Today is the great American holiday Thanksgiving. Besides giving a day off from work to feast on vast quantities of food and watch football, it is a day for us that celebrate it to give thanks for the many blessings given us over the past year. Today, Tanya and I will have a quiet holiday by ourselves, declining the invitation to travel over the Cascade mountains to visit with my family in Spokane due to a lack of a good car for winter driving (our little SUV is having troubles and the other car needs new tires). This appears to be a good decision, since much snow is forecast for the mountain passes this coming weekend. Besides, without Carson here, who loved the turkey scraps that normally come with Thanksgiving, it seems good to have a quiet time at home.
But life goes on. We brought a small kitten, named Tuck, home a couple of days ago to help keep our older cat, Patch, company. Patch, who is feeling the loss of Carson seemingly as much as Tanya and I, as well as the loss of his sister earlier in the year, has been acting up (as some of our leather dining room chairs can attest to), we presume because of loneliness. We hope getting a kitten was a good idea; we shall see after a few days of slowly introducing the two cats to each other.
Celebrating by ourselves, without turkey-loving company, we have decided against the big, traditional turkey dinner. Tanya, a vegetarian, doesn’t eat turkey (although she has been known to sneak a taste of crisp turkey skin); so it seems a waste to cook a big bird for only the two cats and me. A year ago today, we celebrated Thanksgiving in Madrid with Brooks, having a great meal of paella. So we decided to try paella again for Thanksgiving. We went grocery shopping last night for the requisite fixings. Do you know how hard it is to find fresh clams at 10:00 pm the night before Thanksgiving?
Anyway, I did not intend this post to be a discussion of our Thanksgiving menu, but rather a listing of some of the many things I am thankful for. Here are a few of the things I am thankful for:
- for you, the many readers of my blog – I’m not sure why you care about my words and photos, but I am grateful that someone does. Many thanks!
- for Tanya – she is the love of my life, my best friend, and the most wonderful partner anyone could ever ask for.
- for my son and daughter, Brooks and Janelle, who have grown up to be fine young adults. I’m thankful that they both have good jobs that support them, and that they live close (but not at home with Tanya and I).
- for pets – I’m thankful for the many years good years of companionship that Carson and Sugar gave us, the continuing years of companionship that Patch is giving us, and (hopefully) the future years of companionship that Tuck will give us.
- for my many friends and family members who care for me no matter what stupid things I do or how many “help-me” chores I ask them to assist with.
- for my day job at Robinson Noble – a job I enjoy doing, a job that provides enough to pay the bills as well as support my photography habit (which would have a hard time of supporting itself)
- for my health – I’m thankful that at being over 50 years old I can still do 30-mile backpacking trips (like I did earlier this year)
- for living in a part of the country that still have plenty of wilderness and places to do 30-mile backpacking trips; for being close to deserts, mountains, and coastlines
- for hoodoos and arches and red rocks in general
- for rainforests, giant trees, and hanging moss
- for photography – a passion that gives me so much joy
- for my church, United Church in University Place, a group of people who truly care about everyone no matter their race, sexual orientation, or financial status
- for the word “thanks” being in Thanksgiving, otherwise many Americans would forget what the holiday is really about
- for warm beds and frosty mornings and, in particular, warm beds on frosty mornings
- for decaffeinated coffee for me and caffeinated coffee for everyone else in the Seattle area
- for good bottles of wine, India pale ales, and scotch and rye whiskeys (not necessarily in that order)
- for baseball – one of the best games ever invented, and (reluctantly) for my home team, the Seattle Mariners; for spring training, where every team dreams of the World Series (even the Mariners)
- for working indoor plumbing, particularly after having the big dig in our front yard last summer essential for keeping that plumbing working
- for day trips and weekends away with Tanya
- for snow on weekends, and clear streets on work days
- for the sun rising every morning and the color it brings to the world
- for the stars at night, particularly when we are out of the city and can see them
- for my hometown of Tacoma, a city I swore when I was young that I would never live in; I’m so glad I was wrong
- for travel, in the United States and beyond, in particular our trips to Spain, Greece, Belize, Scotland, New Orleans, and our many trips to the American Southwest
- for a rib-eye steak on the barbecue (and halloumi for Tanya)
- for text messaging – otherwise we’d rarely hear from Brooks and Janelle
- for good music, in particular music by Neko Case, Neil Young, the Shins and the Decemberists
- for zoom lenses, split-neutral density filters, cable releases, and quick-release plates
- for rivers, lakes, and oceans
- for good light, good subjects, and a good sense for composition
- for eagles and hawks, deer and elk, wolves and bears, and wildlife of all kinds
- and for the very many other blessings in my life.
Thank you for letting me share my photography with you. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!