The Valley of the Kings... Sixth Day: Days of Creation
Sunday, December 31, 2006
The girls were able to witness that day, something Collette would have given her eye-teeth to see – The Valley of the Kings. Leading up to that grand climax of the day on New Years’ Eve, they were to first cross to the west bank of the Nile after breakfast to the towering Colossi of Memnon. Next would be the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in the cliff above. After visiting the marvel of The Valley of the Kings, they would continued their journey south to Esna and Edfu before midnight came to the country of Egypt at four o’clock in the afternoon St. Louis time.
And by this time, Collette was certain that Carrie-Bri had attempted something slightly crazy – be it sticking her hands in the water next to the cruise ship when crocodiles were present or asking their tour guide about the aliens who constructed the pyramids… she had to have done something after being abroad for five days. Collette wondered how much she had already embarrassed Rose by that point.
Meanwhile, Sunday morning brought the last worship service of the year, still surrounded by evergreen swags and twinkly white Christmas lights and a pile of visitors. In fact, the room was so full of visitors sitting with the church families, that Mom and Joe were obliged to sit on the other side of the sanctuary by the time they had arrived, a little late. And Miguel Dominguez had come to visit the McCrae family for the last bit of the holidays, sitting with them wearing his usual purple collared shirt.
The air was cool and the skies were gray and blue.
After the service, Joe went out to Simple Simon’s for lunch with Tennessee and some of the high school youth made plans to celebrate New Year’s at the Honey’s. Although Joe ended up joining Wallace, Curly, and some other guys at Aristotle George’s house for a The Office marathon where Joe would also be spending the night. Meanwhile, OLeif and Collette ended up staying at the house over fun foods and Dad’s newly purchased first season of Star Trek.
Meanwhile, OLeif faxed the signed contract to Texas, where the realtor was visiting friends. And OLeif and Collette dropped by Home Depot with Joe and Linnea to pick up paint swatches for all the rooms in the little house, should they end up purchasing it that month.
As the day progressed into the late afternoon, the skies were spitting rain here and there, and the winds had become colder. The green lights still glowed from the roof. There were another couple of rounds of Battleship. And OLeif helped Linnea play her new favorite penguin game on the computer.
And of course, Frances and Linnea had their usual grand plans to stay up till midnight over pizzas, pizza rolls, peppermint ice cream stars, ice cream sandwiches, cream horns, potato chips, and Ginger Ale-grape punch.
But when OLeif drifted off on the couch at 8:30, Collette decided it was time they called it a night. (That’s what he got for staying up till two in the morning the night before that.) Collette herself was in bed by ten, and whatever fireworks or banging pots and pans commenced two hours later, she heard none of it.
Maybe next year she would stay up once again… Somehow the charm of staying up till midnight passed very quickly, growing up.