Happy Thanksgiving

I love James Lileks.

He does more on the Internet on a daily basis than I can accomplish in a month. He's observant, writes exceptionally well, and devotes time to his site so scrupulously that I am never disappointed.

He is helping me celebrate Thanksgiving by providing a wonderful, multi-page view of The Gobbler hotel and restaurant in Wisconsin. It doesn't exist anymore, but Mr. Lileks has painstakingly put together a site that celebrated (and lampoons) the design "choices" that made the Gobbler worth remembering.

So, please take a moment to click on this link and read about the site.

I hope it brings a smile to you face--either before or after the tryptophan begins to kick in.

May all your turkeys remain juicy and all your pumpkin pies taste smooth.

Have a great and relaxing weekend.

LATER . . .

The oven sighs and ticks as it cools down; the dishwasher gurgles and steams as all the evidence of the meal is slowly cleaned away.

And it was a good meal.

Turkey breast; stuffing laced with sausage, apples, and raisins; mashed potatoes (garlic & non-garlic); green beans (both casseroled and regular); rolls; cranberries; gravy; a little bit of wine.

Everything you could want and it wasn't an all-day cook-a-thon. Lynda did a great job planning it all out and we were done eating within thirty minutes of when we projected.

After we stored the leftovers, we drove to Grace's godmother's house for her signature Thanksgiving deserts--her (and now my award-winning) white chocolate cheesecake and frosted date bars. (I'll admit that I ate more than one date bar, but they are so good! I've got the recipe and I should make some to take to work . . .

We've been going to Grace's gm's house for several years. She always cooks SO much food and she has always been so kind to offer up her home to us when we stopped traveling to be with family. We stayed at our house for the main meal in part because combining our growing families together in their house would just be too stressful for her and in part because we wanted to tackle the whole meal ourself this time.

Note . . . the kids just don't care about the Thanksgiving parade and I increasingly don't blame them. I guess it is a tradition of a sort . . . but the more I try to watch it, the more I don't enjoy the pause every ten minutes to interview the "star" of a network show that isn't doing well in the ratings and really ought to be cancelled. And the parade-related entertainment just isn't that entertaining.

So, we do other things.

Today, Sarah and Grace spent most of the morning designing, coloring, and playing their own version of the Pokemon trading card game. (Also note that we GAVE Sarah some actual Pokemon cards last Christmas--which she asked for. But, as usual, they end up having more fun with the stuff they create and imagine than the corporatized stuff they are told to like on the TV.)

Anyway, now the day is done; the kids are asleep and we are drowsy. I'll end by saying that I am extremely thankful for my wonderful family both here in Ohio and in Georgia. I'm thankful for my good job, my many comforts, and all of my most excellent friends. 

Have a great rest of your weekend.