Thanksgiving quickie from Canada
We are in Canada, enjoying the resort and each other, and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner in about 3 hours. The trip up was uneventful, except for the moment of panic when we came upon 5 elk in the middle of the road, in the dark, at 65 MPH. Thank goodness for anti-lock brakes! The dumb creatures just stood in the highway, staring at us for several seconds, before slowly sauntering into the woods. On the way up, the weather was pretty good. We ran into a little snow at the border, and for the next 60 miles or so. But about 30 miles from Fairmont, the ground was bare again, and it has remained so until this morning, when we awoke to a light dusting of snow all around us. The forecast for here is for continued dry weather, but they're predicting 2-4" of snow at home tomorrow, with continued cold temps and snow forecast for all of next week. I'm praying the roads stay mostly dry.
We did have one little scare when we got here. We discovered that there are absolutely no pets allowed whatsoever. Daughter had brought her shih-tzu, Lola, along. She is like a 3rd child and they couldn't bear to leave her home. The penalty for having a pet is a $300 fine and termination of one's stay. We were freaked out. We spent the next 3 days smuggling Lola in and out for her potty runs, and confining her as much as possible to the room farthest from the front door so as to avoid any accidental escapes. It was agreed that The Spouse and I would take her back with us on Tuesday, when we were to go home pick up Youngest Son from school and drive back up with him. Son-in-Law, who was arriving Monday night after work, had arranged with the neighbor to watch Lola. Sunday night, Oldest Son and his family arrived. We all headed up to the Hot Springs that afternoon for a nice, relaxing soak. By Monday night, the only one missing was Youngest Son, who was cranking out his last paper of the week and preparing for his physics exam. Monday we all went to the Hot Springs again, and then played in the resort pool for a couple of hours. Tuesday afternoon, Spouse and I headed back home, Lola in tow. A night in our own bed was delightful. The Cat was thrilled to see us, until Lola walked in, which found her dashing off into Youngest Son's bedroom to hide. By 8 AM Wednesday, Youngest Son was home, Lola was at the neighbor's, and we were on the road back to Canada, arriving at 11:30 AM (12:30 local time). At last, we were all together!
The resort has activities going on all day long, from Bingo to scavenger hunts, to Texas Hold 'Em. The kids participated in several and won various prizes - mostly gift certificates to local businesses. Last night, Youngest Son won the poker tourney and $25 in gift certificates (double what it cost to enter). We played "Whoonu", a really fun family game, and then "Cranium", ate more great food, then retired for the night to prepare for today.
And here we are now, turkeys in the oven, other dishes being prepared, football being watched and played (the boys are all playing Madden 2007), and everyone enjoying each other's company. Couldn't ask for much more.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, to all our friends and family, to coworkers and neighbors, to blog buddies and their families. Happy Thanksgiving. May your day be filled with joy, good food, great fellowship, and thanksgiving.
