Home in Time for New Years

Christmas lasted a little longer around here this year. Liz, Ashley and Billy, jr. couldn't make it before the big day but Billy and I drove out to Illinois the day after Christmas to bring them home to the Plantation for their week with us.

What a trip! More than 826 miles one way! I picked Billy up at his apartment that Tuesday night after he got off from work. My trusty little Contour was rarin' to go and ready for the long drive. Billy checked all the fluids and off we went. We drove all night but made several stops to tank up on gas and coffee. We switched driving at intervals so that each of us could catch a few winks. Well, Billy slept; dear old Mom snoozed a couple minutes but mainly just closed her eyes to rest. We arrived at the farm around 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning, spent a half hour getting reacquainted with the Larsons and then packed the kids in the car and off we went.


The drive back was uneventful except that Billy noticed that one of my tires was almost flat. He bought one of those tire-fixers-in-a-can that took care of that little problem right away. We got back home around 2 a.m. Thursday morning. The roundtrip was more than 1600 miles or more than halfway across the country!

Well, the week with the kids was a delight. There was lots on the agenda. Whenever possible, Billy and Joseph had them over to the apartment. Billy, jr and Ashley visited their friends on Hunter Drive. Missy bestowed her favors on anyone interested. I took the kids to the movies; Jimmy took them shopping; David and Billy watched movies at his Ashland mansion. Liz continued writing her novel on the computer. We measured them against the bedroom door. Billy, jr. is now the tallest of the three.

But all too soon their visit came to an end. As before, we picked their Dad up when he got off of work and headed west. The drive wasn't very comfortable for the kids since the back seat is cramped. We tried to give them as much room as possible and with all our stops, they were able to stretch their legs.

We arrived at the farm Wednesday morning and visited awhile. We probably won't see the kids until summertime since they will have no Spring break this year because of the teachers' strike. Saying goodby had some sad moments; but we are looking to have them for a month during the summer when we can do some fun things with them.

We travelled home on the night of the full moon. We were somewhere in Kentucky when we got our first glimpse of this huge ball rising in the east. As it climbed a little higher, it sat itself on top of a ridge, looking like some giant golden ornament. It was simply beautiful and it lit our way back home to Virginia.



Here is the traditional step picture that all Allens must submit too. You see the second generation of Allen kids under the gaze of a proud Bambah!