Turkey Thanksgiving 2024 With Family And Friends

But see, in our open clearings, how golden the melons lie; Enrich them with sweets and spices, and give us the pumpkin-pie! ~Margaret Junkin Preston

Welcome All!

Page Created: 11/01/2024 Page Last Updated: 12/01/2024 01:46

Everyone was right on time and we began the festivities about 11:30 am!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

 We Decorated For The Event A Few Weeks Ago!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
We had turkeys everywhere!

Did You Know? - It was almost our national bird!!

Origin: Wild turkeys are native to North America, where they migrated from Central America to eastern Canada. The Aztecs domesticated turkeys in Mexico, and the Spanish brought them to Europe in the 1500s.

Name: The turkey is named after the country of Turkey, even though it was first domesticated in Mexico. Wealthy English people named the bird after Turkey because merchants would transport it from there to English dinner parties.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
We have pillows for all seasons.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Press his hand and he sings and dances!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
They stay warm when the fireplace is on!


Her legs are now uncrossed!!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Fall is indeed here!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Turkeys infest the TV room also!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Mary and I had duplicates of these guys!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
He meets all strangers at the front door!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The formal dining room was decorated even though we seldom use it.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Pilgrims were scattered about.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

"We give You thanks most of all for the gift of Your Son, Jesus. Please bless the food we eat, all who are gathered today to share it, and all our loved ones who can't be with us today"

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The turkey was already cooked, we just had to warm him up!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

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Mary wondered why I bought the extra wide aluminum foil!

Did You Know? - "Good mashed potato is one of the great luxuries in life." — Lindsey Bareham

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
We wrapped them up and placed them into a 325 degree oven for two hours!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
We can always count on Jon for a good T-Shirt message!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Charlotte was in Hawaii for Thanksgiving.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

I mentioned I needed to move Christmas from the attic to the garage and before I knew it, the boys were transferring everything! That makes it so easy for us!  Friday Thanksgiving goes away and we begin to decorate for Christmas!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The modern "Rat Pack"!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Paul, Mary, son Joe, grandsons Alex and Charlie!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Having family around at Thanksgiving is wonderful!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
It is kinda bright, you won't miss me in a crowd.

Did You Know? - "Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." — William Arthur Ward

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
He is taller than me (and bigger around).

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
I was on my tippy toes!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Oh my, the inside temperature was 160 degrees but the meat was quite moist!

Did You Know?

Flight: Wild turkeys can fly in short bursts up to 55 miles per hour, but domestic turkeys cannot fly. Domestic turkeys are raised for food and are fed regularly, which gives them a heavier build that makes it difficult for them to fly.

Speed: Wild turkeys can run up to 25 miles per hour.

Swimming: Turkeys can swim by tucking their wings, spreading their tails, and kicking.

Senses: Turkeys have three times better vision than humans.

Sounds: Both male and female turkeys make a variety of sounds, including gobbles, purrs, yelps, and kee-kees.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The ladies jumped up and got everything ready!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The food was being heated and will soon land on the table!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Mary and I went after the turkey. We did the first one and waited on the second one!

Did You Know? - "Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer."—Maya Angelou

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Yes, those knives are sharp! They were sharper than a surgeon's scalpel, A shard of glass, A needle, and Obsidian (a volcanic glass known for its extreme sharpness).

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
There was nothing left than the bones when we were done!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Sydney led the parade with the boys following right behind!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The shrimp came from Long Beach (Irene)

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Filler up!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Connor goes after the corn bread!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Looking good guys!!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Food is disappearing rapidly, yeah!!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Mary and I served ourselves last!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Hal (who is 95 years young) enjoys all the hub-bub going on!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Hal is chowing down and tells us stories of Thanksgivings past
(Where he went hunting for dinosaurs)

Did You Know? - "Be thankful for everything that happens in your life; it's all an experience." —Roy T. Bennett

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Paul's plate #1 was full, everything was wonderful!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Bob, the unsung hero of the day!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Mary wonders how I could consume so much food and still walk!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

Connor popped up after dinner and headed to the kitchen cleaning up the plates, loading the dishwasher and helping everyone. We were quite proud of this young man!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
He was a one man cleaning machine!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

As people departed the kitchen table became the center point of the activities where tales of yore were retold with a flair!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Scout found Greg and they were conversing!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The kids table (age range 24 to 90) was also busy!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Connor was busy in the kitchen!

Did You Know? - "Be thankful for everything that happens in your life; it's all an experience." —Roy T. Bennett

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Mary describes the desserts! Oh My!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Connor is on the prowl for missing dishes and glasses!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Everyone grabs their favorite items!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The turkey carcass is taking a bath courtesy of Sydney!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

Sydney decided it was time to teach an old American native dance. Asking for volunteers was a mistake because Paul stood up and joined her in the mystical performance.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Come on you big brave men!!!

Did You Know? - "Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are." — Joyce Giraud

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Paul followed instructions (an abnormal behavior) and began to move with the music!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia


 

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
One last kick and Paul heads for the oxygen tanks!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

Champagne and dessert to finish off the feast!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Our resident campanologist open the boggle!

There are several whipped cream tasting contests, including a blind taste test and a challenge to whip a pint of cream by hand and turn the bowl over to prove nothing falls out! We chose the taste test!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Sydney's whipped cream has more calories and higher fat content! She won!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
"Quit with the reading already! Let's have dessert!!!"

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Greg does some serious research!

Did You Know? - "Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is." – Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Come on guys!!!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Sydney's whipped cream came out on top (no pun intended!)

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Bye Bye!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
We turned up the gain on the camera revealing an empty street!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
At sunset everybody was heading for home and the sky was magnificent.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
The darkness was falling rapidly.

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Good night all!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving At Casa Valencia

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving
Dianne and "Fast Eddie" joined us for a while!

2024-11-28 Thanksgiving