I just spent a week in Texas on a trip was part family visit and part mini-Road Trip. I hadn't seen the grandkids since July and at their ages (3-1/2 and almost 1) that is a long time and a lot of changes.               We changed planes in L.A. Wildfires had started burning a few days before this trip and  this is a view of the smoke from two fires blowing out over the ocean. We soon left that behind but even now there are fires raging in S. California. December! Here in N. CA we've had one good rain in November and nothing since. But that's a topic for another post.

                                                                  I got there Tuesday night. Kirby and I went out the next morning. She showed me her chickens and we collected eggs.

                  She showed me the tree near the front gate that she and her mom had decorated.

              We walked down the road...

              ...and I didn't know until this point that her ladybug boots have holes in them.

                  I have been told that Santa is taking care of that.

              We looked at decorations on other properties.

               Eventually Kirby got tired of being the subject of photos.

                 A picnic lunch after the walk.

              We have another cutie in Texas as well.

                  I spent last Christmas there when he was only a few days old.

           Brother and sister get along well.

     Thursday afternoon it began to snow.

                                                          Kirby spent some time outside before it got dark.

The plan was that the big kids would spend the evening at a dance hall in the town of Gruene. (Chris & Meryl had flown out with me but stayed in Austin for a couple of days, and Matt flew into Austin on Thursday.) Katie and Kurtis went to pick all of them up but the traffic was so snarled with the unexpected snow and the roads were icy so they all came home instead. So I had almost all my kids (unfortunately one DIL had recent surgery that prevented her from flying) together for a few days of holiday time.