Thanxgiving in the US - Thursday, November 27/08

Since we entered the US on November 15th, we have stopped at 5 RV Parks and, at each location, plans were in gear for the Thanxgiving celebration. Consistently, park owner/managers were planning how their turkeys would be brought to the table to feed the park residents – roasted, deep-fried, BBQ’d to name a few. And typical to many park events, residents were each planning what dish they would contribute. There would be a sign-up sheet there primarily to commit your attendance but there would generally be no column on the sign-up sheet to indicate what you intend to bring. Somehow it’s just expected that 'it’ll all work out'!

So, when we arrived at the Corpus Christi RV Park on Wednesday of this week, it was no surprise that they were planning a big dinner for this group as well. And sure enough, there was a sign-up sheet with no place to indicate what you planned to bring. Alas, my organizational skills would never permit me to leave that detail out so I squeezed in "two pecan pies" beside our names. Mind you, I was the only one who had done that!

When these events are scheduled to begin, say at 2:00 pm, what they really mean is that you need to arrive with your contribution ½ hour earlier. And, if you expect to get a good seat, you should bring your plate and silverware at the same time. Believe me – the place fills up fast. And the routine on arrival is to head directly to the dessert table to get your goodies. All to say, our pecan pie slices were scooped up pretty quick – and then eaten while we waited for the call for the big turkey dinner!

Picture two lengths of rectangular tables placed end to end and decorated with red and white checked table cloths. On each table, strategically-placed, were cactus-type plants in 12” tall pots in the shape of cowboy boots. My guess is there were 100+ residents in total. As we duly commenced to eat out desserts (first), we interacted with those around us only to discover the couple across from us come from Thunder Bay, beside us on one side from Oshawa and on the other side from North Bay. To top it off, the fellow who offered the grace (after the desserts and before the dinner) spends his summers at Rideau Acres in Kingston!

The turkey tasted FAN-tastic and with a wide variety of the accompanying dishes – and, yes, lots of gravy! The company we sat with though (completely unplanned) were Canadians. We were all thankful to enjoy yet a second Thanxgiving dinner!