The holidays are behind us. Once again, our family got together here in South Carolina. Quality family time, good food, the warm winter weather along with exploring the mountains of North Carolina was the foundation for making fond holiday memories. Jan and I are always happy that the family chooses to come South this time of the year.
We hit the ground running the first day with an adventure to the Dupont State Forest at Cedar Mountain and lunch in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The second day was as busy staying in and catching up along with plenty of traditional holiday food.
Lots of photos to document our time together. Enjoy!
Got everyone in this picture.
Lunch out in Hendersonville, North Carolina at Never Blue
The Dupont State Forest in North Carolina is a fun stop with several impressive falls and very nice hiking trails.
Everyone is here except the camera man…
Now Jan is behind the camera…
On the trail…great day for a hike
Moving down the trail…
Hanging out enjoying the view along the river
Nice spot for that perfect photo…
Nice place to stop to take in the sights
Karl and Mark enjoying the outing
Mark and Fiona spending quality time together…
Top of the falls…great view plus you can hear the roar of the falls
High Falls in the winter…the first scenic reward along the trail
The second reward is Triple Falls
Plenty of food again this year. Everyone seemed to survive our plant based diet. However, we added eggs and cheese to make the meal experience a bit more acceptable for those who have a more conventional diet.
Breakfast time can be lively at times…
Prepping the dining room for the holiday meal. Enough room for everyone.
Impressive spread…
Time to eat!
Digging in…
Flaming the Christmas Pudding was a bit scary… The blue flame did not come through but take my word for it, it was there!
Morning, just hanging out…
Yes, we are having a good time
Enjoying the great company along with a nice fire for atmosphere in the background
The Christmas flashing lights sent by Paul and Marty with a bit of creativity sets the stage for a good time
Hanging out watching all the holiday action…
Life goes on even during the holidays…
Taking on a Christmas gift with a fun DIY side. Here is the final outcome…what do you think?
These projects took some real concentration…
Everyone got into the fun!
Here is a family team effort heading to a successful conclusion
The big project was to divide up all the family pictures into three piles. This project only took three years. All the pictures have been digitized as well to keep all the memories from years past.
It is great to be in a place where we can have the family gather and have a Christmas tree…
Kicking off the gift exchange with a bit of food and good wine!
Yes, Our plant base diet was mixed with some good cheese.
Here is some of the group for that final shot with the great handmade Christmas scarves made by Marty. The first group had to leave at 3am to catch that 6am plane back to NYC so they had to miss this shot!
Here are some pictures that capture the mood of our time together.
Happy holidays and happy New Year.
God Bless,
Larry and Jan