Thanksgiving morning started out with some of the cousins going to a Pheasant Farm with Uncle Matt, formerly known as "Uncle Broken Dreams". Uncle Matt has come through with shining stars on his promises lately, so we will need to come up with another nick name for him!
Here is Richard's account of our Thanksgiving 2009.
Gold-Medal Thanksgiving Feast
Matt and Kelly deserve a gold-medal for their gracious hosting of this years Thanksgiving celebration. To say that the day was incredibly successful would be the understatement of 2009 - it was absolutely fantastic.
Successful family events do not happen without careful planning and everyone pitching in. With the assistance of the practical Francis ladies, Kelly managed the meal planning element with grace and ease. Matt was responsible for putting together the “First Annual Pheasant Smash” which took the testosterone out of the kitchen during the critical cooking time and delayed the start of the beer consumption by about three hours.
People started arriving at the Circle F Ranch compound about 0900 hours armed with positive attitudes and growling bellies. Relatives of all ages and genders jumped-in to help with initial set up and empting of cars of various seasonal treats. The men gathered to camo-up and get ready to provide. Kelly set up the magic seven-seater, gasoline-powered trolley while the gals enjoyed hot tea and good conversation. The younger ladies, immediately after arrival, were engaged in their typical frenzied behavior of running inside and out in pursuit of a combination fashion ideas combined with the latest dance moves.
Promptly at 10:00 am, the 12 boys and cute Brookie under the supervision of Grandpa, loaded up and headed for the local pheasant farm, located a mere 4.3 miles away. Upon arrival to the pheasant farm/slaughter house, the gang met with the colorful proprietor “Barney” and were welcomed with open arms. Barney and his sons quickly gathered some healthy birds from the enclosed pen and headed off for the partially-harvested corn fields to hide the pheasants. The crew split into two groups of hunters with Barney’s two pointers going with one and the always fantastic Woody going with the second group. The hunting was terrific with everyone getting off a couple of shots and 25 out of 30 birds being harvested. In a couple of cases Woody got a little excited about finding the birds and took matters into his own hands (paws) and trotted out of the bush with a flapping pheasant in his mouth. He was very proud of himself.
Back at the ranch the lady folk were preparing an early lunch of the most-delicious squash soup, pumpkin bread and cheese and cracker trays. The triumphant hunters returned to the warm house that smelled of exotic aromas and had the sounds of lively conversation. Kelly operated as fluid in motion, never flustered but constantly on the move to make sure her guests were both comfortable and armed with the appropriate beverage. Each time more family arrived the group would give a loud cheer and a thousand hugs. The poor little guys were handed from eager adult to teen to adult to pre-teen to adult. Braden was held by no fewer than 33 people within a five minute span and never once, until he was man-handled by Uncle Pat, did he do anything but smile and laugh.
At approximately 2:30 Kelly proclaimed “dinner is ready” and the hungry masses cheered in unison. Everyone stood for a special prayer and Grandpa led the group with an emotional blessing. Visible missing from this special celebration was Grandy. Kay let it be known that her absence was significant and that he would be delivering a special care package with all the trimmings to his ailing sweetheart.
Back to the meal. Matt and Kelly cooked up the perfect turkeys. Moist, cooked to perfection, and carved like we were dining on the QE II. The food was abundant, hot where appropriate, and delicious. Nick’s stuffing was crazy good, Yesuava’s gravy fantastic, the mashed potatoes wonderful, the bread extremely popular with both the kids and adults, the cranberry sauce tart and sweet, and the marshmallow jams super duper. Those who wanted to returned for seconds and a few hearty souls returned for thirds. No one, I repeat, NO ONE left the dining area hungry and it was reported that both Jonathan and Steve moved their belts out at least one notch. Thank you to all the contributing chefs who made the delicious meal for all to enjoy and special thanks to Matt and Kelly for hosting this very special “Giving of Thanks.”
After the meal it was play time, hayrides, crazy trolley rides, fire pit warm-ups, and good conversation on the couch. With the men’s hands stuffed in their waste band, the ladies with teacups, and the kids running around like wild indians, it was time to partially digest the feast of the year. The compound had something for everyone from the kids in the barn playing with the kittens to the boys high in the treestands to the young adults in the family room playing board games. Everyone was smiling and having fun. The visit to the elderly neighbors in the tractor-pulled wagon was a very nice touch. All in all with almost no crying or broken bones, very few band-aids distributed, the afternoon was a huge success.
What is thanksgiving without pumpkin pie? Well this year is can be said “what is thanksgiving without a seven variety assortment of pies, including pumpkin.” Freddy and Carol made sure the desert portion of the feast was just as festive as the meal. For any of the attendees who didn’t sample at least three of the seven – shame on you. The deserts were wonderful, again something you would get in the main dining room on an international cruse.
In conclusion, on Thanksgiving Day 2009 we had a successful hunting experience, an absolutely fantastic turkey dinner with all the trimmings, unlimited supply of delicious hot and cold beverages, crazy rides on a seven-seater wheeled go-kart, tractor-pulled hay ride through the country, pies galore, and all the warm family fellowship one could either ask for or imagine. We had a gold medal thanksgiving.
Thank you both Matt and Kelly for opening up your beautiful home and hosting Thanksgiving 2009. Thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment