next year, so we’re cleared to get back to cruising for another year.