Thanksgiving 2013 has come and gone – we a need four-day vacation to recuperate from our four-day vacation – and it included lots of guests, but it also included a fabulous gift like no other.
Family members began arriving Tuesday evening, and we fed seven guests Peg’s famous Chinese Five Spice Salmon for dinner Wednesday, accompanied by a loaf of my no-knead bread. Greg showed up Thanksgiving morning with some beautiful flowers (Stew Leonard’s) and a case of Chianti. Dinner was the traditional 22 pound turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce (but only after I said, “where’s the cranberry sauce?”), apple and pecan pies. There was a second loaf of no-knead bread, but with all the carbs already on the table, it didn’t get much attention.
Friday morning, most of the family members departed after a late breakfast – a delicious egg/sausage/spinach/bread/cheese strata Peg had made on Wednesday and popped into the oven. Friday marked our 33rd wedding anniversary. Our mutual present was a big hug over the kitchen sink around 7:30 am. We haven’t made a big deal out of anniversaries for quite some time now, but I can never forget the best groomsmen gifts that we still had in our attic.
This year, in a way, was a little different. Eileen brought up a portfolio of 17 large photographs – most of which were from the farm. In late October, we hosted Eli and Mary in the apartment. Eli works for Eileen, and she gave him a weekend stay as a way of saying “thanks” for his wonderful contributions to the school. Shortly after they arrived on the farm, Eli told us he is a “propho”. When we gave him a strange look he clarified – professional photographer. Check out his website.
Other than a trip to meet and greet the sheep, we pretty much left them on their own. We knew they were outside a lot, and they also stopped by the Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning, but we really didn’t have a sense of what kind of photos Eli was taking. We do know they thoroughly enjoyed their stay, and Eli promised to send us some shots.
Well, we are overwhelmed with the photos. They are stunning. Posting them here doesn’t do them justice. Now we just have to pick out of few to get framed, and also figure out where to hang them – a fun challenge.
Todd
These are incredible pictures! Love the house, framed by the shed.