A Great Thanksgiving Day

After making stuffing, stuffing the turkey and getting it in the oven this morning, we went to do the Oak Creek 7th Annual Turkey Trek at Drexel Towne Square. It is an hour long walk around the local park at 8 AM. The coordinators request that we bring non-perishable food to be collected for charity. The temperature this morning was 37 degrees and there was a light wind but on a cold day it still stung a little. We enjoyed the view of the icy ponds along the trail where we walked. It was a great way to start turkey day.

After the walk was over we went home to enjoy bloody Marys in the hot tub. It is a great way to get the chill out of our old bones and enjoy the quiet before the storm of family that will be over later this afternoon for Thanksgiving dinner.

I love all things Peanuts so  I just had to take advantage of the opportunity to use my plastic cup for my bloody Mary.

Whenever I have something big to do, like Thanksgiving dinner I've learned to make a list. This year I thought I would add some post-dinner comments in order to learn for next year. These are the lessons I learned from this year's dinner:

1. Cook the turkey way in advance, carve it and put it in a crock pot. Then all the mess can be cleaned up before guests arrive. It is a great stress relief.
2. Make turkey stock from scratch and use it to keep the sliced turkey moist in the crock pot.
3. Make less side dishes. Everyone wants the mashed potatoes. The end.
4. The cold vegetable sides were more popular than warmed vegetables.
5. Drink wine instead of making sangria. It's less fuss.

The day was very stress free since I really planned ahead. The only disappointing thing was that my granddaughter was ill and laid on the sofa while we had dinner. At least we could see her and keep her in the conversation. I hope she is better today.

Turkey Brine

I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year and the best part about that is making some things my way. First of all, I love to brine the turkey overnight for the best results. I really think it makes a big difference. So here's my brine cooking on the stove. I make it today so it can cool all day then tomorrow morning it will go over the turkey. That way the turkey can soak for 24 hours before roasting. The scent of the brine while simmering is amazing.

Here's the recipe I use (it's from Pioneer Woman):

• 3 cups Apple Juice Or Apple Cider
• 2 gallons Cold Water
• 4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
• 5 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1-1/2 cup Kosher Salt
• 2 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
• 5 whole Bay Leaves
• Peel Of Three Large Oranges

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover. 

Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours. 

When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. 

Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

Cameron, MO

Our trek to start the Legacy Run began today with a long drive to Cameron, MO. Since Neil planned the route we just followed along without paying too much attention to where we were ending up. It came as quite a surprise to me when I discovered that Cameron is next to Hamilton, the home of Missouri Star Quilt Co. I can't believe I was so close to the quilt shops but was not going to get to stop in.

We all were glad to have that first long day completed without any incidents.

We hung out at the hotel in the evening enjoying some nice cold beer and each other's company.

Marco Island

Here are a few photos from our trip that I haven't talked about.

Sunday on Marco Island

Yesterday we sat at the pool under a grass roofed hut because it was raining. After attempting to wait out the rain we determined that it was not going to stop for a while. So we headed into town and did some shopping. I picked up a souvenir beach towel to take home.

Once the rain stopped, we enjoyed a nice dinner at Quinn’s. It’s a restaurant on the beach attached to a swanky Marriott hotel here on Marco Island.

The view is gorgeous and during dinner we watched this large family have their portraits done. It was quite a gathering.

While enjoying an after dinner cocktail we sat on the beach taking some fun photos.

A dolphin swam by. It was a magnificent sight. I sure wish I could get a photo of them but they moved so quickly it was impossible. When we headed back to our condo we saw one of the cave owls that make these really cool nests on the ground. They are protected so the nests are cordoned off. For a tiny owl it sure had a loud screech. We tried to get a shot of it in the dark but it was as elusive as the dolphin.

We finished the evening with facial masks in our bathing caps then called it a night.

Snook Inn

There's a saying, "I got Snookered at the Snook Inn!" It's on a t-shirt and some of the ladies wanted to get one. We just went there for lunch.

On the menu it stated that you could have the chef cook the fish that you caught. That was something I never heard of before. I chose the red snapper, it was caught out of the waters right by the restaurant.

After we ate we headed to the gift shop to get the t-shirts and then stepped into the bar area. I discovered they had Yuengling on tap. It's one of my very favorite beers. We can't get it in Wisconsin so it's always a treat when I land someplace that serves it.

Before we knew it, we were ordering drinks and chatting with two men from England who were on holiday for two weeks. We were in their company for the bulk of the afternoon enjoying the conversation. It was a good afternoon.

Our First Day on Marco Island

Our plane landed in Florida only for me to find out that my luggage was accidentally routed to Detroit. It would be a while before the airline ended up delivering the luggage to me but they did it.

We immediately got settled and planned a trip to the grocery store. We purchased way too many groceries. But it's vacation so it doesn't matter. We did have fun at the liquor store.

Once we were back at the condo, we walked the beach out in front. It was an incredible view. As the sun was setting Carol shot a few photos.

I took the opportunity to take a few of my own. Stephanie's sister, Jennifer gave each of us these cute tumblers commemorating our trip. What a nice surprise!

I thought I would use my tumbler as a prop to mark the start of my photo journey throughout this trip.

This morning it rained which is pretty common here. Everything is so lush and green from the rain.This morning we woke up to this rainbow.

I had some fun with the coffee mug Stephanie gave us. Aren't they cute? 

I couldn't resist making it look like the rainbow was going into the cup.

Orioles

We had some orioles stop in the garden today. They are so beautiful. Jeff loves taking care of the birds so these photos made his day.