It was just a week ago that we saw our first serious hint of winter here in western Michigan. Two to three inches of wet snow fell in Grand Rapids and made for some tricky driving. But within a couple of days the temperatures rose back into the 50s and with the benefit of rain showers the snow was gone by Thanksgiving Day.
Last Thursday afternoon -- Uncle Frank's birthday by the way which was roundly celebrated in Douglas, MA at Dick and Dorothy's home -- Susie and I drove across the street, 200 feet or so to her mother's home. We picked Bernice up and the three of us drove north to the greater Rockford area to enjoy Thanksgiving with the Ten Have-Chapman family.
Bernice's sister Marian Van Halsema, our aunt, married John Ten Have and it was the home of their son Garrett and his wife Laurie Ten Have-Chapman that a dozen people gathered to share stories, laughter and good food: turkey (both roasted and fried), mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, corn, stuffing, cranberry salads, all the traditional food and all tasty.
Given the name of the holiday the meal ended with each person sharing what they were most thankful for in their life.
 |
| Berenice, from Normandy |
 |
| Laurie |
 |
| Maria and Berenice |
 |
| Joe and his mother |
 |
| Uncle John Ten Have |
 |
| John, Karen and Susie |
 |
| Berenice and Bernice |
 |
| Laurie and Garrett |
 |
| Maria, Susie and Bernice |
After a leisurely meal -- with plenty of second and third helpings -- the group moved into the living room. After several rounds of word games we all returned to the dining room for dessert: Susie's citrus tart, Laurie's pecan pie, pumpkin pie and Marian's apple crisp.
 |
| Garrett |
 |
| Karen and her husband Joe, neighbors from Giddings Street |
 |
| Joe and Berenice |
 |
| the Bernice game |
 |
| Susie's citrus tart |
 |
| pecan pie, citrus tart and pumpkin pie (the crisp was still in the oven) |
A wonderful afternoon sharing food and fun soon turned into a lovely evening and it was nearly 9 pm by the time we grabbed our coats and packed up to say adieu.
A bientot!
No comments:
Post a Comment