Thanksgiving with MaryAnne in Syracuse

     Do you believe what you're seeing to the left?  Seems like the goal of this journey across America was to eliminate this from our world! So we've been on the road for 28 days now, and we're sitting within 6 hours driving time from our home in upstate NY!  Somehow that doesn't seem right.
     Alright...Thanksgiving is the time of year to gather the family as best you can, and celebrate and be thankful for what life has given you.  Debbie and I have been blessed with 2 wonderful & successful kids, an incredible daughter-in-law, and of course Jamo, the PGD (precious grand dog).  We both know that we are extremely fortunate to be able to live as we live, and to travel. Visiting old friends and making new ones all across America is definitely an added bonus.  We hope all of our friends and family have a wonderful and blessed Christmas season.
     On Tuesday, Debbie and I departed Cherry Hill RV Park in D.C. after making arrangements to leave Big Red for a few days.  Everything is closed up, and the heat was left at 50.  We've been watching the weather, and all we've seen are cool temperatures and some rain, so he should be just fine.  While we were in D.C. last week, the temps dropped down into the 20's and we didn't have any issues with frozen pipes.  We definitely don't want that to happen.  Our 5 1/2 hour drive up to Syracuse took us about 7 hours, but that wasn't bad. Morning commuter traffic on I-95/495 around Washington slowed us down for the first 45 minutes, and then a tractor trailer accident backed traffic up a bit.  But other than that, it was clear sailing all the way into Syracuse.  As we drove up I-81 through Chambersburg and Carlisle, Debbie and I remembered the Thanksgiving dinners we shared with Ben, Joanne, and the Pearson  Family in 2011 & 2012.  Family is ultimately the goal, and hopefully in the future, everyone will be able to spend the holidays close to family and friends.  Fortunately we left on Tuesday, as Wednesday driving the I-95 corridor was treacherous at best with snow, sleet and rain stretching from Florida to Maine.  But we were nestled in comfortably in Syracuse, by the time the storm hit.  (This photo represents "nestled in"....not necessarily Syracuse!)

     We put the pressure right to MaryAnne with Thanksgiving at her apartment.  But I'm happy to report that she did a terrific job and had everything ready to go when we arrived.  Debbie and she had spoken about all the necessary preparations, and as Debbie went through the list, MAE had them all checked off.  The only thing I was worried about was the turkey, and Debbie reported that MAE had it defrosting in the fridge and it was ready to go.
     Thanksgiving morning arrived with about an inch of white powdery snow covering the ground.  Lots better than what Buffalo had been experiencing.  We were surprised to hear that Albany had received about 9.5 inches of snow.  Can't quite figure out how the storm missed Syracuse, but we'll take it.  We headed out early for MAE's as we knew that mimosa's were waiting for us.  We settled in, and the girls started studying the sales flyers in the day's newspaper.  I knew that this was going to be a long day.

 As I sat there enjoying football on TV, MAE was busily preparing the turkey and trimmings.  Soon, Mrs Doody was in the kitchen with her, although she claimed it was for moral support.  As I recall, they were trying to divide the recipe by 1/2 when I snapped this photo.  "Don't screw up the pumpkin pie" I exclaimed!  Actually there was no doubt in my mind that it would be perfect.

 Next came the turkey, and as it settled into the oven, everyone could relax for a few hours.  We got a phone call out to Ben in San Diego, and he reported temps in the 90's!  Way too hot for Thanksgiving Day.  Joanne had to go to work for 8 PM at Target, but they had been invited up to the Lanier's for turkey the day before. The Lanier's have been taking care of Ben since he was a baby in Pine Valley, and it was very thoughtful to invite them all up for dinner.  Even Jamo got to go.  Seems that Little Tommy has a dog too, and he and Jamo can work off a little energy out in the yard.  
      Right on schedule, MAE's first Thanksgiving dinner hit the table.  The menu included turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, cranberry, rolls, and pumpkin pie for dessert.  MAE even remembered the Andes' Mints!  Perfect job!

I guess she was paying attention to her mother all these years!?!   She is settling right in down here in Syracuse.  I guess she's gonna do fine.  Her only downfall that I can see is she's a Dallas Cowboys fan.  Where did I go wrong???
     Now, as amazing as it may seem, Debbie has moved into Christmas mode here in Syracuse. There's nothing more important to her than opening presents on Christmas morning.  So she's brought along some of her wrapping paper (never throw paper away), and she's busy this morning getting gifts wrapped up for shipping all over the country.  I hope everyone who is reading this, gets to enjoy the Christmas Season half as much as Debbie does.