Thanksgiving In Virginia

We flew home to Virginia for Thanksgiving and to keep several routine medical/dental appointments. When we arrived we discovered that the furnace fan needed replacing, the Celica battery was fully discharged, the computer in the office crashed, and we had unexpected company. Fortunately the company was Gloria's niece, who is great fun and most tolerant. When things are not as expected, she can always fall back on her Masters Degree in Divinity. The good news concerning challenges is that we are into time mastery. That notwithstanding, Jerry stood in line for 3 1/2 hours, beginning at 5:00 a.m. on "black Friday" to get a great buy on a new computer. Then it took another couple of days to get all the progams loaded and functioning.

On a much brighter note, we were able to have lunch or dinner with six different couples at various times. They are all dear friends whom we have known for years. It was so good to see them! For Thanksgiving dinner, we grilled salmon which Jerry had caught and shipped home from Alaska. We were delighted to share it with three of our children, their spouses and their children. Mark, Christal & Ethan; Coutney, Josh & Althea; and Robin & Samuel were with us. Regrettably, Alejandro, Robin's husband was in Colombia, his home country, taking care of his coffee business. Also sharing in the festivities were Josh's parents, Allen and Suzanne. The three children had a great time playing together, and little Ethan, our youngest grandchild, held his own wth the bigger kids.