We’re home from a happy Thanksgiving with the family in Northern California. We had two turkeys this year: a traditional oven-roasted bird and a fine example of what is clearly the latest rage, a deep-fried turkey. (Two of my more distant relations by marriage set up an outdoor deep-fryer, complete with its own propane unit. It was a very exciting process, but call me dull for preferring the traditional roasted white meat.)
We had 30 for Thanksgiving dinner; Democrats slightly outnumbering Republicans, Cal alums heavily outnumbering Stanford grads. Our discussion of politics was brief and remarkably civil. Those who had supported the president were gracious in victory, while the passage of three weeks had done much to soothe the disappointment of those who had supported the senator from Massachusetts. Our discussion of Cal football was more robust, and the two elderly Stanford alumni at our gathering were gently but firmly ribbed.
I overate with compusive abandon. Perhaps that ought to be a subject for a future post.
Since 1989, when I first started grad school at UCLA, I’ve always driven home from Thanksgiving on the Saturday following the holiday. Of course, I always take I-5. Today, we left the Ranch at 10:30 and did not arrive home until just past 7:00PM — by far the longest and most exhausting trip I’ve done on this route. I suppose a little research could tell me just how many more people there are in California in 2004 than there were when I first began to drive the I-5 route sixteen Thanksgivings ago.
Some pictures folllow. No, no pics of my lovely fiancee, but some of me and the family and the foliage.
Here I am with persimmons; my cousin Scott and his boys (note the empty plate)…
and here with my cousin Jay:
I did the 5 south today as well, and the grapevine was awful! Almost worth taking the Old Road over the mountains instead.
Glad you survived.