Art Predator wishes YOU a Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

Here on the West Coast, it is Christmas midafternoon. The howling wind makes the air fill with chimes like church, and the sky is spitting all over the laundry I hung to dry in the day’s earlier sunshine.

Our sink is spitting also. Black, sulpherous smelling muck is coming out of the kitchen sink as well as the bathroom one on the other side of the wall. Ugh. We’re combating the stench with beeswax candles, bacon, and incense of frankinscence and myhrr.

We made breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits, and unless we want to go wash them in the bathtub, the dishes will wait piled up on the sink until we snake the sink or call the plumber.

We were planning on heading to the Grand Canyon to experience winter at that spectacular spot. We were even going to stay in the historic El Tovar and dine there as well.

But too much winter between here and there–the weather predictions had us driving through hours of rain and then snow to arrive; Christmas day they predicted it to snow all day. This would make for awesome skiing, both cross country and downhill at the nearby resoort, and a fun time playing in the snow with my dear friend Holly and her toddler daughter–but the weather forcast made us suspect it would be just too much of an adventure, even for this adventurous soul!

So we’re not eating at the Grand Canyon, and we’re not cooking a ham dinner… we’re going out to eat at the Pierpont Inn where we will enjoy views of the incoming storm over the Pacific Ocean. The food is always good and the service professional. Hmmn, wonder what their corkage is? I have a bottle of “The Doctor” sparkling shiraz for dinner!

Last night, we went up to my mom’s house on the hill where we watched Santa fly by, ate homemade chicken mole tamales, drank New Blegium/Fat Tire’s winter ale–2 Below, and relaxed by her fire with family and friends.

After the boy went to bed back home in his new fleece skeleton Santa pajamas, we hauled out of the car the 6′ noble fir tree I rescued from beside a nursery dumpster. Two years ago, I found a 10′ high tree there; it took hours and hours to decorate it but was the boy surprised to see it there beside his bed in the morning–with a bicycle underneath!! This one was much easier to decorate–as well as get in and out of the car!

The boy was so excited this morning when he climbed the stairs to see the presents and the decorated tree which we quickly lit; underneath, Santa had left him two games (“Trouble” and one based on “Horton Hears a Who”), a sturdy Batman backpack for school, a lava lamp for the desk he got for his birthday, and a baseball mitt and ball. In his stocking, he found a rope light which we’ll hang off his loft bed as well as some chocolate kisses.

Three generations are playing “Trouble;” holiday music plays on KCRW, and I’m off to a shower and to get ready to go out.

May your day be merry and bright! And as a holiday treat for you, my next post is full of Burning Man images and links to more images! I’ll post it as soon as we get back from dinner!