Thanksgiving Week 2010

This has been an eventful and fun Thanksgiving week. Just about week ago on Saturday, the weather people were predicting the storm of the decade: a full-on, two-day blizzard just like Little House on the Prairie. In preparation, we madly cleared all the leaves from the yard before it was buried in several feet of snow. Well, the storm stayed north of here and we escaped untouched. Maren and Gavin encountered a bit of it further south as they traveled through the mountain passes on I-15 the next day. They were hung up on the highway for quite some time until Gavin made a sneaky run up the middle between all the cars and semis that were stalled on the slick and snowy roads. They arrived a few hours later than expected to a joyous welcome from the cousins on Sunday evening.

Monday, Kris and I both had work, but Tuesday we went to the BYU MOA for a look at the Carl Bloch exhibit, which is quite wonderful, in spite of several families with screaming and crying babies and small children in those echo-prone spaces.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and a small gathering of the family met here for dinner. Emily and family went to Jayson's sister's, Anna and family are in VA, and Katy is with them. So it was just 10 of us for dinner.

Friday, Auntie Em very kindly volunteered to baby sit while we went to the movies with Maren and Gavin. We saw the latest edition of Harry Potter, which we enjoyed quite a lot. Last night we went to SLC for Greek food and a swing around Temple Square to see the lights. Millie, Colton, and family joined us and introduced a new wrinkle into the tradition. We parked at Gateway and rode TRAX three stops to Temple Square. It was great fun -- Salt Lake really is a wonderful place, particularly at Christmas.

This morning we awakened to snow -- not the blizzard of the decade, but serious snow. We got the driveway cleared, Gavin got their car packed, and the Youngs are now on their way to Las Vegas. They scored a very inexpensive room at the Bellagio and will stop there for the night, continuing on to Phoenix tomorrow.

Rushing to get the leaves raked before the storm
that never materialized here

Max, Lizzie, and Ollie welcome the cousins

Getting reacquainted with a larger Beck

Tuesday at the MOA with Carl Bloch

A very cold nine-degree walk along the newly refurbished
canal walk at BYU on Thanksgiving morning

Those who walked, on the steps near the Maeser Building

The walk finished in the Park with Timp in the distance

The kids' table

Pippy, Beck, Maren, and Gavin

Kris, Meagan, and Phillip (again)

Millie taking family photos on Friday

The sitter tries feeding Beck some Germade

This was a bit of fun

Supper at Greek Souvlakia in SLC

Waiting for TRAX

On the train

Family group at Temple Square

Aren't they cute?

A snowy farewell this morning

We have that melancholy empty-house syndrome today, but will be back at work tomorrow and things should be better. We missed Anna and her family and Katy, and hope they all had a nice holiday in Virginia, too.

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

Really-Odd Post

This is an odd post; my students would say it's totally random. The weather is becoming wintry as the snow sinks closer and closer to the valley, and I am ready for a bit of color and solidarity. You see, I love to fly the flag, not just for patriotic motives, but also because it adds a punch of color to the house.

Like many others back in 2002 we bought British and Brazilian flags to show personal connection with participating countries and displayed them on our front porch during the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. I have wanted to fly these flags again but always missed the appropriate holidays so they have languished in the drawer of the Chippendale secretary. This year I stayed ahead of the game and yesterday marked Remembrance Sunday with the Union Jack. Remembrance Sunday is the second Sunday in November and commemorates the end of WWI as well as those who fought in all the great wars.

As I sit here at the computer, the Brazilian flag is flying on the porch in commemoration of Brazil's proclamation of a Republic in 1889. Every city in Brazil has a praça (square) or street named "Quinze de Novembro" (15th of November), and today I am remembering Brazil, particularly the Rua 15 de Novembro in Curitiba.

Winter creeping down toward the valley

2002 Olympic flag display at 853 North

Remembrance-Sunday poppy

The Cenotaph in London

"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
between the crosses, row on row...."

The Union Jack

Deodoro da Fonseca proclaimed
the Brazilian Republic

The Brazilian flag was officially adopted on Nov. 19th 1889,
just four days after the Republic was proclaimed

It's all a bit nuts and obsessive, but I am both of those, so there ya go. AND, the touch of color is welcome in an increasingly wintry landscape!

That's all for now.

OXO

D.

All-Hallows-Even 2010

Because we are in Mormonland, we celebrated Halloween on Saturday this year. I don't know if this is common practice in say, Salt Lake City where the gentiles live, but in Utah County it is de rigueur. It is a curious thing because there is no official announcement or the like, everyone just knows! Even the good Hispanic folk, who now make up a significant section of our population and are generally Catholic, knew to come on Saturday. It is, quite simply, a Festivus miracle.

As per tradition, the local family, such as it is, gathered here for supper. I made homemade sloppy joe filling using the Better Homes recipe. It was so bland I had to add everything I could think of to make it tasty, which seemed to work. We also provided some of our cantaloupe that is still very good. Phil made rolls/buns, Colton made coleslaw, Emily brought chips and treats and we made a meal of it. After dinner the kids all went trick or treating in the rain. Fortunately, the rain stopped quickly and was followed by an eerily beautiful All-Hallows-Even sunset.

We missed the AZ and VA cousins, not to mention the TX auntie. Hope you all had a good Halloween, too.

Jack-o-lantern 2010

All home-grown this year in a variety of
shapes, sizes, and colors

Lord Vader, Legolas, Tinkerbell,
Princess Lea, and a puppet

The Taylors are always good with
their fancy dress, this year with a
Star Wars theme

This is a fierce shark!

A spooky Halloween sunset

Yes, some things just don't change

That's all for now.

OXO

D.