We don't often travel over Thanksgiving . Now we know why...have you heard it is THE busiest travel holiday of the year? I believe we saw every automobile in the United States on the freeway system. We were at a complete stop in Cincinnati and again in Louisville. Not moving...for a l-o-o-o-n-g time. We very, very seriously considered turning around and returning home ...multiple times. This photo was taken somewhere along the way before sun down.
We packed our "World Trade Center Turkey." In 2000, Emily's freshman year at New York University, we all landed in Manhattan for the Macy's Day Parade. Was that fun! Especially the night before the parade walking around the Upper West Side and watching the massive balloons being filled with helium. It was bitterly cold and the wind was whipping between the buildings. Brrrrr. We returned to our hotel, the Marriott World Trade Center, for wonderful hot chocolate. After a few short hours of sleep, we awoke at the crack of Thanksgiving dawn to secure great spots for the world's greatest parade. Later that afternoon, we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner at Tavern on the Green. Gorgeous! My fabulous sistah, Martha, brought these turkeys for decorations and we have each had one ever since. They are special birds from a special Thanksgiving!
So, back to this years excursion to the South, we also packed the card from my mother and our gratitude list. (Since we weren't gathered around our dining room table with our mini piles of corn to count our blessings.)
When we finally arrived at our hotel in Oxford, one daughter was sound asleep and one was eagerly awaiting us. Very quickly we were all awake, breaking out the surprise bag of yeast rolls when our girls shared their food surprise for us. Sweet cream salted butter, wrapped in parchment paper, from the Farmer's Market in New Orleans! We also had a jar of our homemade raspberry jam. Deliciousness abounded well past midnight, with our turkey watching over us.
Thanksgiving morn, well...noon, brought us to Grandma Frances and Grandpa Perry's home. Our girls had stayed in this home during their Hurricane Gustav evacuation. As we drove up to a driveway spewing cars, they exclaimed how different it was from when it was just the two of them. They much preferred all the cousins and relatives! What joy it was to see everyone again! What fun, uplifting, fun people. We were so very glad we had not turned our car around. It was a reminder lesson that at times we must endure (soooo much traffic) but by golly, it is worth it.
During our Hurricane Ike wind experience I had, of course, used coolers until we purchased our generator. I have never thought of using a cooler during the holidays for extended refrigerator space. Frances, what an ingenious idea! And I write so you may all be as blessed with further frig storage during the holidays. Frances took me into their garage where she had multiple coolers lined up and explained that some coolers now keep food chilled for up to two weeks. Um, we are behind the times.
When homemade pie time arrived, two big birthdays in the family were celebrated; Perry having turned 75 on their mission and Steve the big five-oh. What fun to have Frances join the birthday posse as she had turned 60 while serving in Ecuador.
Miss Miriam jumped in as she had recently turned 11, and that is special, too!
After dinner, Perry took us to the side of their home where all participated in Leaf Boogie boarding. Soooo fun! Not one tear was shed nor were there any injuries--a miracle.
Steve remembering boogie boarding this past Christmas on an 18 foot wave, in Maui, where we had climbed down a million steps and rocks to get to the the beach where the locals ride the waves. Insanity. No "Shakras" but still a lot of fun!
Emily with cousin Miriam whizzing by after a plethora of shoves from the top from a mini army of eager cousins.
They literally went flying past the board and sailed down the hill on their bums. It was hysterical. Besides wearing a few more layers of soil on their pants, smiles, tickles and giggles abounded as the board caught up to them at the bottom of the hill.
J showing us her barefoot form!
Cousins Jessica and Rachel having a leaf war. Uncle Steve raking to replace the leaves on the course.
Cousin Seth swooping in with current technology, blowing the leaves back onto the course.
Jessica and Miriam leading the "Let's roll down the hill!" Ah...something from our past is still good and current.
Here they all come!
Oh, it was a way good Thanksgiving day so far!
Oh, it was a way good Thanksgiving day so far!
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