As last weekend began Izel, Christine, Luz, and Chicha [not shown, but Aggie’s ear] arrived on their way south from Vancouver to settle in, more than they anticipated* as due to oncoming

colds, flu or whatever they had to confine themselves to morning walks and hanging out.

Soon enough the weather turned grayer making Sunday,

after Saturday evening’s Christmas Lights Cruise on First, a chill damp day indeed.

It turned to winter glare by afternoon at which point we all, hopefully non-infectiously, bundled up to go to a Christmas Party in Mill Valley.  Monday they spent in traffic, venturing in and out

of SF but failing to score anything beyond burritos [not shown] at Pancho Villa’s .

That night was our Christmas-by-default before they continued on to Christine’s family’s

more traditional celebrations.  Ducks and much more preceded pizzelles and presents [not

shown] in the library, followed by a Tuesday wherein everyone, disenchanted with Monday’s

week-before-Christmas traffic, stayed close and recuperative until Wednesday when they left, winter solstice turning towards the light as we headed, here in present time, towards the various holidays clustered around that.  Happiest Holidays to all and more on that later, hey…

*Original plans were to visit friends in SF Saturday afternoon and evening as well as galleries and such in the City on Tuesday, but after giving Saturday over to ill health and Monday’s not-so-fruitful experience with Christmas Congestion both were abandoned in favor of chilling in peaceful bone-chilling Benicia.