Thanksgiving Dinner in Maryland

Dad and I returned to Maryland for another Thanksgiving dinner with the T.s. I began driving on Thanksgiving day and picked Dad up from the airport in Baltimore. Traffic was generally not bad and we made it to our old neighborhood during the daylight hours. The T.s were our across-the-way neighbors for pretty much my entire life. They and my parents went to Royal Ascot together for quite a number of years, and I really appreciate their ongoing family friendship and their willingness to include us in their holidays. Here is a very cute cream cheese Dorito pumpkin that B. made.

Here is the dinner table.

There were two kinds of turkey this year...I think one was a bourbon glazed variety, grilled...and the other perhaps a more traditional roasted turkey? I feel like this was the first year I really tried stuffing with oysters...I've never been a big stuffing person, but I have to say that particular stuffing (there were about 6 different varieties) really spoke to me.

As in past years, the birthdays of R. and me fall quite near the Thanksgiving holiday...so we each had the opportunity to blow out some candles and sing the 'happy birthday song to one another.

Mmmmmmm. Sweet heavenly dessert.

B. and T.'s nephew and his wife recently had a baby, who did quite well during the entire evening, I would say. Here is a picture of him meeting his cousin-uncle for the first time.

I really am thankful for being able to spend this holiday with a great group of folks whom I have known in one way or another for quite a number of years. I'll have to post some of the photos that B. and D. gave me for my birthday...major throwbacks from childhood, and images I feel like I've never seen or only saw at the time. Very neat.

Cayuga Lake and Surrounding Environs

The next morning I happily awoke to the sound of the lake's waters gently slapping up against the shores.There were many things that the Lake Champlain and Cayuga Lake experiences shared, which included families with long-held ties and traditions to each respective place; gossip about the other families who also owned houses around them for generations (but weren't actually family); a general population of folks who are not afraid of getting wet, diving or otherwise involving themselves in a body of water that certainly is host to myriad fish (and occasionally snakes); herons; ducks; the sound of boats coming to life and swooshing away, etc. But the S.'s lake house was perhaps slightly closer to the water so the sound of it in the morning was more striking than at Champlain. I also think I wouldn't be wrong to say that Cayuga Lake isn't as wide, nor long, as Champlain, which somehow made the view from shore slightly different. In any case, it was a beautiful morning.

There were clouds, but I don't think they wanted to really hurt us.

Birds flew.

Flowers unfurled.

Breakfast was prepared most masterfully by A.S.'s father and most gratefully consumed by all in attendance.

I believe I was the first into the water on this particular day. I woke up so much earlier than everyone else that I had already enjoyed my breakfast and gotten into my suit while others were still digging in. I BC was kind enough to take a break from the book she was reading to provide some proof that I did indeed swim during this week of lake life.

No hands or feet! Or...I mean I was kind of floating without treading water? Is the point? I love floating.

A.S. likes jumping.

As do others. I never was much into jumping, but I do like a shallow dive from time to time.

I missed getting an action shot of A. going into the water, but this reaction shot is pretty good I thought.

I think she called this the hammer? Something different than the traditional cannon ball for sure.

Triumph.

Before some of the ladies went with a round of planking on the raft, we played a few dozen rounds of four square on the raft, which is not without it's challenges, let me just tell you.

Tubing in progress by A.S.'s neighbors. They swung by and asked if she (and I imagine by extension us) would like to tube, but I guess historically the guy is quite the aggressive boat driver and really and truly goes out of his way to try to get folks to fall off. A.S. declined and so did the rest of us.

Then there was an excursion to a winery. It was good and I'll have to remember the name of the place so I can tell you to consider buying their dry riesling.Anyela's!

It was on a different lake about an hour north and west near a town that has a name that is spelled entirely different than how it is pronounced.

A.S. and her parents stayed behind and were going to have dinner while we were gone, so we ended up at Hill Top Diner, which also has a bowling alley attached to it because, of course it does. B.C. and J. went hog wild with their combined and shared order of: a bowl of macaroni and cheese, a bowl of potato salad, a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy and the fried appetizer combo. It was frankly miraculous how much they ordered and how good a job they generally did on finishing it all.

I was drawn to the roasted turkey sandwich, which I guess usually comes pre-drenched in gravy. I opted for gravy on the side along with mashed potatoes. I then pretty much ignored the bread and ate the turkey after dipping it in the gravy/potatoes.

Seriously, diner gravy and potatoes, which I know are totally not fancy and basically just sodium, are still one of my all time comfort foods. A million years ago in Wheaton Plaza, my mother and I would go to Hot Shoppes (anyone? anyone?) (also the Hot Shoppes in Wheaton Plaza was not a drive in as the link I've included might make you imagine) and they also had some pretty magic potatoes and gravy to consider in their buffet line.And their roast beef sliced right in front of you? Memories. Nothing like going to a 1960s-style buffet in a mall with your mother and about nine million senior citizens. Good times, they were.

With more of their meal displayed.

And that was the night. The drive back was uneventful except for getting stuck in ungodly traffic outside a drive-thru for a bit of time, and the copious fireworks that were still being lit along the river. Actually that second thing, all the fireworks leaping out of the night sky as we zoomed south was truly a lovely sight to behold.

Another Meal and Parting Scenes

After I returned from my adventure I took a really delightful nap, the details of which I will not bore you with. Then Dad and I went back to the main house for a second dinner with a slightly different cast of characters. This involved another cheese platter or three, not to mention the turkey that wasn't able to cook the night before.

Oh and steamed artichokes.

And a sesame kale salad and deviled eggs and smoked salmon and pickled okra and a few other treats.

And then the next day came. I briefly went over to the house with my father before determining that I needed to get back to Philly. On my way off the lands I came across this dog, which was steadily running up the road...but for what I couldn't tell you.

He was working hard.

Just beautiful.

Thanksgiving Dinner and Beyond

Once the deep fried turkey was out of the oil, had its rest and was expertly carved, it was time to dig in. In addition to the two turkeys, there were a number of other dishes to partake in, including corn bread, two kinds of stuffing, brussels sprouts with pancetta, mashed potatoes with gravy, turkey shaped cranberry sauce and butter, and I'm sure at least two other things I've forgotten.
Deep fried turkey in the foreground, roasted in the oven turkey in the back.
Plates full while the Thanksgiving prayer is read.
Some late arrivals busied up the place after dinner and dessert.
Not sure what prompted this, but B. giving R. some motherly love.
Again, not quite sure what this was about. There was a healthy serving of two different kinds of riesling during dinner.
Our hosts, to whom I am so grateful for giving Dad and I a place to be and celebrate on this holiday.
Just hanging out.
I remember when both of these guys were shrimps and now they tower over me. My face conveys my feelings on this matter.
Later.
And then the Glenfidditch is brought to light.
A wonderful Thanksgiving meal and subsequent time of revelry and fun.

Thanksgiving Pre-Eating (With a Side of Eating)

After I returned from my walk, the Thanksgiving preparations notched up a gear (wow, that makes sense). I was generally in the way or not overly helpful, but at least I documented some things? I guess? I did help with the mashed potatoes? In any case, here is what the dining room table looked like. Turkey and its babies!
A beautiful cornucopia of fresh flowers.
A refreshing blend of champagne, cranberry juice and pineapple juice. This day was the first day that I ate a cranberry straight up ... and promptly spit it out due to its intense pucker-sour effect. Who needs sour patch kinds when you have cranberries? Other than Method Man, of course.

I got very, very excited when it was revealed that one of the two turkeys that we would eat was going to be deep fried. I have long wanted to see the process and try the results, but without being responsible for the whole situation. So I was glad that I could simply observe R. and C. and their process. Here are the oil jugs, emptied of oil, that it took to fill up the pot.
C. had rubbed the ten pound turkey with some Cajun seasoning. At this point they're skewering it on a base that would then be lowered into the bubbling oil.
There is some dignity to this turkey.
D.'s sister made a spinach dip that was brought out during the turkey prep. Seriously it was 66+ degrees. I was so happy.
R. lowering the turkey, ever so slowly, into the vat of boiling oil.
C. protecting his cousin's nether regions from any spattering. Now that's family.
And all the way in!
I bet there are now over 200 photographs of these guys doing their turkey dance, as we all gathered and took our respective angles on the process. Digital photography has ruined us all.

We all continued sipping on champagne and eating little treats while waiting for the second turkey to be complete (another was happily roasting in the oven).
Seriously a beautiful, beautiful day. This sunlight on the trees really got me.
And after about 40 or so minutes, it was time to remove the turkey from its scaldingly lovely home.
Then came the delicate process of getting it into a horizontal position and unskewering it.


I encouraged them to have 'triumphant' looks on their faces, I think that they a) had too many cameras to look at and b) perhaps didn't realize how truly triumphant they were.