Thanksgiving won’t be the same this year with Covid; limited or no travel, no big gatherings – I think we all know the list of “not that”. We won’t be with our kids this year – first time ever. Nevertheless, it is a time for thanks!
We will be doing a Zoom call with the kids on the day, but it won’t be the same. In order to make the day seem more normal, we may spread some dirty clothes around the house, empty out the refrigerator of all edible food, leave some partially wrapped food from Chipotle on the counter, make some Kombucha… just to get the feel.
Rather than dwell on not seeing our kids, I wiggled open the Way Back Machine and gathered some photos from past Thanksgivings. I won’t say our family has had the most traditional Thanksgivings, but we have had a lot of fun over the years. Our kids may argue that fact.
While we have mostly celebrated this holiday at home with family and/or friends, we have also taken the show on the road…from celebrating Thanksgiving at a campsite on the Mexican border in Big Bend National Park in Texas, to the floor of Death Valley.
Our Thanksgiving at Big Bend in 2005 included hiking, horseback riding, and oddly enough a full turkey dinner. A full turkey dinner is easier done at home with a full kitchen than it is camping in a trailer, camped at a site that has no water or power. Still, just as good – maybe better. Add some javelinas walking through your campsite – life simply doesn’t get better.
Our trip to Death Valley for Thanksgiving in 2006 was so cool. I towed the trailer out to Las Vegas, where Karen and the kids flew in (kids were still in school). We spent one night at one of the big casinos in Vegas before departing for Death Valley in our trailer. Because the casino had screwed up our reservation, they ended up putting us in a penthouse suite for the night. The suite was bigger than our house! Pretty sure the kids would have stayed in Vegas the entire time, given the choice. Sad for them. On to Death Valley.
If you have not been to Death Valley, for us it is one of the most beautiful places in this country. Perhaps not in July or August. But in November (or January or February) it is stunning. Again, we were camped without the benefits of water or power, but were able to dep fry a turkey with all the fixings.
One year we celebrated the holiday with my brother and his wife in Asheville, NC. During that trip, Michela scheduled us for the early evening Lazoom Comedy Bus tour, where the bus drives you around Asheville and actors entertain. Quite frankly, I don’t ever remember laughing as much as we did on that tour. Freaking hysterical – so much fun.
But like Dorothy says, there is no place like home.
In no particular order, here are some other flashbacks from other past Thanksgiving holidays, from our family to yours…
Next year will be different. Stay safe – be thankful – enjoy!!
