Happy Thanksgiving!

	It promised to be a busy weekend, so the night before Thanksgiving, everyone made sure that they got plenty of rest. Including these two! Bob, Debbie, Lindsay and Leah are on their way up from Las Vegas. Julia is coming up from the Coast. And maybe Krista will stop working long enough to join us!
	The shadows were still very long on Thanksgiving morning when we started up the smoker. Of course my two little helpers had to check out everything.
	At eight-thirty, the 13 pound turkey and two 3 pound breasts went into the smoker. This year we used almond wood to smoke instead of the usual oak.
	The lid went on and was not removed until four-thirty that afternoon. (No peeking, it lowers the temperature by ten degrees every time you lift off the lid.)
	In the meantime, everyone was busy setting the table inside. Here's the beautiful flower arrangement Rebecca sent all the way from Paris.
	While everyone else was getting ready, Leah and Julia were busy baking cookies and Oma broodjes at Oma's house. Of course, there's always time for lunch.
	By four-thirty, Bob and I discussed logistics of how we were going to remove the lid, lift the turkey, remove the meat on the lower rack, blah, blah, blah.
	"I think it can take a few more minutes Bob, what do you think?"
	After another hour in the smoker (total smoker time for the turkey was nine hours), the meat was ready to be served.
	Of course we also had mashed potatoes, Italian sausage stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries and Oma broodjes. Since Rebecca couldn't join us, we bought special Parisian imported butter at the store. Yes, there is a difference.
	When the cousins get together, you end up with fish faces. Don't believe it? Click here!
	Friday morning came early in Tuolumne. Julia broke in the futon in the new Game Room, the shades weren't installed yet, but that didn't bother her in the least! The rest of us were up and out of the house by nine.
	We went to Grampa Rich and Jeanne's new house behind the Tuolumne County Fairgrounds and helped the movers unload the big truck. (Well, they unloaded, we watched.)
	Eventually the girls all showed up (right as the movers were finished!) in time to go to the Craft Fair.
	There was a hat maker at the fair, and Berlynn couldn't decide between this one...
	...or this one. Which one did she pick? Scroll down!
	Of course what's a fair without funnel cakes? Krista (she didn't have to work until that evening!), Julia and Berlynn are enjoying theirs. (Do you like her new hat?)
	Then back home, where we had some time for target practice with the pellet guns. Lindsay is showing her form at aiming, eh - posing.
	Bob is quite the crack shot!
	That evening we saw the Plaid boys at the Fallon Theatre. They were having a fund raiser so we had our picture taken with them. (Krista was working.)
	Saturday afternoon, we all went to Oma's house for pea soup lunch. (Krista was working again.) As usual, it was yummy!
	Saturday evening we saw White Christmas. (Krista was - well, you know...) Early the next morning Bob and Debbie and the girls went back to Las Vegas. We had another great Thanksgiving weekend under our (expandomatic) belts!