A quiet day with Annie and Rob Nichols.

Phoebe in her cage next to the Nichols Christmas tree.

Annie and Rob Nichols are our adopted family.  They issued Dave informal “adoption papers” for Christmas in about 1993, granting him “full rights” as a member of the Nichols clan.  Since that time forward, they’ve treated him as if he were their own flesh and blood.

When I turned up at their home in 1996, Ann and Rob extended full benefits to me as well.  When Dave and I married in 2001, Annie, Rob, and Annie’s son Jay, were among the eight members of our bridal party.

For years, Dave and I spent Christmas Day at their home in Allen, Maryland — a place we all lovingly refer to as “the clubhouse.”  The place has stayed the same, though the actual house changed.  (Home, we say here in the States, is where the heart is.  “Americans” are a traveling bunch, and home means something different to us than it does to most Europeans.)

Annie petting her bird. Who knew birds like to be petted?

Rob and I designed a new clubhouse together in 2000 (it’s the one pictured here).  Our design was based on the original cottage clubhouse, but the new house is much larger and more spacious.  That was necessary because the house is nearly always full of friends and relatives.  We all spent one Christmas in a rental house, in the period when the old clubhouse had been sold and the new clubhouse was under construction.

Yesterday, Dave and I spent a quite day with Annie and Ron, ushering in the New Year with a feast of delicious, Shannon-friendly foods.

We had also visited Annie and Rob earlier during the break on a day when the house was full of people….

Annie sporting the Farwah (Persian coat) sent from her friend Mugren who lives in Saudi Arabia.

Shannon Chance and Annie Nichols.

Annie’s grand daughter, Molly, with their new bird Phoebe.

A postcard Dave sent Annie from Ireland, to tease her about always getting power lines in her photos.

Annie and Rob were both in our wedding. This year they kept our wedding photo up with the Christmas decorations (to tease me back, since I always check to see if we’re still displayed with the rest of the family photos).

I brought this painting to Rob and Annie from Tanzania.

Rob Nichols and Dave Chance.

The Nichols kitchen, designed by Shannon and Rob.

Annie with her grand kids, Molly and Sam.

Sam got a rocket from his aunt Jill.

Annie’s friends Joe and Sam Ireland. (What a cool name!)

Jill and Donnie root for opposing teams. (Sorry your team lost Donnie! Now you’re stuck using Redskins memorabilia for a while! Hee, hee!)

In Rob’s study…

…visiting the books and the album covers that Rob recently hung.

Phoebe and Annie.

Dave with Lacy.

She’s a sweet dog.

Shannon and Phoebe…

…getting to know each other.

The bathroom counter Dave installed in Annie and Rob’s house.

The Christmas tree at Ann and Rob’s is always decorated with items of significance from the past year.  This year’s included a camera ornament for Annie’s granddaughter (to commemorate her success in the realm of photography) and photos of new family/friends.