Thanksgiving, Take 2

Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast was so delicious we decided to do it again on Friday. (How could we survive without leftovers?) My friend Sarah who I spent many hours walking the Burke Gilman Trail with in Seattle days drove up from Philadelphia with her kids Eva and Nathan. We stuffed ourselves with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, and Sarah’s homemade cornbread dressing with sausage and apples.

After the kids had played awhile we pulled out the pies. Mr. (Nathan) Incredible and Arwen the Tiger were some of the biggest fans. Chad had made his usual genuine-pumpkin-pumpkin pie and I tried out one of the jars of pie filling canned early this fall. Both were delicious (but we’re always partial to pumpkin).

Sarah and I got away for some fun, catching the Twilight movie with some of my friends and meeting Nancy for a cup of cocoa at Bean & Leaf, our favorite hangout. In the basement it was a constant playdate for Gavin, Eva, Arwen, and Nathan. Chad seemed to have a good time and managed to stay sane.

Saturday afternoon we made a trip to Uncle Sam’s Tree Farm here in Ledyard for our annual ritual of choosing just the right tree and taking lots of pictures while Chad cuts it down. I may have commented last year about just how much easier this whole process is when the tree farm is fifteen minutes away instead of forty-five. Notwithstanding - or maybe because of - the enthusiasm emanating from the kids, we managed to get it up and decorated that afternoon. It’s beautiful!

While I’m thankful for the phone and email that keep me close to my faraway friends, there’s nothing like an in-person visit. Thanks for coming, Sarah!