After the splendors of Guilford, we returned to Euclid Ave, where our own ERV, DKV and the MAVVER did some early damage: Some think the installation of this sign in front of the house was a coincidence; others have their doubts. Anyway, moving right along, here at the end of 2010, we celebrated an early Christmas, and Ida hurried to get everyone's gifts delivered ASAP: Miki was on the lookout for "tandy bars." Some further documentation of G-Toko's "Project: Rabbit Cage":
Watch out! D Hawk is often airborne (and wearing a pirate belt)!
The DKVs moved! They live in this great house with lots of windows where you can spy on Ella when she doesn't even know it!
In most civilized lands, couch-jumping is off-limits. But not in Connecticut.
Ida tried this action in Haddonsfield and back home here in Portland; she was swiftly disabused!
Then they took us to the Peabody. The girls were into it.
Ida took this photo of a dinosaur skeleton.
What really interested her, though, were the snakes!
She took some real close looks at them.
These dudes got a little tired out by all the action!
Sometimes I've complained about inadequate LRV documentation, I admit, but dude is stealth. Fortunately, Ida captured her on film. (Why we have no shots of Hanako, I don't know; not to mention SHV; here we get a shadowy DKV, at least). Another picture taken by Ida:
So down beneath that weird back-garage room at the Bradfords, we found a very strange, subterranean room. Red, and walled with mirrors. We decided to spend some time down there.
It's unclear what purpose this room originally served. We began to feel a little uneasy, and left after a little while. Arthur spoke of sealing it using large railroad spikes, so no one would go down there. Since that day, many of us have been stricken by a mysterious fever.
Got up real early to purchase some provisions for the week. Trader Joe's sure is a fine establishment. (That's Matthew in Ida's cart.)
But, damn, we were up for a reason. Holiday train!
You have to get there early, then rush across the parking lot! Oh, wait that there one was from LAST YEAR; this year it looked more like this: Anyways, everyone looks great on that train. These guys, too! They thought departure was at 11, but it was at 10. They were really late! It was kind of funny not just because Ella was Furious, but because they made a mad sprint and actually got to the train (some people may have been wearing pajamas), with Holiday Train Volunteers on walkie talkies making sure we didn't leave without them. Everyone on the train was watching them. This couple sitting near us had this conversation:
Man: Look at that late family, that limping dude is really trying to keep up! Wife: Yeah, he is; his fly is down, too. How lame can you get? We're all waiting for this jokester?
This is what they looked like last year; see any difference?
Obligatory:
Santa's the one who brought us the candy canes.
I got Ida to give hers up by promising a trip to the "open car" where we could yell things at passing bicyclists.
