December 16, 2014 to January 8, 2015 Auburn and Venice

It has been a busy holiday season for the McDonald, Richard, Strom, Willoughby gang in Auburn, Alabama. Michelle and I arrived on the 16th, Joanna and Lawrence drove from Toronto on Boxing Day and Jessica and Nolan had room for all in their beautiful new home. We had a lot of fun playing card games, sightseeing, walking dogs, going to yoga, going to basketball games, attending several parties and eating great food.

                          

One of the highlights was a road trip to the Whistle Stop district in Irondale, where we ate lunch at the restaurant that was the setting for Fannie Flagg's book and movie, Fried Green Tomatoes. It was a fun little cafe. We added Birmingham to the trip and toured the Civil Rights Museum where we learned a lot about the civil rights struggles that took place in and around Birmingham. 

                       

        

We left Auburn on January 5 and drove to Venice, Florida where we will stay with a good friend of ours until the end of the month. We always have a lot of fun here; playing golf, going for bike rides, long walks, concerts, exploring and just hanging out.