A Leisurely Black Friday

8:47 AM

It's 8:00 and I am the only one up on another blue sky but chilly 35º morning. It's now 9:05 and six of us are up, scratching the dogs and enjoying the morning light and coffee. It looks like another sunny, blue sky day in Dallas.

Renee, Milena, And The Dogs

Yesterday we had one plan, to take the dogs to the dog park. So we had a long morning coffee and breakfast, with none of us in much of a hurry which was nice. Beth made pancakes and bacon for the nine of us, a nice treat for me after yogurt and granola. Tyler, however, was hot for some conchas, so he and Renee drove off to a Mexican bakery to get them. 

Mexican Conchas

There was little if any need for prepping lunch or dinner because we had lots of leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. Just before we left for the dog park, Mitch's girlfriend, Milena arrived from her parent's house in Dallas. We hung out there for a good hour, watching the dogs play and sniff. 

A Blue Sky Morning At The Dog Park

Tin Tin, Kaia, And Friend

Cormorants On White Rock Lake

After the park, we all wanted coffee, so we drove to a strip mall, a Good Friends coffee shop, and a deli. It was warm enough to sit outside so we ordered various drinks for nine and enjoyed the early afternoon sunshine.

Coffee Al Fresco

We were home by 1:30 and some of us were hungry and made roast beef or turkey sandwiches, and I had a few slices of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and gravy. I couldn't pass it up. We spent the rest of our afternoon watching the Chiefs play Las Vegas and on our devices if you didn't care about football. Early afternoon, Tyler realized Rami had a 3D printer. He quickly scanned various sights for models and ended up with a bowl shaped like a brain. Rami uploaded it from his computer onto the printer and viola, eight hours later Tyler had a bowl. Amazing stuff. 

Bowl Model To Be Exported To 3D Printer

In The Printer

The Finished Brain Bowl

We basically wasted the afternoon, sitting around, waiting for wine time at 5:00. We then got out the wine and Beth made four of us Old Fashioneds, a fine way to start the coming darkness. While we were enjoying happy hour, with an artichoke dip and chips, Marisa decided to make a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting, just what we needed to go along with two pumpkin pies and pecan pie. Dinner was lunch over again but with larger servings of turkey, prime rib, potatoes, and stuffing. Yum. We dithered for half an hour over what to watch and settled on another terrible film, The Substance. It received decent reviews on Rotten Tomatoes but we could only stomach its grossness for a half hour. We then turned to something light, episodes of The Office since it was unfamiliar to Renee and was always a family favorite. 

Also Made On The 3D Printer

Family, Food, Football, And Dogs

Morning In Dallas

Morning In Chautauqua

It's 8:00 as I start this and I have been up since 7:15. When I came down for coffee, Beth was already up with Tin Tin on her lap. A bit later, Mitch came down and then Marisa. So the four of us are sitting here in mostly silence, on our devices, occasionally looking up to say something or oogle Tin Tin.

A Chilly Morning At The Dog Park

Kaia And Tin Tin

Getting To Know Each Other

Tyler And Renee

After everyone was up Thanksgiving morning, say by 9:00, we had various breakfasts, from eggs to croissants, to yogurt and granola, depending on the person. The one thing we wanted to do, at least most of us, was take the dogs to the dog park, about ten minutes away, next to White Rock Lake. It's a very popular dog park and we were lucky to find a place to park. We stayed for forty-five minutes, as both Kaia and Tin Tin ran, played, and enjoyed the freedom of open spaces. It was a mixture of dog sizes and breeds and owners, all enjoying their dog's run. 

Ready For Dinner

Marisa And The Pups

We were home just after noon and football already started so we turned on the TV, background for much of the rest of the afternoon. Around 1:30, Beth brought out the heavy appetizers, shrimp, three cheeses, and kolaches. We sat around the TV, enjoying the appetizers and watching football. Earlier, Rami put the prime ribs in plastic bags, then dropped them in the sous vide water and left them to cook for the rest of the morning and afternoon. The turkey was prepped by 2:00 and put in the oven and the sides were ready to bake. Around 5:00 we had drinks, wine, or Old Fashioneds. Around 6:00, Mitch and I pulled out the prime rib and briefly seared it on the grill. 

Table Ready

A Feast

Mitch and I then carved the turkey, then the prime rib while Beth and Evie got the sides ready, two kinds of dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, a cornbread cassserole, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, and rolls. We feasted for a good hour and a half around their dining room table, stuffing ourselves with all the good things. We could hardly make it into the kitchen after dinner we were so full. Everyone helped clear the table and clean up the kitchen. Once it was done we relaxed for a bit before having dessert, two kinds of pumpkin pie and a pecan pie, with either ice cream or whipped cream. We decided to watch a movie around 9:00, and settled on a thriller about a serial killer called TRAP. Evie went up to bed before it started and I joined her soon after but the rest stayed up and watched it to the end. 

Turkey Day With Our Dallas Family

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Evie With Renee And Tyler

It’s 7:52 AM, and I’ve been up for an hour. Mitch and Marisa just came downstairs for coffee. Yesterday’s high was a balmy 80º, but today it’s only 53º—a stark shift. Chautauqua is expecting plenty of snow over the next week, and just like last Thanksgiving, we’ll miss the snowstorm. Hopefully, we won’t face any challenges getting home next week.

Yesterday was a mix of anticipation and preparation. We were waiting for our grandson Tyler and his girlfriend, Renee, to arrive, while also prepping for dinner for both last night and today. By 9:30, everyone was up and enjoying the warm, T-shirt weather. Beth needed a few more items for our meals, so we joined her on a trip to Central Market, our favorite grocery store. It’s easy to see why it’s the busiest and most popular in the area—its selection is incredible. From fresh foods and artisanal breads to a wide range of beer, wine, and produce, they have everything you could imagine. We took our time wandering the aisles with Beth and, as usual, bought more than we intended.

Shopping

Central Market

We were home by noon, just as Rami returned from work. Lunch was simple—most of us made sandwiches, but I heated up leftover chicken and rice. Afterward, I retreated upstairs for a brief but refreshing nap.

Watching Beth Prep

The afternoon was spent in the kitchen, helping Beth as needed. Dinner was pasta with Beth’s signature Bolognese sauce, which took some time to prepare. Rami also got a head start on sous vide-ing a prime rib for today’s meal. Evie chipped in by prepping Brussels sprouts, and Beth made a delicious Caesar salad.

Surfer Dude

At around 4:30, a crew arrived to hang Christmas lights on the roof peaks. Armed with ladders and reels of lights, they worked efficiently in a team of five or six, finishing the job in just an hour.

Yum

Tyler and Renee’s flight from Atlanta was due to arrive at 7:45, so we had plenty of time to enjoy dinner before Beth and Rami left to pick them up. The meal was a hit—everyone raved about the Bolognese sauce, salad, wine, and bread. Beth and Rami headed to the airport at 7:15, leaving the rest of us to relax with an episode of The Great British Baking Show.

Tyler and Renee arrived around 9:00, and it was wonderful to see them. It had been nearly two years since we’d last seen Tyler, and this was our first time meeting Renee. Tyler is deep into his PhD work on brain and depression research, and Renee is in her residency for neurology—both are busy but thriving.

Renee And Evie

Beth And Tin Tin

We caught up on their lives around the kitchen island while they enjoyed their pasta and salad. The evening ended with slices of apple pie from an Atlanta bakery that’s a favorite of the Stranger Things cast. Evie and I called it a night around 9:30, though the rest stayed up chatting until 11:00.

It was a full day filled with good food, family, and, of course, the dogs.

Hanging With Dogs And Family

Tin Tin

Kaia And Mitch

Well, it's just 8:00 and I have been up since 6:45, first with Rami who was up earlier and made a pot of coffee. Then, the dogs joined us, both Kaia and Tin Tin, and now Marisa. It's going to be unseasonably warm today, a high in the 80s, then drop to the 50s tomorrow for Thanksgiving. 

Marisa And Tin Tin This Morning

Yesterday was taken up mostly with an eight-and-a-half-hour drive, from Kansas City to a Dallas suburb called Old Lake Highlands. We left at 7:00 and arrived at Beth's a 3:30. The first seven hours were fine, mostly on RT 69 South through towns with names like Muskogee, Checotah, and Eufaula, all in Oklahoma. It was beautiful country, flat lands of course, with vast farms with towns interspersed every thirty or forty miles. Once we got into Texas, however, on #75, it was driving hell, two, then three, then four lanes of back-to-back traffic, going north and south. Going was slow, maybe 20 to 30 mph in 70-mile zones but we made it finally. 

With Tin Tin

A Relaxing Morning With The Dogs

Beth and Marisa and the dogs welcomed us, and Kaia, seemed to recognize me because she came right over for me to be petted. Rami was still downtown working and Mitch was upstairs working from a bedroom. They also have a new dog since we were here last Thanksgiving, a rescue dog called Tin Tin,  and he is very affectionate and friendly. We had not seen them since July so we quickly caught up on Beth's teaching and Marisa's acceptance to Med School at UT Austin, quite a plum. Ramiro was home by 5:00 and Mitch finished working so we enjoyed an Old Fashioned or wine before dinner. 

Rami With Mitch And Marisa

Old Fashioneds Making

For dinner, Beth made an Ina Garten chicken recipe using chicken thighs, lemons, and onions with rice, it was delicious, with lots of lemon/onion gravy. After dinner, we relaxed, what else, cuddled with the dogs and mostly talked about usual,  school and work Mitch and Marisa's lives, and the family June trip to Africa.  All of us were tired and went to bed by 9:30 at the latest. 

A Day Well Spent (Dallas Bound)

Rhys And His Crazy Great Grandmother

A Happy Boy

It's too early, 6:15, but we have an eight-hour drive ahead of us to Beth's in Dallas. It's going to be hard to leave Tom's family but we can't wait to see our family in Dallas. 

Marlena And Rhys

Tuesday was a day off unless you count the five of us taking care of a six-month-old. He slept Sunday with us and was up by 6:45 with his Nani, Mary. I was next up, then Evie, Tom and Marlena, all delighted to see Rhys. Evie and I had no plans for the day other than hanging out with Rhys which worked well for both Tom and Mary.

Audraya And Rhys

With Pops

Tom had several work calls in the morning and Marlena had lunch with friends so we had Rhys much of the morning. By 11:00, however, he was all ours as Tom and Mary left for their new house to go over the punch list with their builder. We kept Rhys occupied until he was hungry. I fed him his bottle and put him down for his first forty-five-minute nap, waking only when the dog started barking. He woke happy and hungry so Evie heated up a sweet potato, mashed it, and added milk. After he played in the living room, Evie fed him the mashed sweet potatoes, and I fed him his bottle and he was ready for another nap. What a great way to spend a day. 

Granny And Her Boy

The Girls

We started packing up mid-afternoon and helping Tom take a couple of his TVs off the wall, ready to take over to his new house in a few days. By 3:30, we had most of our busy work done and were on our devices, waiting for Rhys to wake up so we could play.  By 4:30,  we had our car packed as Nick and Audraya arrived. We decided to put off dinner so we took three cars, loaded a big screen TV in each and drove over to Tom's home and dropped them off because a technician was coming Wednesday to set them up. When we returned, dinner was ready, spaghetti and meatballs. Marlena had her high school friend Olivia over so there were eight of us around the dining room table. Rhys parents wanted to get him home to keep him on schedule so left us, bereft, at 6:30, and suddenly the house got quiet. 

Guess Whose Toe?

Ribs, Football, And Rhys

A Happy Rhys At 7:30 In The Morning

It's 7:54 and I slept in, sort of, until 7:30. When I got up, I heard Rhys giggling in the living room with Mary so he beat me up alas. Right now, it's just Mary, me, and Rhys, a happy boy after a good night's sleep. I am finishing this at 8:30 and Evie's on the floor playing with Rhys. 

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Morning Walk

Mary And Tom's New House

Yesterday was a cool, sunny day here in Missouri. Around 8:45 Tom wrapped three racks of St. Louis ribs in tin foil and put them in the smoker. After coffee and breakfast, we decided to walk to Tom's new house. It's ready for them to move in ten days from now. It was an easy mile-and-a-quarter walk, most of it on trails or paths in the woods, across creeks, around the developments. They are putting together their punch list for the builder and on Friday we went over the inside, and yesterday over the outside. When we returned, Tom and I drove to HyVee to pick up some wine, baked beans, and a couple other items for dinner. 

Rhys And Mom

Tom And Rhys

Already A Chiefs Fan

We were back by noon when the Chiefs game started but we recorded it until Nick and family arrived for the afternoon, about 12:45. Games start an hour earlier here because of Central Time. We had a sandwich for lunch, then spent the rest of the afternoon oogling Rhys and watching the Kansa City Chiefs pull out a last-minute win with a field goal. So most of the afternoon, we watched football, played with Rhys, were on our devices, and enjoyed a glass of wine as dinner time approached. Tom had unwrapped the ribs around 3:00, slathered barbecue sauce on them, and put them back in the smoker to brown. 

Reading With Granny

Fascinated With My Beard

We ate around 4:30, going through a couple of racks of ribs, beans, potatoes, and salad. Yum. We relaxed, fat and happy after dinner, watching more football, as Rhys napped. Nick and Aundray stayed until 6:00, then left for home, leaving Rhys behind for another sleepover to our delight. 

Too Much Food And Football

So we then spent the rest of the day, watching football, and playing with Rhys until he went down for the night,  We were bored without him, with another football, and couldn't wait to get to bed. Around 9:00, Rhys woke up for an hour but then went down for the night. It was another good Rhys day. 

Storytime Before Bed