It was the day after Christmas yesterday, and time to delve into our new gifts while we relax and enjoy time with family. Laura and I started with a game of San Juan, a gift to me from Laura. It's a bit of a challenge the first time you play, reading all the cards and seeing how they fit together, but the turn order is very quick straight-forward, and I'm sure we'll be playing this one for many years to come. In the afternoon, we headed out to the local Books-A-Million store. Dad found number of sailing books, and we picked up a new cooking magazine with some good southern recipes. Returning home, it was time for a rousing game of Ticket To Ride. Matt and Dad picked up the game pretty quickly, making their tickets and drawing for more, and the tension rose as the trains dwindled. Matt was victorious, smoking us all with two cross-country tickets. In the evening, Laura and I had signed up for dinner tonight, so we cooked up a meal of steak and chicken fajitas, with sides of mexican rice, beans and a salad, which we were very pleased with and plan to make again soon.

On today's schedule was a trip to the Biltmore Estate, a castle and acres upon acres of land in western North Carolina. The landscape was beautiful, and I enjoyed how you parked a bit away, taking a walk through the woods before you get to the castle. We took the holiday tour, seeing how it was decorated for Christmas each year. I enjoyed the large pipe organ and library the best, and Laura loved the tapestries and stairwells. We ate lunch in the Stables Restaurant, sampling the mushroom burger and the rotissiere chicken, both of which were excelleng. Everyone said their goodbyes in the parking lot, and we headed back to WV by a very scenic route through Tennessee (which we missed most of by sleeping as Mom and Dad drove home.