Thanksgiving Day - Beverly, MA

Friday, November 28 - the day after the "big meal".

Thanksgiving Day is always a big holiday here in Beverly. We always have lots of family, and occasionally some friends, at the dinner table. This year was no exception. The honeymooners (us) have returned for the holidays, and our eldest hosted the T-day dinner. Unfortunately I forgot to pack the cable which allows me to upload the pictures from our camera to the computer, so there will be no pictures to show you. Instead, I'll have to paint them verbally. Bear with me.

Robin and Roy stopped by on their way to Saugus to be with Roy's family. Aunt Gloria was the first dinner guest to arrive, bearing the spirits for the day (beer and wine). Mike and Lisa were next to arrive, and they brought a nice loaf of bread from a bakery in New York. Next, I believe, was Wendy and Jeff. Wendy brought her "famous" Jack Daniels candied yams, along with a nice bottle of Cotourri (?) Merlot, which was very good, and a wonderful bread she had made. Finally, Michelle and Scott arrived with their two adorable children, Anna Jane and "AJ". Michelle brought her "famous" squash soup, by popular demand.

After much socializing and "catching up", the turkey was just about ready. We sat down to soup and salad, with bread, while the "bird" was cooling. Chris and Jen provided the turkey and cooked it. Mom made the bread stuffing and her fantastic apple pie. Aunt Joanie made several dishes, including her "famous" cheese potatoes, meat stuffing, waldorf salad and a custard pie. While everyone was sitting around the table, Chris and mom went about carving the bird and getting the serving dishes ready for the table. Finally, it was time to get down to the business of eating this sumptuous meal. Wine flowed freely, though everyone remained sober, and quite able to drive, as some had a long drive home. The children had a wonderful time playing and running around the house. Just as we were finishing dessert, Grandma Linda dropped by and shared it with us.

After relaxing a bit, the guests began leaving for home while we showed films of our trip on the TV set. I never realized just how much filming I/we had done during our trip because we also took so many photographs.

All in all, this was a memorable Thanksgiving day, not only because it may have been the last one to be celebrated here in Beverly, but because of the absence of one guest - our youngest - who was celebrating out on the west coast. He was sorely missed by all, and we toasted him our best wishes this Thanksgiving day. I hope everyone had a nice a Thanksgiving as we did, and always do. I think that the closeness of our family is what makes every holiday special. Here's hoping that it continues for many years to come.