Holiday

I spent last week with P and the Pre-teen in Marietta, Georgia, home to The Big Chicken, Kennesaw Mountain, a pretty good town and local history museum, and a yuppified town square.

On Tuesday, in fading winter sunlight, we waded through rush hour traffic, listening to Christmas music on the local Lite station, and found the right exit. By the time we scooted up the main suburban strip, it was dark, and we were having trouble finding the street sign. "What on earth?! . . . ." - "Is that a chicken on the horizon?" At our turn?! Why don't our directions say Turn Left at the big chicken!? I actually felt glad for the red light, so I could study it and decide if it was genuine -- real, mid-century roadside art. I thought that the Kentucky Fried facing was new, but the bones, so to speak, and chicken itself old. It is. The town is quiet proud of it, and framed articles in the restaurant document more than one restoration operation.

Visiting the shops on the square and the chicken were the main business of Wednesday for P & me.

Thursday found the three of us climbing the mountain (I admit that I was the most reluctant) in a chilly, stiff wind. The view on the clear afternoon was worth it. Many other people were there -- though the park was closed -- representing a happy cross-section of races and ages and fitnesses. With such a fine calorie-burning accomplishment under the belt, we were ready for a meal with 2 kinds of turkey, 2 kinds of stuffing, and 5 pies.

Calendar
Online Advent Calendar I like, here.
Today is both World AIDS Day, and National Pie Day; National Cookie Day is the 4th.