A Fine Family Day

We interrupt our visit to the San Diego Zoo to accept an invitation to spend Thanksgiving with my aunt Margaret and some of her family and friends in Sun City.

Margaret had begun her day at 4:00 a.m. She had already made two pies (pumpkin and apple) yesterday, so she was ahead of schedule. Even though, she said "I just couldn't sleep, so I got up." When we arrived, it was clear she was also ahead of schedule in other areas--the table was set, other dishes were nearly done, and she still had over an hour before serving began.

We arrived from Santee around 11:30 a.m., having made surprisingly good time through equally surprising heavy traffic over the 74-mile drive.

One of the most wonderful aromas with which to be greeted when entering a home is that of a turkey nearing the end of its roasting time.

Such was the case this morning when we entered from a cool morning into the warmth of Margaret's home. Our noses led us to the oven where this 22-pound bird stuffed with some roasting vegetables was nearing serving-readiness.

When the crowd began to gather in the kitchen, one of the questions up for discussion was "Who will carve?"

(Shown here are l. to r.: Shelley, Matthew [hidden], Tim, Margaret, Kenneth, and Sandra. I will add more identifying information below.)





Today it was the team of Matthew (son, l.) and Kenneth (father, r.) who had the honor of carving.

While the dishes were put out and readied for serving buffet-style (below), I decided that filling my plate took priority over filling a camera chip with photos. So, it was after the first rush that I returned to photograph the food we were enjoying. In the front row (l. to r.) were: a mandarin orange jello salad, a plate of white meat, one of dark meat with roasting vegetables, mashed potatoes, and sweet potato casserole. In the back row (l. to r.) were a cranberry-pineapple-raspberry mold, corn, stuffing, squash, and rolls. Gravy was on the table.

These dishes followed these appetizer items: red pepper hummus, herbed cream cheese spread with Italian salami and rice crackers, a bean dip with tortilla chips, and cheese and crackers.

For dessert there was pumpkin pie with whipped cream and apple pie a la mode. Allison was in charge of the punch, and Sandra, in addition to preparing the mashed potatoes and gravy, made bite-size treats of pretzels, Rolo candies, and pecans.

Shown in the photos to follow are folks who enjoyed the meal and/or brought some of the dishes listed. Here are (l. to r.): Carolyn (a friend of Margaret's), Margaret, and Kate.

And l. to r.: Charlotte (Ken's mother), Ken (husband of Shelley), and Sandra (Margaret's daughter). (Note: Sandra's husband Tim was shown in the kitchen photo above.)

And l. to r.: Allison and Matthew (children of Ken and Shelley) and Shelley (daughter of Sandra).

It was a day to give thanks for the many blessings we enjoy, especially those we often take for granted; to reflect on the importance and value of good family, good friends, and good physical and mental health; and to be grateful for the basic items to sustain life.

And then it was time to enjoy a nap (Shelley with daughter Abby).

We headed back to Santee amid a wide, winding stream of red tailights with a good feeling of having enjoyed a wonderful meal with family members and new friends.