THANKFUL FOR FAMILY, TURKEY, PIE, GUNS, AND MOONSHINE!

Well, it isn’t all that “cut and dried”, we actually were/are thankful for much more, but the title of this post does generally sum up our Thanksgiving Day together.

Thanksgiving dinner/supper is always at Charlotte and Gary’s. There is lots of room, a big screen, a screened porch for cigars, and a wide vista of East Tennessee fields, ponds, and hills! I think the primary reason for holding the annual event at their house is so the turkey doesn’t have travel! Charlotte rises early to prepare it and by the time we arrive Gary is busy carving it.

Each sister brings her assigned dish, and the guys bring their latest pale ale discovery, and me, well, this year I discovered Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon! I really enjoyed the 80 proof clear elixir and its sweet corn taste. You should try it! We enjoyed our spirits in moderation…this year!

Visiting this year was Terri’s son Joey, his wife Krissy, and his daughter “Juliana-Bug-Bug” from Minnesota. Joey also brought his new little friend, a beautiful little Colt AR-15 A3 Tactical Carbine! Although we never fired the weapon all day, we did each grope it lovingly! There was a “shoot fest” at Steve’s on Monday, but we were entertaining Lily and didn’t attend.

Steve’s daughter Becky, and boyfriend Nick, joined us as well. Becky is a recent graduate and his currently teaching art in the Atlanta school system. They are always such a joy and I look forward to seeing Becky’s big smile each year.

Of course there is always the 15 minutes devoted to the annual “sisters group photo” (Linda wasn’t there…she has Thanksgiving with her daughters), but some of us tend to sneak…no…force our way into the sister-only shots! I was determined to get in the family photos this year. I bought a wireless shutter release for my camera, and after strategically placing my camera and tripod, I could fire the camera remotely! However, I made the mistake of shooting from too far away, which reduced the flashes range in some shots. BUT, they were good enough for blog use, and a good lesson learned. Thank God for Photoshop!

The photo session always reminds me of the Beatles’ “Hard Days Night” (or was it “Help”?) movie scene where they get off the plane snapping photos of each other! One of the sister’s will shout out, “Okay, look at Steve…now look at Ron…look at Paul!” It’s a wonder we ever get any decent shots, but even if the faces are looking at different cameras, they usually turn out to be an accurate record of the sisters!

The food was as good as usual, and, as these shots show, the turkey was ravaged to the bone and pies were all consumed!

After eating, Gary took us for a ride down through the fields to where he trains his Labs and hunts ducks during the season. He has flooded the nearby cornfields, providing a great refuge and overnight stop for ducks flying through the area. There were a couple of groups (of 6 or 8) circling the area as we left the area just about dark.

I am so thankful for this extended family. They mean a lot to me and I hate it when I have to miss a gathering of the dragons! I have missed two this year, both with pneumonia from my leaf allergy, and it really saddened me. They all teased me Thursday by asking, “And who are you?”

I responded with, “Paul Mashburn, damned glad to meet you!”