Thanksgiving, a bit late

So, what do they call it in South America?  It's "Dia de Acción de Gracias," or "Day of Action of Thanks," or something like that.  They've heard of it, but it's no big deal.  

Unless you're a missionary from Brazil, and it's the first time for grilled turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole and pecan pie.  "OK, that's it," said he, "I'm marrying a North American."

Interestingly, such a meal had the same effect in the Southern Hemisphere as the Northern.

What a treat it was to go to my brother's place in Maryland for the first time since 2010, with the usual gathering of family and fun stuff.  My sister Kathleen brought husband Bruce and her Siberian Huskies.

They (the dogs) thought it was great fun for about five minutes, then it was work.

There was a birthday to be celebrated,

and new grandbabies with whom to become acquainted.

There were fun things to do,

and of course too much food.

My brother Mark is one of my very best friends.  He's an orthopaedic surgeon (he says that's how you spell it) with a million projects.  This one was making camping stoves out of soda cans.  The initial design was of course the subject of experimental improvement,

until voila! the Mark IV model gave the desired results, all for pennies for the materials, and about $4,358.00 for the combined going hourly rate for an orthopaedic surgeon and an OB-GYN.

Mark lives on a beautiful large bay off the lower Potomac River, and loves to kiteboard, a sport I am still struggling to master.  The winds were good, so we loaded up the kite/bike trailer and headed out to the state park nearby.  For full disclosure, I just watched.

We knew it was a great visit because we were exhausted when we finally left for home, and because I was full of ideas on how to further complicate my life, thanks to my brother.
We hope your Thanksgiving was as much fun.
Dave & Paula