Thanksgiving Past

We spent a lovely afternoon in Kenmore with Jordan and Cliff Swain, Josh, and Cliff's parents, Lee and Debbie from Davenport. By the time the groaning board was ready, we had two of everything including turkeys, stuffings, vegetables, cranberry sauces and desserts. Cliff deep-fried one of the turkeys and it was very tasty. That was a first for me. I have always been intrigued with the process but never wanted to get that up-close and personal with a pot of hot oil. Cliff and Jordan's toddler, Thomas, was adorable and provided lots of entertainment. Jordan is an artist so her home reflects her talents, as did her beautifully set table.

We are having friends here for dinner tomorrow night. Jerry was Ken's boss at Western State, and he and Mary Ellen live at the other end of our street. I know I am preparing mahi mahi from Ken's summer fishing trip, but the rest of the menu is yet to be decided.

There are a few scant plans in place for our annual trip south, but they are scant and only get us into the first two weeks. We will leave here with a planned stop in Albany, Oregon to visit Ken's cousin, Harriet. From there we will make our way to the desert for a few days on then who knows where. Possibly back to Casa Grande where we have been for the past three winters.

Colleen ran her first half marathon in Seattle today. She has been very faithful to her training schedule, and she came through with flying colors. She was running for Break the Chains to bring awareness to human bondage and slavery. I am very proud of her.

I have one string of lights on the mantle and some red and white candles in their holders. Is that enough for Christmas decorating? We are not going to put up a tree since we leave on 12/26, and it takes me about three days to dismantle, pack away and stow in the attic. I will awaken our nutcrackers, unearth the hand-knit socks, and bring forth the Nativity set, but that is about it. We are about halfway there with gifts; either already purchased or at least filed away in our minds.

We were sorry to hear that RV friends from Canada lost their motor home to fire in a parking lot while inside a restaurant in Bakersfield. A passer-by realized there was a little dog inside and broke a window to get inside and save him. It will be about two weeks before the insurance appraiser gets there, but in the meantime the Robinsons have been given the use of a motor home, help with packing their belongings, and storage space for same by someone who was in the restaurant at the time. There are good samaritans out there.

Keep warm and keep the holiday spirit. Ciao