I hadn’t seen my mom since August, and T hadn’t seen his family either, so we decided to take a quick trip back to the Bay for Thanksgiving. We rented a car, drove to Oakland, and stayed a week with my mom,

Our cabin was on the market, so Thanksgiving was at Jenny’s short term rental in Santa Cruz. In attendance: Jenny, Sherm, Jude, Leslie, Randy, Syd, Whit, Marshall, Emily, Conrad, my mom Karen, Tim and I. Our daughter Skye is a year into her Peace Corps stint in Ecuador, and Monroe and Anna had a massive baby boy a week or so prior, so we toasted everyone remotely and tucked in locally. Jenny delivered a huge meal as always, complete with a perfectly roasted turkey and a plethora of desserts. Libations were liberal and the festivities lively.

Since I’m used to having a particular Thanksgiving menu, I had requested my mom prepare a pre-Thanksgiving meal that we could munch on during our stay at her house. I think she thought I was joking, but joking I was not. After a little pouting and light foot stomping, “we” whipped up a legit spread with our favorites: curry, baked, and fried chicken; mashed potatoes and gravy; turkey wings, Jiffy corn bread; tofu and rice, stuffing, string beans, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake. Yum.

I got in some gym and beautifying time, played some pickleball with Jude, rendezvous’d with Jane and Rodney at the yacht club, T saw Emil, and my mom and I started a puzzle (that she’ll never finish without me), We also started a new season of Married at First Sight — the go-to for my mom and me. And since T and I were sleeping in my mom’s bed — where the TV is — T unwittingly got roped (hooked!) in too. Extensive commentary and comedy ensued, which is basically the whole point.

It was great to see everyone; a good time was had by all. Now back to Ventura to keep this party going.