Mon - Dec 25/17

We relaxed this morning in the RV. Phone calls home were made to both of our girls - Kat and Liz - to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Nick and Marty (Liz's husband and son) were out snow ploughing. They got a bunch of the white stuff making it a "White Christmas", for sure.

Nick is an RV Tech (Nick's Mobile RV Service) most of the year and runs an RV storage and snow ploughing business in the slow season. Then it was time for us to prep for the Christmas Dinner in the Clubhouse at Olde Mill Stream RV Resort.

Arrival for the event fits under Bill's Rules # 23: "RV Park Event: being there a half hour early means you are already 15 minutes late." Now that we are as far as possible from the clubhouse this year, it means we have to be even earlier to be able to get a parking spot.

The dinner was scheduled for 1 p.m. so we left at noon. Luckily we found a parking spot near the entrance. It was half full when we entered.

As in most RV parks, volunteers are a must for most any activities and events. This was no exception. The hall was decorated and all set up and ready to go. Charlotte brought our potluck contribution to the table attendant who placed in at the front of the row.

We saw Tom and Chris who were the first folks we met when we arrived at OMS for the first time (5 years ago). Charlotte went to ask if we could join them at their table and they graciously said yes. Soon we were all set up (note our matched set of Christmas Santa Sweaters) waiting for our table number (#5) to be called.

Chris introduced us to the other couples we were sitting with. We were also introduced to a Polish Christmas Dinner Custom: Sharing of the "Oplatek - Christmas Wafer." Although we didn't have to wait until midnight, we all did participate in sharing the "Oplatek". This was both a nice touch and a new experience for Charlotte and I.

Another of the couples were from Canada (near Orillia, Ontario). During the conversation I found out that we both had been to many of the same areas (as Snowbirds) including staying at "Sister" RV parks in Texas. We stayed at Alamo Palms and they were at the "Big Sister", Victoria Palms. Small world, isn't it?

Or as Kevin Bacon would say "Six Degrees of (RV) Separation". Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a parlour game based on the "six degrees of separation" concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links (or RV experiences) apart.

After the great food and company we returned to the motorhome. In the tradition of what I have been doing for the last week, I was off to the Lodge to continue on my quest for recovering the computer.

There were only a few others that came and went while I continued reloading (nearly 200) programs onto the computer. Some came for ice and the rest to use the Wi-Fi (Hot Spot).

The "Good News" is that the computer is still starting up and shutting down quickly (not a 3 hour process when the last Microsoft Update (1709) messed everything up. The "Bad News" that I may be here until closing time (10 p.m.).

I was actually able to get the pictures from the iPhone to the computer and then use them in the blog. I will publish now before anything else happens. (Knock on Wood).

Wishing all a "Merry Christmas" (again).

Charlotte and Bill