Thanksgiving 2008

by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")This year, I finally got to show Marga one of my favorite American traditions: Thanksgiving dinner. As long as I live, "a proper Thanksgiving" in my mind will be those of my childhood at my grandparents' house, my grandmother's turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, peas, cranberry jello, and pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. This was my first Thanksgiving with my family since 2001. Rose-colored memories of The Good Old Days are hard to live up to, but my amazing grandmother did it. The only thing missing from the dinner table was my grandfather, who died three years ago. His absence was felt.

The table is set.

I sneak a peak at the pie that awaits us after dinner.

My grandmother receives a scarf as a present from Marga's parents. She loves it.

Grandma and her poultry masterpiece.

Where stuffing comes from.

My grandmother's cranberry jello salad.

Paul is ready for dinner to commence.

No caption.

Erik and Marga are hungry.

Looking good.

My father loves this time of year, too, I think.

Delicious!

Marga could get used to this holiday, I think.

After dinner, we played some Pictionary. On a previous visit, we discovered that Marga has some amazing Pictionary skills as a drawer. Being a good Pictionary drawer is not only about being able to sketch figures and shapes, but figuring out how to graphically represent words and concepts. For example, drawing a stick man and a stick woman together won't elicit the word "marriage" or "wedding" until you draw the crucifix above them.

We had a wonderful visit. Thank you very much, Grandma. You're amazing.