Thanksgiving With A Spatchcock Turkey

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and we had a quiet one.

As I mentioned before, our Magic "Son" came by and spent an hour or so with us.

He made it through the layoffs caused by the extended strikes by the Entertainment Industry.

Two other employees, did not.

He looked great, as you can see.

As to the spatchcocked turkey, it browned beautifully, but was not the best for a Thanksgiving table, so we cut it in advance.

It was very moist, and that counts for a lot, with me.

Onward to more holidays, and a Happy Birthday to my Husband, the love of my life.

Thanksgiving (2023)

Happy Thanksgiving! Have a good one.

The two photos are from last year's turkey disaster, if you remember. It was roasted on its breast, which took all the traditional browning away from the top of the bird.

In honor of this mistake, I am going to spatchcock, (cut in half and lay flat) the turkey, which will let all parts of the bird brown evenly (hopefully).

We picked up a fresh turkey on Tuesday, no defrosting required.

Of course I payed through the nose ($42.19) for a fresh non-injected with a 6% saline solution turkey, but what the heck, it beats the injected Butterballs for $1.49 a lb.

If I am going to eat leftovers for weeks, I want it non-salty.

I made the cranberries, the French Apple Pie, and cauliflower. I will make sweet potatoes, (maybe also scalloped potatoes that I bought at Costco), frozen corn, and of course, stuffing.

With luck, my Magic "Son" may stop by to catch up with us. That makes it all worthwhile.

Glen Iris Pines Beach

We are finally home!

The last time we visited my Son, he had just moved into his house. It was basically a wreck, with lots of boxes laying around.

8 months later, the contrast is striking. It feels like a home, for these three people.

Big changes are coming, in the new year, but for now, it is doing just fine.

One of the things I had wanted to see is the Proud Lake access, that the residents have.

Last time, my Son had no idea what I was talking about. This time he brought us to the entrance to their private beach on Proud Lake.

Seriously, it does not turn up on Google Maps, and if you did not see the sign, you would never know the beach was there.

He really chose a wonderful place to purchase his first home.

Duckies

My Water Post For Today.

We spent an afternoon in Phoenix, walking around the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. You knew when I mentioned water, it would turn-up in a water post.

You can see the other side of the lake is in a natural condition.

The side we were on, included a concrete walkway (in other words not natural).

The ducks were following us, to get treats. Not happening duckies...

I hope you enjoy.

My Son's Painted house

I may have shown off the house with its new paint job, but since it was a beautiful sunny day, I took some of my own.

I think it came out very lovely, and there are a few neighbors that have blue color on their house. Most of them are shades of cream, grey, or white. I was worried it would stick out, but it seems to be just fine.

I did tell him he has to put the fencing on the deck, already. It felt unsafe to me.

We shall see if he listens to his mother. :-)

I am very proud of how it looks.

We Spent 2 Days With Our Son

Friday was a crappy day, weather wise, and so we immediately did our laundry and talked at my Son's house.

When the sun came out on Saturday, my Husband suggested Spicer's Orchard, and so we went out.

My Son fills up bottles at the winery, called growlers. I have no idea what he chose this time, but I am sure he will be pleased.

In addition, he picked up a gallon of apple cider (quite good), and I got a half dozen apple cinnamon donuts to split.

We will eat them with our breakfast this morning, on the train (God willing).

He is thinking of getting a cat for his house, but it seemed a bit premature to do it all this one day. The cat deserves better than a rush job. Instead, we went out to lunch together and sat talking back at his place. A good time was had by all.

A good friend died 3 years ago, yesterday. He loved Christmas, and the countdown to the holiday. The photo of me, is in his honor. Miss you, Tom.

On Our Way To Detroit

We left Nashville just before sunrise on Friday.

If you look close, you can see the Cumberland River. It is the most dramatic feature of the City of Nashville.

After an hour, we landed in Detroit, and am spending 2 days of quality time with our Son.

On Sunday morning, we will return to Los Angeles via the Southwest Chief.

Yes, a whirlwind trip, for sure.

Nashville, Tennessee And The Ryman Auditorium

This is the Ryman!

The original home of the Grand Ole Opry.

I visited (the outside of) the new Grand Ole Opry, back in 1979, but I never saw the original.

They have restored it, and it is now a wonderful edifice, with lots of displays containing objects and clothes that performers have worn, when on the stage of the Ryman.

There is a movie that you watch about its history, and then you are allowed to walk around looking at the displays.

They allow you to stand up at the mic, and they take a commemorative photo that is yours to keep.

I was a bit sad about the price we had to pay, but after it was over, I thought it was worth every penny.

The Fry Bread House

We have been dreaming of Fry Bread for months.

Back in January we missed our chance. No fry bread to be found.

This time, with a Facebook group, that told me where they were and their hours, we had success.

Amazingly, James Beard even likes them.

I got a Beef (Red Sauce) Fry Bread Taco this time.

I think next time I get one, I will do the honey and powdered sugar one. It is always so great.

Onward on our journey, to Nashville Tennessee.

Here We Are In Phoenix, Arizona

This is leg #1 of our journey. Due to the two legs of the flight, and the inflated price for the air fare, we decided to spend a day with our friends from Phoenix, Arizona, and save ourselves a little money.

They picked us up at the airport, and first up was a trip to The Fry Bread House. More on that later.

Our second stop was the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch.

It was a wonderful park with paths all around bodies of water.

They also had these wonderful sagaro cacti, near a bunch of picnic tables. I really liked them, especially the one with the woodpecker holes in it.

I have lots of photos that will turn up as future water posts. Thanks a lot Marie, for thinking that this might be something we would be interested in.

Wednesday afternoon, on to Nashville, Tennessee, and my Husband's 50th State.

Gordon Lightfoot Remembereed At The Shipwreck Museum

I did watch a bit of the ceremony for the 29 crew members of the Edmund Fitzgerald, on Friday.

It was live streamed, but it was not a good stream, so it kept cutting out.

It was a real shame, because I always find it very meaningful.

This year, in honor of Gordon Lightfoot, who died back in May, they rang the bell mentioning him, along with all others lost at sea in the Great Lakes.

As people mentioned in the comments on Facebook, it was his finest work and he deserved to be mentioned, along with the 29.

Hopefully, he got to meet up with them, in the great beyond.

Thinking Of The Mackinac City Area Of Michigan

My Water Post For Today.

I won't get up there, this trip, but we do hope to someday.

As the anniversary of the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was remembered this past week, it brought to mind our "home base" for our visit to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

This lovely hotel has a stunning view of the straights of Mackinac, and the bridge.

Enjoy visiting a beautiful place in my Son's home state.

It Has Become Difficult To Dispose Of Sharps In Santa Clarita

It has become increasingly difficult to get rid of medical sharps.

It has become easier to get a few containers a year from places like your pharmacy, which have free return postage on the box.

Older ones that I bought, did not have return postage and would have cost upwards of $30 to ship, when filled.

Without drop-offs at the Sherrif Station, or the Hospital, we were stuck and not real happy.

Then I heard on Facebook, that there was a Household Hazardous Waste event happening in Castaic, that very week.

We never go to that area of our Valley, so with Google Maps as a guide, off we went.

We got rid of 3 containers for free, and we are happy to be "sharp free", at least for the moment.

The photo is at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Note that they take unused prescriptions, but not sharps.

Another Week Ruined By The Cat

We were dealing with the replacement of our HVAC system on Tuesday. Talk about day blown.

On Wednesday, as I am zipping around on the Internet, I suddenly lose all connectivity.

What the heck?

So I unplug the power from the back of my router, and then replug it back in. Nothing happens.

We take a look at the whole thing, and as expected, the cat has eaten it up.

So no Internet for almost 2 days, while waiting for the power cord replacement to get here.

This is the second power cord the cat has eaten. We think we have shielded both of them (the cable box and router cord) from her teeth.

My Favorite Photo Of The Vietnam Memorial

I can't help but bring this photo back once in a while.

My Husband did not want to see the Vietnam Memorial, and it took quite a bit to change his mind.

This was taken in the Fall, and it is one of my favorite photos.

My guy on the far left, contemplating what he is seeing.

I am glad I got to visit it.

We will never forget.