In early December, I had a speaking engagement in Lexington, KY after which I rented a car and drove to Fayetteville, NC.  Reed and I spent a few days together in 70+ degree weather.  Nice.  We took a day trip to Myrtle Beach, SC where we walked along the ocean, took in an IMAX movie in 3-D, and had a brew at the pyramid-shaped Hard Rock cafe there.  But the highlight for me was an afternoon spent paint balling. [Photos by Reed Vukelic]

Reed lined up some camo fatigues for me and boots just a little too large for my feet.  We bought a large box of "ammo" and rented guns.   The paint ball site was just off base.  It was a wonderfully-warm afternoon when we arrived.  There were perhaps 30 other combatants preparing for the games.  Many of them had their own guns, helmets, and uniforms.  I was by far the oldest gamer but they didn't make me take a physical before signing up.  They did require us to sign a waiver of liability form.  "You can put an eye out if you're not careful," I can hear my 5th grade teacher Sister Chestera admonishing.

We were divided into two teams, identified by the color of our armbands:  pink or orange.  The first game objective was take control of a "fort" about 80 yards away.  The teams started at locations about 100 yards from each other.  We had 15 minutes to kill or be killed.  Two or three referees kept an eye on the event and confirmed kills by examining the location of paint on clothing.  At the start of the game, several of my teammates got into a sprinter stance waiting for the signal to "Go! Go! Go!"  As they bolted into the trees, I lumbered forward as fast as I could and was quickly breathless, sounding like Darth Vader behind my mask.  The brush was fairly thick and the managers of the site scattered a few metal objects in the forest to provide cover from the enemy.  I skirmished with two teenage girls who found protection behind a steel blind.  I tried hiding behind a tree but quickly met my demise.  "You're way dead," the referee told me.

In the second game we were moved to a half-acre plot where stacks of old tires 2-6 feet high formed walls and alleys.  My pink team won that match and I didn't even get wounded [mostly because I was crouched behind a good barrier snapping photos instead of engaging the enemy].

In the third game, the orange team defended the fort seen above while we pinkos had 15 minutes to overrun it.  I think I got a few "kills" before taking a hit to my left leg.  The ref said I was a goner so I raised my weapon over head and walked away from the scene.  The whole experience was pretty exciting even for a pacifist.  I was told the paint ball guns send the balls speeding toward their target at 300 feet per second.  Reed got a few welts as a result of close quarter firing from some nasty orange warriors.

Later in December we helped Meredith celebrate her birthday with her traditional "cake," a fruit pizza.

Note the smiley face on the fruit pizza.

The bathroom upstairs was due for some updating.  We hired Mark Jacobson to put in new tile and a shower.  He does excellent work.  After Reed came home, he helped Mark for a few days with the project.

Marking a tile before cutting it to size

A fairly recent "tradition" has been wine bottling at Christmas time.

Meredith siphons the wine into bottles.

Reed corks the bottles.

Pam applies the labels.

The best part, sampling the Black Currant Merlot.

Another traditional holiday activity is cookie decorating.  I am chief sampler.

Hope your holiday season is a good one!