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.