Thanksgiving and into Twelfth Month

Pt. Arena lighthouse from Sea Dune beach
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

It seemed like an extra good Thanksgiving this year, though it wasn't particularly different from our traditional holiday. Thanksgiving Day was achingly brilliant weather-wise and some of us celebrated with a walk on the beach. Roxy tested my limits, wandering off not once but twice into the beach grass where her brindle coat made her invisible and not coming when I called. I got a lot of exercise that day, which is not a bad thing. And she scared up an enormous jack rabbit, which is always a happy sight.

M reports that the brined and grilled turkey came out perfectly, the best ever. Steve was there with his girlfriend Tammy and it was nice to see him after so long. The day after Thanksgiving we met Liz, Katrin, and families in town for shopping and beer drinking, which was lovely.

I slept well, ate well, felt relaxed. A true vacation.

*****

We left the coast a day early--M's truck has been deteriorating into a heap for a while now and he wanted to take care of it, but was waffling. Spend a fair amount of time and money on the clutch, windshield, starter, and getting it smogged? Or just throw in the shop towel and get a new one?

We got home Saturday afternoon and decided to visit his old car sales haunts to do some advance work, coming home with a very clean Toyota SR5. They had let him borrow it overnight. The next morning we drove it over the hills to Napa to see how it performed on both the windy roads and the highway and it did very well. So he pulled the trigger and now we have a lovely new vehicle in the driveway.

Funny how Roxy played a small part in the truck decision. The truck has a camper shell and is carpeted, so the dogs ride in the back when M takes them for walks. She's a lot of canine, and it's a relief to be separated from her panting self, though it was really not too bad on the way up to Manchester.

*****

Thanksgiving is also the going-steady anniversary for M and me--it's been sixteen years now. It's fun to think back to that first holiday we spent together, in my tiny New York apartment, sharing split pea soup as our dinner feast. I think we were both pretty sure even then that we'd be married one day. (I just asked him about it and he agrees.)

*****

We're off to a party tonight--one of M's friend's wife is having a 50th birthday bash. Pizza and togas, beer and Hawaiian shirts, that sort of thing. I have to work on securing my toga well since I plan to cut a disco rug or two this evening.