Christmas 2011

(Continued from Santa and Me).

After Roger and I walked in Tallahassee's Festival of Lights parade with our former high school principal Senator Bill Montford on December 3, I submitted our photo to WCTV's "Pictures With Santa" album, and viewers have voted it "Best" by a large margin.

On the crisp, clear and windy morning of Saturday, December 10th, I drove to the corner of Bainbridge Road and Brevard Street and greeted Darius Jones and Godby High School students serving soup to the needy for the second year in a row. I introduced them to the Association of Godby Graduates and our mission to raise scholarship money, and the seniors were particularly interested.

An hour later, I brought my 2010 Halloween costume to Havana Florida's Holiday Festival and Lawnmower Parade, my second Christmas parade in a week, and my first twice-weekly parade since 1989. 

Havana's parade began at 1:00 pm, and I rode behind the Havana City Utilities truck near the front of the parade. I alternately rode and pushed my fire truck westward from 6th Avenue east of Highway 27 through the center of town and around the block twice. It was my first parade in Havana, and I had a great time.

On Monday, December 12, I entered my first-ever chili cook-off and won first place with a recipe that I have been making for my family for many years.

On Thursday, December 15, photos of my fire truck and me in the Havana parade made two newspapers outside Tallahassee, Page 3 of the Havana Herald, and Page 13 of the Gadsden County Times. 

My family and I enjoyed Christmas on Sunday.

It has been a good year. 

I had the opportunity to travel three times to Orlando, with my family, and by myself to visit old friends. 

My high school classmates and my grandsons Dylan and Gabriel and I celebrated our thirtieth class reunion together, and I attended several other reunions, as well as our annual alumni Hall of Fame induction banquet in the spring.

Including the Arti Gras and Springtime Tallahassee parades, I had a four-parade year, more than any year since 1989, when I rode with Dave the Cat in ten parades, in Tallahassee, Monticello and Birmingham, Alabama.

Softball was fun. We had a lot of player turnover from last year and it took a while to learn to play together again. Our last three games of the season were as good as any we have ever played. Adam's daughter Amber, who has been coming to our games since she was a toddler nineteen years ago, led the team in hits.

The kids and I went camping in Monticello, Florida.

Halloween was fantastic, among my very best, with ten costume contest victories as Tallahassee's Official Party Boat. 

Charlie and Rodney and their families are in town, and I am looking forward to seeing them all over the holidays.

Best wishes, and may you all have a safe, happy and prosperous 2012!