Thanksgiving 2007

I love Thanksgiving - lots of good food and friends and family and no presents to buy! Mike was home from college; Dave, Claire and the grandbabies made the drive up from NJ. Last year our (Dave's and my) plans for a deep-fried turkey were foiled by weather, so we tried again. Don of course is the cynic - he rounded up all the working fire extinguishers he could find and was ready for disaster. I admit, it was dramatic when the 12-lb bird was lowered into the 5 gallons of blisteringly hot oil - a great deal of bubbling and hissing (and not just from Don, from the kettle, too!) Go here for more outdoor culinary action shots. The bird came out just a bit dry, I thought, but lots of nice crispy skin and the dark meat was just fine. Took less than an hour to cook a 12-lb turkey! We also had lobster bisque, roasted root vegetables, Michael's favorite pickled shrimps and stuffed mushrooms as appetizers, a so-so cornbread stuffing, and a salad with pears and gorgonzola. Pumpkin and blueberry pies for dessert. Marlborough sauvignon blanc with the appetizers and a nice Acacia pinot noir with the turkey.

Isn't Brynn looking gorgeous in her pretty dress? We had a conversation about what she will be when she grows up - I was trying to convince her to be a doctor, we still need one of those in the family. But she has already made up her mind what she wants to be, and medicine is not in the cards - she's determined to be a princess. Anytime we want her to do something, we tell her its just what a princess would do. 'Try the squash - you know, squash is a princess's favorite food!' Oh, the perfidy of grown-ups!

Here's Uncle Mike goofing with Evan. Picture taken just before he dropped him on his head. No harm done, though - he is a sturdy little one, and very even-tempered. I LOVE the little cupid bow mouth!

Nice relaxing Thanksgiving, but now we have to figure out what to do with the used oil. I think Don should take it to Pace for his chemistry class and run a lab on how to make biodiesel. He's not convinced!

Congratulations to Captain O'Donnell!

I was flying back home from San Francisco this week on the ungodly early United flight from SFO to JFK. I was pretty groggy getting on the plane, but not so groggy that I didn't notice the balloons and decorations festooning the 757. Before we took off, the purser informed us that this was Captain Lynn O'Donnell's last flight with United Airlines - she was retiring after 16 years with United and more than 30 years flying commercial airplanes. I got to thinking this must be quite some lady - what a pioneer in breaking the gender barrier in what must have been an incredibly testosterone-drenched environment! It was a gorgeous day to fly, clear sailing across the country. I often listen to the air traffic control channel - don't ask my why, but I find the calm voices soothing and every once in awhile you hear something funny or interesting, although its always professional, never personal. This time, we heard, "Is that Captain O'Donnell? Congratulations, Lynn, have a great retirement! Want me to send you around again so you get a little more time up there? Let's get together for coffee...."

Here's a nice story from the Morris County Daily Record, about Morristown airport where Lynn keeps her own antique plane, that talks a bit about her history of flying, including her first transatlantic crossing in a 4-seater, single engine Piper Cherokee!

Thanks, Captain O'Donnell, for a wonderful flight - wishing you many more!