Happy Thanksgiving On A 11º Autumn Morning

Together Again

6:37

6:53

For some reason, I was up at 5:30, turned up the heat and brought the turkey in from the cooler on our very cold back porch.  It's now 6:45 and the rest of the family are still sleeping, lucky guys.  The sky is filled with gray, orange and blue, quite a contrast to the past few days of Chautauqua gray.  The lake is choppy and is just starting to freeze along the shoreline.  I don't think I will be kayaking.

7:22

7:26

Yesterday was a busy day as we continued to get everything ready for the arrival of Jill and her family.  Lots to do in both the kitchen, living room and bedrooms but all was done by noon so we could take it easy in the early afternoon.  The gang arrived at 3:30, having made pretty good time and avoided ice and snow.  They opened their car door and their two dogs came charging out, Coco and Daisy, ran into the house and immediately explored both floors. Coco had been here before, probably five years ago and seemed to recognize the house.  Everyone looks great, the girls grown up, Drew and Jill ageless.  The girls picked their bedrooms, took their backpacks up, and set up the dog beds and their food and water.  The rest of us emptied the car of goodies Jill brought from Trader Joe's, wine, ham, cheese, and a pumpkin pie.  We had not seen Jill and the girls since July, Drew since Christmas 2018. 

Swan A Flying

Tundra Swans

All six of us crowded on to the couches and chairs and we quickly caught up with the girls' lives, Hayden thinking about colleges, Halle about her volleyball season and a new team.  Jill keeps busy with her real estate job and Drew travels for his job way too much.  He's off to India, then Berlin, Germany, and home.  Then back to Jordan, the following week but he will be home for the holidays.  Around 4:00, we got out the cheese and crackers, the beers and wine and enjoyed a happy hour, watching the geese and even a couple of Tundra swans feed in front of our house until dusk.

Family Dinner

Earlier, Evie had put the ham in the oven and put together the scalloped potatoes.  We ate around 7:00 and dinner was delish, the ham, potatoes, salad and roasted green beans with bacon, Hayden's favorite.  We had dessert around the fireplace, a chocolate and chopped peanut pie, made by Evie especially for Drew who loves both chocolate and peanut butter. 

Man With Dog And Computer

We sat around talking and laughing, Face Timed Beth and Tom's families who are together in Dallas before going up to bed around 10:00, Jill and Drew's family tired from the seven-hour drive from Virginia. Evie and I were wiped out as well so we soon went up to bed as well.