Thanksgiving
The Menu
Appetizers: Hot crab dip, melitzana, with crackers
Main dish: Deboned turkey, stuffed with a stuffed deboned chicken---nicknamed ‘turken’.
Side dishes: Roast potatoes and sweet potaotes, cranberry mould, spinach salad, green beans, gravy
Desserts: Pumpkin pie, mincemeat pie, icecream and hard sauce (like brandy butter)
Wines: South African---Goija and KWV
A true feast!!
Thanksgiving, a very American tradition
Thanksgiving started over 350 years ago with the early Pilgrims, who came to the US from England on a small boat, the Mayflower. They arrived in 1620 and the first winter was very difficult for them as they were ill-prepared for this new country, and many died. The following year the local Native American Indians helped the Pilgrims, by showing them how to plant corn, beans and squash, and how to build houses. The fall of 1621 the Pilgrims and Indians had a feast to give thanks for a good harvest.
Thanksgiving is now a national holiday, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November every year. It’s a busy travel time, as most families try to get together.
Usually, we’ve had Thanksgiving at our house in Urbana, but this year we all went to Orlando, Florida, to Kev and Joanna. Rod and I flew from a town near here (Bloomington) on Monday; Joanna’s mom and dad (Bonnie and John) came from Los Angeles on Tuesday night; Nat and AJ arrived from St Louis on Wednesday night; and Matt, Joanna’s brother, flew in on Thursday morning from Oakland, CA. So, it was a big family get-together (and very brave of Kev and Joanna to volunteer!). Al was not with us, as he went to his family in Kankakee, a town just south of Chicago.
We had a great time, as you see from these few pictures.
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Our side trips
Morse Museum of American Art: An outstanding collection of Tiffany glass and art works. (pics 1, 2)
Leu Gardens: Trees dripping with Spanish moss, lush gardens, an elegant house-museum and a lake with turtles, birds and an alligator (which we never saw!)
(pics 3, 4)
Blue Springs State Park: Famous for manatees, which swim from the cool waters up the river to the warm springs, where they are protected. What a privilege and a thrill to see so many of them! (pics 5, 6)
Gatorland: a sort-of theme park devoted to crocodilians---many alligators and some crocs from other parts of the world---and gorgeous water birds. The ‘Gator ‘Wrestling’ is informative and fun, and AJ was brave enough to sit on a small alligator.
