This is the first Thanksgiving I have spent at the home of my son and his wife in way too many years. We will also be celebrating his birthday while we are here on the mountain in Arizona. He’s still busy working though; even after knee replacement surgery. Obviously, it went very well.
It took a while to get here. First a day’s drive to Redding, CA. Hot, dry and windy we headed out the next morning for the San Fransisco Bay area to visit for a few hours with fellow blogger, Alys and family. We had a lovely dinner together with a lot of chatting. I was privileged to view her garden up close. I could be jealous but I am always grateful for all I learn from her. Getting there was no party though. It’s California traffic after all.
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- Yummy tomato soup with no one around us.
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- Alys and Mouse. He’s quite vocal
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- At her local bakery. Fun cakes
The next night was Bakersfield, CA. There was so much dust and pollutants in the air the it was in the unhealthful range. I did have the best Cobb salad I’ve ever had anywhere. Then a night in Flagstaff to get acclimated slowly to the altitude. Even with oxygen, it left me huffing and puffing as I still am where my son lives. Thanksgiving dinner will be another 1000 ft higher. I won’t need wine.
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- The city put up this decor early.
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- No one in my son’s neighborhood was waiting till after Thanksgiving
Right now, I’m very grateful we made it here for a unique celebration of gratitude with family and their friends. Only eight of us but lots of food and I hope friendly conversation. I’m making Watergate for a side dish/dessert. My son’s favorite German dinner is the order of the day for his birthday. I’ll be the chef of the day for that meal.
The day I found out escrow had closed and I had to go sign papers on my house, I was having a lovely soup and salad with my quilting friend, Patti. Her son lives close by with his partner in life. They were away so Patti had to check the mail and house while we were out. She had to show me how her son’s partner had already set the entire dining room for their version of Thanksgiving. She apparently has a flair for making things very festive as their dinner will be including several friends without family. I was in love with it so I took copious photos.
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- PLACE SETTING
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- PATTI’S TABLE RUNNER made for her son and spouse
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- I love this idea
How will you do your Thanksgiving?
I wish you all things good and much for which to be grateful.
From my grateful heart to yours,
Marlene Herself
insearchofitall 
Comments on: "A Different Thanksgiving" (60)
A lovely reflection, Marlene. And yes, adapting to changing circumstances and being open to what shows up, is so important. This is your path right now. Open your heart, let go of judgments and have fun 💛🙏💛
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Thank you for your kind words, Val. I can hold my tongue quite easily but my daughter can get quite passionate about things she hears people say. I just hope we’ve had enough study that she gets through it peacefully. Happy Thanksgiving, Val.
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My fingers are crossed for you 🙂
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So glad you got to Arizona safely Marlene, and had a few adventures along the way. Have a wonderful celebration.
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Thank you so much, Deb. Hope you are spending the day in some relaxed way. Happy Thanksgiving.
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Happy Thanksgiving, my friend! We will be spending the day with our son, daughter-in-law and three grandkids. Since the weather is supposed to be pleasant – 59 degrees – we are setting up the table outside and having a bonfire. I’m grateful for many things, and friends and family are at the top of the list. Take care and enjoy your time. 🧡😁
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That sounds like a great way to spend Thanksgiving, Missy. No grandchildren here but at least I get to spend quality time with my son and daughter together. Have a joy filled Thanksgiving, Missy. Hugs.
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We’ll be heading to Arizona in March. Glad you survived California traffic and SoCal weather. Hot, windy, fire warnings, in late November! Happy & Peaceful Thanksgiving Marlene! 🥂🥧🏡🦃🍾
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We will be heading to Phoenix on Tuesday if all goes well for our flight. March is a good time to be in Arizona. Love and lots of Hugs, Cindy. Hope you are having a joyful day.
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PS- I want to eat your German dinner!
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Maybe next year, Cindy. 🙂 Not cooking in my own kitchen with an electric pressure cooker and another blind person reading the directions left it a bit wanting. Young people want things instantly so the flavor changes. I’m a bit low on stamina at this altitude. 😦 Happy Thanksgiving, Cindy.
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I wish you many serene moments together with family and friends, may these times keep your heart warm and give you energy for the next adventures ahead of you 🙂
A German dinner sounds very enticing!
❤
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Thank you so much for your poetic wishes. Bread balls and stew meat gravy are my son’s favorite. They remind him of his Oma.
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Knoederl?
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YES!!! My mother made the bread Knoedel from scratch and the potato from a mix. My son added too much water to the potato Knoedel so they didn’t turn out. ;( I don’t have the stamina for that much cooking anymore and I hate the electric pressure cooker. He was happy with it so that’s all that mattered.
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Knoederl are one of my most favourite German/Austrian food together with apfelstrudel!
I love the cheese ones too, kaspressknoederl
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If we can get into Germany, I’ll have some authentic for you. 🙂 I take it you are German/Austrian decent too?
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I’m Italian but lived in Innsbruck and still go regularly and have friends in Germany too. I love those countries.
If you were to come to Germany , maybe we can try and meet ? If pandemic permits , I could travel out to your area.
Hugs and best wishes 🤗
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I’ll keep you posted. We are starting out after a day or two of rest in Frankfort to Dillenburg which is just a few miles from where I was born. We haven’t made a full itinerary yet. I’d like to get my daughter to Friedrichsafen where her great grandparents lived. Let’s just hope we get to go at all.
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Yes , let us hope the situation improves , at the moment is not very good. Austria is in lockdown and Germany has a surge in cases.
Let’s keep faith and hope though
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I can imagine how happy your son must be with having these old recipes made for him 🙂 a gift of love ❤️
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How wonderful that you’re able to visit family and friends, Marlene! Thank you for taking us along. It will be just my husband and I for Thanksgiving this year.
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I’ve missed big family gatherings. Fortunately, all those in attendance are regularly self isolated in a very small community. I am also a fan of very quiet holidays. Happy Thanksgiving, Liz and enjoy.
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Thank you, Marlene.
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Enjoy your time with family and friends, Marlene! Happy Thanksgiving! xo
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Thank you so much, Jill. Happy Thanksgiving to you also.
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Happy Thanksgiving, Marlene. Thank you so much for making the time to visit on your long journey to Arizona. We had a thoroughly wonderful time. It passed all too quickly. Sending love your way. xo
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It’s been a wild ride, Alys. You were mentioned again today as the family all gathered. Lovely day we had but altitude is giving me a run for my money. Yes, it was too short. Maybe next time will be a bit less rushed. I had the best time with you and Mike. You made so comfortable. Thank you.
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I’m sorry to hear about the challenging altitude. I’ve experienced it with healthy lungs, so I can only imagine how difficult it is for you. You are such a trooper, Marlene. xo
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Wonderful hear that you are enjoying your journey!
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Thanks, so much Lou. Hope your Thanksgiving was perfect.
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Sounds and looks like a wonderful day, Marlene!
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Thank you, Becky. It was a wonderful day. Hope yours was equally wonderful. Thank you for the visit.
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Marlene, I’m glad you had a good Thanksgiving. I’ve been thinking of you and all my other friends and family in the States today. So I had an inner Thanksgiving of my own, just reminding myself of how much I have to be thankful for. You are high on that list!
I hope you adapt to the altitude without too much difficulty. Not much fun to be short of breath. I don’t recommend Machu Picchu for you . . .
Take care and enjoy the sunshine (I’m assuming sunshine . . .). I’m sure we are all looking forward to the next instalment . . . Also hoping things settle down covid-wise so you can travel without too much concern. Christmas in Europe should be exciting! ❤
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They are closing some of the Christmas Markets in Germany and they may close their borders but we are hoping for the best. I’ll keep you posted. Altitude has been a bit of a problem. It takes 3 weeks at least to acclimate. I won’t be here that long.
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Marlene, such warmth of family, love and care in your post. An unusual Thanksgiving for you and you are embracing it with all your heart. Glad your son’s knee op went well – off to see a specialist soon for my painful knee but think it will be a matter of a small op (I hope!) Take care xx
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I’m sorry to hear you are having knee trouble as well, Annika. He had a complete replacement and it was quite painful to start but is making a speedy recovery. I hope yours is less invasive. We had a great Thanksgiving. Thank you so much for stopping by.
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I am bursting with happiness for you, Marlene! How wonderful (except for the altitude) to be with friends and your son. I hope you post more of this trip. 🙂
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I hope I have more of this trip to post, Jennie. We had a great Thanksgiving though you know how chaotic those visits can be. In a quiet moment, I look to see what the photos look like. Hope you had a fantastic one too.
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I’m so glad, and yes I do know. When the holiday dust settles you might find a photo or two. 🙂
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I love reading about your travels and social adventures xx
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Thanks so much, Jill. We are still waiting to hear whether they will close the border in Germany. This could be the end of the adventure if they do. Keep your fingers crossed. Hope you are doing well.
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My fingers are crossed for you – but even if you can’t travel right now, that will change. And, sometimes, the best adventures are the ones inside our heads. Lots of love xx
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Not a holiday here, but I’m so glad you were able to spend it with family, and catch up with so many friends along the way. I hope you’ll take photos of the ‘German Dinner’!
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It didn’t come out well. I had help. Things have been a bit chaotic here and no photo ops available. I will admit that my son enjoyed his dinner even though through the use of odd cooking appliances and his lack of ability to see any better than I the tiny print directions had it come out somewhat oddly. We ate in staggered order that day as his wife and my daughter both worked long days in separate locations. We learn to just go with the flow. Thanks for stopping by, Kate.
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Loving how there’s no moss growing beneath your feet Marlene-a-go-go ! Barely footloose and fancy free from your home and you’re already on the road, seeing friends and enjoying family visits! It’s all awesome.
I’ve only been to Arizona once, 2 years ago with Alys for a scrapbooking trade show. We were only there for 1 day so didn’t do any sight-seeing. Seemed so warm for February, I definitely enjoyed that.
As you know, Canadian Thanksgiving is the month before, but at any rate, Jim and I are very under the radar with it. I do make a nicer than normal meal, but as a vegetarian, there’s no Turkey per say. I make a veggie stuffing that’s pretty awesome though.
I don’t know what ‘Watergate’ is, it doesn’t sound German. How do you make that?
Happy travels my dear, I hope your Thanksgiving was vonderbar! xK
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Arizona has many different climates but most are dry. We are up in the mountains and it’s definitely not warm. My great Aunt used to make it when we went to visit her in K.C. Missouri. I’ve been making it since I was 15. It’s a dessert type of thing like Ambrosia. I can give you the recipe if you want it. Great for Potluck meals.
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Hello Marlene –
What an incredible, exhausting adventure you are on!
And I’m so very glad that you were able to spend time with Alys. And you may go to Germany! WOW! I will try to check in more frequently. In the meantime, take good care ❤
I love that you ended your last post with one of my favorite, and quite perfect, Tolkien quotes. Wander on!
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Thanks so much for stopping by, Laurie. I hope we don’t get all the way to the Phoenix airport and find out that Germany locked it’s borders. I find it hard to get to all the posts I want to read as well. It’s been quite the busy year for us in spite of everything. The quote suits me as I’ve been a gypsy my entire life. Onward. Have a great week.
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Marlene, I am clinging stubbornly to my optimism about travel, in hopes that it will keep borders open and navigable. This optimism strategy often works for me, and this time I’m hoping it will lend positive energy to you and your experience. I assume that all will be well, though I know you must have such anxiety. I can relate so easily to all of it, because Pedro and I just crossed borders in September and I was nervous until we safely left the last airport, with our luggage in hand. Then I could relax. So I get it. Then we had to start worrying about getting back, ha ha! But do save those worries for later… ❤
The Thanksgiving table settings were splendid. I'm glad you got to see those. I love how you are enjoying small things along your journey, like the best Cobb salad ever, and that photo of Shasta in an earlier post, and the premature Christmas decorations you show here (with a dragon!). I'm glad TS's operation went well and I wish he would stay off his feet and rest, but I'm sure you said something to that effect. I hope he's up and running soon as can be.
I see in comments that you got through the dinner. Congratulations! Family can be a good way for us to practice our diplomacy skills. 🙂 I'm not so good at those, but I really try. I'm gonna write you an email, in anticipation of the big journey. You're probably already on the road. I assume your hotel will have Internet, and I want to send you off with love and encouragement to get you through the next scary, tumultuous steps!! Hugs and love to you both. ❤ ❤
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Thanks so much for stopping by, Crystal. We made it. All is not running as smoothly as some of us would like with hitches here and there but all for growth. There is a learning curve. You know internet and we do have it now. Phone service is another story. It’s supposed to snow here some. Whee! I’ll try to post when the brain catches up. Wow! what a ride.
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You made it!! And it will snow!! I am pleased and excited. Thank you so very much for checking in. ❤ Yes, I look forward to hearing about your adventure when your brain catches up. Love, love, love.
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It sounds like you have been having an adventure! Such fun times. I understand about the altitude–it can be so so hard to adjust. I hope you are doing ok right now with it. And, no, NO wine at that height hah! Sending you XOXOXO from Phoenix!
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It has definitely been an adventure, Luanne. Jet lag has grabbed us both here in Germany. Want to go to sleep at midday but then wake in the wee hrs of the morning. Will fly back into Phoenix on our return trip next month. We did the Wildflower Bread Co in Tempe on the way out. It’s been hard to get internet as we are always on the go here. I guess that’s what an adventure is all about. Hugs
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Dearest Marlene…. Wonderful to read you had such a wonderful Thanksgiving with your Son and family.. Such a long long drive, But it must have been so nice to visit with your blogging friend on route.
Lovely Images Marlene… and hope your Son’s knee continues to heal…
Sending you huge hugs from the UK and I have thought of you often ..
And so happy to be making the effort to be back in blog land again…
Much love and May those blessings continue to bless us as we are so thankful for the gifts we already have..
Love to you dear Marlene..
Sue x ❤
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Thanks for the visit, Sue. We are in Germany now getting ready to see my birthplace tomorrow. Jet lag has certainly grabbed us both. We had hoped to do more but looking at an early departure back home again and then to find a place to live separately. Lots of changes this late in life. Hope to get a chance to catch up with you soon. Have missed you and so many others.
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Oh that is wonderful to hear Marlene.. I am sure many changes, and all not easy to overcome in our latter years… Enjoy your trip and your seeing your birthplace… I look forward to hearing more about it in future posts..
Lots of love Sue xx
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Well, Thanksgiving is for us actually quite irrelevant. We didn’t even know about it before teaching at a US university. With our Scandinavian background, we had never heard about it, and here in England, where we live now, nobody we know celebrates Thanksgiving. These celebrations seem to us typical of American consumerism.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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The only thing consumed on Thanksgiving is food and I’m not a fan either. It is history rewritten to wash away the actual facts of the slaughter of the people who taught us how to live well off the land here. I would be happy to never do it again. Family gatherings can be hard. I’m in favor of feeding those who have so little. That’s how I’d like to celebrate everyday. But this year I was a guest so I got together with people I have not seen in years and enjoyed their company. Happy to be out of the country for Christmas. Thanks for stopping by, Klausbernd.
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Thank you very much for your answer. It’s VERY much appreciated. We agree with you full heartedly.
Wishing you all the best, keep healthy and happy
Klausbernd 🙂
and the rest of
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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