Corn Meister: 9 AM SATURDAY...VERY QUIET!

'TWAS THE MORNING AFTER CHRISTMAS, and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even....L'iL Mouse. No! L'il Mouse was purring peacefully down in Damien and Shannon's nether-suite below.

Indeed, 23 Dogwood Terrace was serene, quiet the morning after our glorious Christmas celebration Friday.

Ahh, the celebratory food, je ne sais quoi....luscious, magnifique! The sparkling conversation! The bon vivant atmosphere throughout the house! And oh....the drinks! Yes, we certainly did celebrate Christmas!

And best of all this Christmas of '09....we celebrated TOGETHER! Extended family style. Another beautiful memory to file away along with the other 39 Christmas celebrations we've shared together. (Okay, you 'kids' missed the first few celebrations. The four of us ol' folks were a lot younger then....about your age today...and oh! How we could/would celebrate!)

Part of our extended Christmas joy, dear Mike, Kay and Good, is our coming out to see/be with you in Portland. An integral part of a celebration we began on good ol' Dogwood Terrace Christmas Day! Enuff already!! Let's see some pics!!

Monsieur Christophe servin' up the vin at the beginning of the Christmas celebration.

"Poulet Joie de Vivre!"

by "Julia" Sullivan-Dimino

The very best chicken breasts in northern New Jersey stuffed with Ecuadorean goat cheese and Mediterranean capers. Baked to a golden brown! Ahhhh....

And you should hear "Julia" Dimino vocalize about her favorite seafood dish...."SCAHH-LLOPS"! Just like the Julia who recently passed into Eternity. (That's an 'inside' joke. We 'peasants' say "scaaallops".) Either way, dear Julia D., they tasted great Christmas Eve.

A small fraction of the dozens of exotic and delicious Christmas cookies designed by ....

Chef Kellee Christophe-Tornabene.

Thanks, Kel!

Tres bien!

Joe. Forget the slip knots and all the other fancy manuevers. Just suture the damn bird!

Oh, Joe! I love you!

Yeah, Pat. Love you, too. Gimme more string!

Joe takin' a well-deserved rest. Post turkey preparation. I observed him several times Christmas Day and thought to myself: "The greatest human reason to be thankful for this Christmas Day '09 is..."Joe is with us"!

Damien in a thoughtful, contemplative moment at the Christmas Table. "Ah, Lord," he's a-thinkin', "which morsel should I eat first from this bounteous dish Thou hast given me this Day....."

Ever notice: He's a 'dead-ringer' for the artist Hoffman's portrait of "The Christ". Oh, Damien, pls don't blush!