A Very Different Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a beloved American holiday - one that has always been full of wonderful food enjoyed with friends and (mainly) family as long as I can remember. When we were kids, the Thanksgivings spent at our Grandpa and Grandma Cramblets were extra special (even if it did mean eating in the garage on a picnic table because there were more people than the house would hold). As a young adult, my Mom & Dad took the reins as the "keepers of the Thanksgiving flame" - again, a house truly overflowing with people and love. We started being tagged with bringing specific favorite dishes, which became a tradition that lives on even today at family gatherings - don't make me start on the topic of my sister-in-law Pam's "sticky buns" (and don't even go there with your mind). Then, as our individual families grew, there was a bit of "alternation" that took place from year-to-year but, in general, the family still assembled at someone's home each Thanksgiving Day.

This year - that was not the case. Not only did I not have any time off - most Australian's have only a vague realization that there is such a thing as Thanksgiving - but I soon realized that many of the Thanksgiving accoutrement's we think are common are no where to be found down here. For example - they don't "believe in turkey's" here. Nancy couldn't find a proper turkey in the grocery store (most were the size of a large chicken) but she did find an 8 pound (3.6 kilograms) turkey breast - for $38!! Cranberry sauce was nearly impossible to locate (we found a small (6 oz) jar of imported stuff for $5). The list could go on but I'll end the litany here.

A couple of weeks ago, our Pastor (Charles) expressed concerned that being away from home might be a bit of a "downer" so we decided that we would have Thanksgiving dinner together. He volunteered his wife (Christine) to bake a pumpkin pie - which we gratefully accepted. What we didn't know is that to bake a pumpkin pie (down here) you have to get a real pumpkin, cut it up, boil it down, mash it up into a puree and then turn it into a pie. Now, as you'll note in the photos, pumpkins here are blue - not orange. I don't know why, but that's how they are so we were really wondering what this pie would look like. (In the group photo, left to right, it's Steve & Lynn Bell, Nancy and me, Christine and Charles Newington)

So, Pastor Charles and Christine and Steve and Lynn Bell joined us on our Thursday for a minor feast. Actually, the Bells and the Newingtons are both British "exiles" so they did have some historic context for what Thanksgiving was all about so we had a great time together and it did help take the edge off our loneliness. That being said, we did get a bit of news and a couple of pictures of what was going on "back at the ranch" - and we owe a special thanks to my brother Craig for hosting Beth, Tim and Kevin (and Bethany's boyfriend - Michael) for a Thanksgiving Day feast in Fremont.

We are getting excited about coming home for Christmas - Nancy leaves on December 9th and I depart on the 19th and we'll be home through News Year's Day. We are looking forward to seeing friends and family and will try to schedule as much time with people as is humanly possible. Please let us know if there is a chance we can see you - we are missing you all!

One last note; the Christmas party season is already on in full swing - and people here don't hold back. I don't know who was having the party tonight (across from our apartment) but even walking through the door was an event! (See the brief movie below - and notice that the guy from Portside management (in the blue vest) is concerned that some of the "flaming torch" fluid is on the sidewalk)