Steady hard rain on the roof for at least the last 3 hours. Nice. But it will be cold in the house today, must keep the fire burning and maybe bake something, not sure what.

Yesterday was another fun and busy day, although we were sad to see Molli and Adrian go. Although I got up very early, I was sleepy and lay back down when Ray got up. So I started out a little behind. When I came downstairs, Ray was trying to get frozen bacon off the block to cook, so we could make bacon and eggs for Molli and Adrian one more time. Toast with butter and jam, banana bread, babka...Amelia asked if I was making oatmeal. I said, "no, but I can." I made enough for two or three of us. With brown sugar, half&half, and banana---mmm. What a breakfast! Molli and Adrian had been up packing after I went to bed, with Amelia sitting there in a chair, falling asleep. She was really tired all day.

It was almost 9 before we got everybody (showered and dressed) in the car, with all the luggage. I was frantically knitting a blue-and-green-striped hat for Adrian (which I didn't finish before he left). It was smooth sailing and we got to the airport in plenty of time, thanks, in part, to Ray's speeding, which I didn't even notice, thanks to the new car, and maybe being in the back with Amelia dozing, me knitting, and Molli talking...We worked some on the wording of the invitations, which need to be bilingual among other things. Wish my mother were here... We all sat in the coffee shop after they checked their luggage, drinking hot chocolate and sharing a danish. Molli bought some little things for Tamara in the aquarium store. I liked a little key ring/flashlight with a solar charger, so she bought it for me! They went through security and we headed to the car, trying to decide what we wanted to do, or if we would rather just go home. Amelia was interested in the exhibit at the High, Picasso to Warhol, but iPhone soon advised us the art museum was closed on Mondays.

We decided to check out Stone Mountain, which includes several old houses moved from elsewhere and reconstructed and furnished more or less authentically. But first, to find a place for lunch on the way. Iphone again helped out. We decided on Ethiopian and enjoyed it very much. It was almost scarily authentic, with no white faces other than ours, and no one speaking English except to us. There were a couple men in dresses, one with a head cloth and one with a yarmulke-like hat. There was one party of four women. All the rest were men. Most were gathered around a television that was carrying international news. They were very interested in the terrorism in Nigeria. The host was very pleasant and the food delicious (and cheap, $25 for the three of us).

We had two passes for Stone Mountain from the Project Safe benefit auction, whlch expired 12/31, so we wanted to use them. We still had to pay $10 for parking and buy a third ticket, $9 per "attraction." The plantation, with all the houses, is one attraction, and we enjoyed them very much. It was quite cold, but not raining and we walked from one to the other and even admired the farm animals. There were a few other people. There were some Christmas decorations in some of the houses and a display of old Christmas cards. Many things had been made in Athens; it's a little sad that nothing is made there now.

Then we drove a ways and walked around the grist mill and to the covered bridge, which was moved there from Athens. It's a good one and of course Amelia did not grow up with covered bridges like I did. Then we drove to the main part of the park, where there were lots of cars and people. They have something called Snow Mountain, where they make snow and people pay lots of money to slide down it. We didn't do that. There is also some sort of Christmas festivities, but we were not interested in that either.

We did decide to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain. We figured it would be about sunset and a really nice view. We didn't realize that there would be lots of other people wanting to do that too. We waited about half an hour. Ray had to pay another $9. Most of the people in line with us seemed to be from India or other faraway places. There was one athletic young Mom, with water bottles and heart monitor who was pushing a young boy, maybe her nephew, in a wheelchair. He had been injured at wrestling practice. He seemed young to be practicing wrestling...She was planning to go running later. Another man near us was taking his granddaughter, who was about 7. He seemed more excited than she was. He and Ray and Amelia were discussing how the gondola worked and marveling at the thick cables. It was a fun and scenic, if short, ride, with about 70 other people packed in with us. There are two gondolas. One is unloading and loading at the top, while the other is at the bottom. It was much colder and windier at the top, but there was a lovely view, light enough to see, but with lights coming on in the cities. Of course, the highlight of Stone Mountain is the bas-relief carving of Confederate leaders, which always makes me a little resistant to its charms. The gondola attendant told us there was once a banquet for twelve on Robert E. Lee's shoulder. The scale is about like Mount Rushmore and it is impressive. It reminds me of the poem which I can't quite remember... "two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert...look on my works ye mighty, and despair...nothing beside remains." We had to wait another half hour or so to come down again, since we didn't particularly want to walk. Among other things, we weren't really dressed for hiking, not having planned on doing this. I was glad we did, though, and glad to use the passes. We all enjoyed it in a low-key way.

I called Karen F. and asked her to feed the pigs for me, so we didn't have to go out in the dark and take care of them when we got home. It was about 7. We had so much good food to eat--still some fish and pasta, two pieces of quiche, green beans, and OMG the desserts. We finished some cake Molli and Amelia had brought back from Gloria's--coconut and chocolate that were amazingly good. I managed to choke down another small piece of pecan pie as well. Hmm, I don't understand why I am gaining weight... We were able to finally get everything that was left into the fridge--two half pies and a quarter of a chocolate torte...two more servings of fish, 3 of pasta, etc.

Ray and I played with our new machine that streams the internet to our TV. I am so excited! Unfortunately, Netflix recently split their streaming plan from their DVD plan, so we can't actually access anything yet. I changed it on the iPad with the wireless keyboard, but it won't take effect for three weeks! (I wonder why they do that, it surely doesn't take them any human labor?) We can get TV shows with commercials free from something called Crackle, and we can listen to Pandora on the TV...anyway, it will be really cool. It is called Roku and cost $50 and was recommended by David Pogue...so I bought it. I think it will mean we don't record shows any more, or most shows. We'll see.

I am a little achy this morning and probably still behind on sleep, but glad to have no obligations--except get Polly's package in the mail and a few other "ordinary" "minor" things.