Thanksgiving 2009

Well, we had the traditional deep fried turkey just like the pilgrims would have done! The pictures, again, are in reverse chronological order. The bottom picture shows me checking the temperature of the oil with a remote sensing IR thermometer (also Pilgrim traditional). The middle shot is the finished turkey coming out of the oil, and the top one, of course, is the table. Our only mistake was in not inviting another dozen folks. These leftovers are going to last longer than the Frogmore Stew. The weather was in the high 60's with no precipitation or wind. It could not have been a nicer day. There's a front coming, however, and tonight's overnight low is projected to be in the 30's. We actually put the down comforter on the bed today.

We have a lot to be thankful for, and we thoroughly enjoyed the day. We hope you did the same.

Pre-Thanksgiving

This is clearly NOT a current picture. In doing a bit of housekeeping I scanned in a faded, 45 year old photo taken on Unimak Island in 1964. Do you recognize that 25 year old?

We are preparing for a southern Thanksgiving complete with a deep fried turkey. That old pot and burner is good for more than lobsters! We will be joined by Cindy and a co-worker who will both have to go to work after the meal. There will be mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, butternut squash, miniature boiling onions, a green bean casserole, cranberry jelly and assorted hors d'ouevres. Of course, there will be a pecan pie and some pumpkin and pineapple cookies. There might even be some Chianti Classico. We hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Friday the 13th

Good morning. I thought you might enjoy this shot of a couple of our noisier backyard neighbors. I would estimate the range of this picture at about a quarter of a mile. Last evening we broke down and turned on the heat for a couple of hours, but we should be back into the 70's this weekend. The residue of Ida went north of us, so our rainfall was modest compared to North Carolina.

Baxter

In response to the last post there were some comments which, paraphrased, said, "To **** with the sunsets already. Send some pictures of Baxter and Belle." Since the customer is always right, here's a couple. There is one of Baxter by himself on his bed with a few of his friends. The second picture shows both of them. Belle's right elbow still shows where she was shaved for the removal of the cyst. Durelle's brother, Mart and his wife Ann will stop overnight tomorrow. They left the fifth wheel in Florida for the winter and are heading back to Lynn, MA for the holidays. We always look forward to their company. This time we are taking them to a Citadel football game.

We're Baaack

This will be another quick note. Here we are in November and Daylight Savings Time is over. So we took the dogs for their walk when it was a bit darker than it might have been. The sky was spectacular. Trust me when I say the camera did not do it justice. Plus, there is a full moon tonight, although it is presently behind some very attractive clouds. The picture is taken from our back porch.

We have been back for two weeks. The bus is having repairs made to my faux pas this fall. We are settling in to a new routine. Cleaning up the house after five months is additionally inspired by the fact that Mart and Ann Grover will be visiting shortly. They are storing their fiver in FL and will be heading north to winter in New England (yuk) with Ann's mother.

Baxter has learned his new name, and we have learned via the embedded chip that was registered in 2001 that he is at least nine. Although in vet terms, he himself is geriatric, he has pointed out that Belle moving a bit slower. She still runs, but not so far or so often. Belle's cyst removal on her right elbow went fine. It was cancerous, but the vet said it was of a type that almost never metastasizes. Baxter is also settling into a new routine that is becoming comfortable for him. We have started to use an anti-barking collar that gives him a squirt of citronella when he barks. It is working.

I'm not sure about a non-traveling blog, but let's see what happens.