Thanksgiving: Part 1

Our trip to Gainesville for Thanksgiving was exactly what we all needed. Family, food, fun - it could not have been better.

Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of pictures from Thanksgiving Day, the table, the food, or the togetherness. We forgot about cameras that day and focused on the event. Sometimes I think everyone has more fun when no one is watching from behind the camera lens. Here is a list of things we did NOT photograph, but have the memories to enjoy:

1. My parents, my brother, my sister, and me - all together for the first time in a long time.

2. My sister's amazing Thanksgiving table, complete with a handmade table cloth, pumpkins, gourds, acorns, greenery arrangements, and more.

3. My dad's brother, Uncle Tom, his wife Mary Lou, and their daughter Becca drove down from St. Augustine to eat with us. Uncle Tom's unique personality cannot be described, but a conversation with him is never time wasted, and if you don't laugh non-stop, then you clearly don't get it. And my little cousin Becca, who we used to call Becky as a baby, has grown into a beautiful young woman who is diligently plowing through a graduate program in journalism. I hardly got to speak with Mary Lou, unfortunately, who is an administrator for the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. Needless to say, she is fascinating on many levels.

4. Our little cottage across the street - my sister's neighbors maintain a small guest house for visits from their family members, and they have generously opened their doors to us on more than one occasion to keep my sister's house from bursting at the seams. A separate space makes travel to Gainesville even easier than it already is.

5. My brother-in-law's newest pieces, which show a technical talent in painting and collage as well as a consciousness of femininity in a new and original way. He recently received the Pollack-Krasner Grant, which is a tremendous testament to his gifts. I made sure I touched all of his newest paintings because I won't get to touch them when they're in a museum one day.

6. The geese who piddle around in the Duck Pond that divides the Boulevard where my sister lives, as well as the enormous turtles that can be spotted floating through the water, the occasional duck who speeds by, and the even more elusive otter who shows up from time to time.

7. The food: the turkey that almost never was, the pork tenderloin, the sweet potatoes with pecans and goodness, the green beans with bacon, the homemade cranberries, the cornbread dressing, the green salad with clementines and goat cheese, the pretzel salad, the orange cake, the pumpkin cheese cake, the pecan pie, the REAL pumpkin pie with some butternut squash and sweet potato thrown in (made by Karen, Carrie's neighbor, who places great importance on all things fresh and local when it comes to cooking), the fresh cream, and so much more......

But we do have some pictures of some of the fun things we did during our visit to the swamp. Starting with a little photo shoot of the kids' Thanksgiving fashion created by me, fabric applique expert after only a short tutorial. Okay, I'm not an expert at all, but I made some pretty stinking cute tee shirts for the kids to wear on Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy.....
I love how much this brother and sister pair love each other.

More on our visit to Florida in other posts, to be completed on a different night when I'm not about to pass out.