Cape Cod Thanksgiving Greetings

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We are all assembled for the holiday here at our house on Eider Lane in Eastham, Massachusetts -- on Cape Cod. The weather is balmy (for this time of year) and rainy, but inside it is warm and sunny. We are having a wonderful time.

Chris and I, as well as Mom, drove here (separately) on Tuesday morning. Jack and Rena flew into the Boston airport (from Kansas City) on Tuesday night, and Mom and I picked them up. Dad arrived (from Sarasota via Springfield) on Wednesday morning,and John, Karen and Gabriel were behind him by only a few hours. Finally, Katherine was delivered (courtesy of Eric and Bob).

Thanksgiving day, of course, was spent mostly in the kitchen. We had a great meal, and there were many hands involved in its preparation. Our menu consisted of (i) turkey (24 lbs!), (ii) meat stuffing (Zia Chiara's recipe), (iii) bacon smashed potatoes (with dill), (iv) braised carrots (with scallions, sage and thyme), (v) green beans with almond butter, and (vi) spiced cranberries.

For entertainment during the day, some of the group watched "The Best of Youth" -- the story of an Italian family, three generations, from 1966 to 2003 and the trials and tribulations they face. This was originally a TV show in Italy that showed in segments over several months. But Dad, Rena, Jack and Mom watched the entire collection of shows over the past two days.

It was 8 hours! They loved it and they can't stop talking about it.

Those of us interested in less cerebral fare, played Band Hero, and had great fun. Bob got the highest scores on the vocals; Katherine was best on the guitar; and Chris excelled on drums. I tried both the drums and the guitar, and liked the guitar the best. Sadly, my scores did not match my enthusiasm. I'll have to practice!

And today is to be a shopping day -- of course!