Photoessay #2801 - Thanksgivings gather

Thanksgivings, for me, gather.  That's a 'place' characteristic as discussed by Edward Casey in an article we read for my Landscape Archaeology class.  For all of you phenomenology wonks out there.  I found my teacher this quarter interesting, he didn't talk that much about his own interests but I enjoyed it when he did.  He showed a lot of interest in his students, even me.  We had a bit more informal session on Wednesday where we workshopped each other's papers.  He asked one student Maxsim, from Russia, no accent but clearly a very smart articulate student about his interest in archaeology.  At the end Max asked him how he got interested in Archaeology.  He said he started in aeronautical engineering and then got an applied mathematics degree.  He does a lot of digital mapping things.  But, as time went on, he became more interested in phenominology; how we all experience things in our own body.  Interesting progression.

I experience Thanksgiving as a 'place' which transcends time and space.  It's not any particular point in time nor even a point in space.  Though I mostly experience it in my own home.  With that easy to make traditional dinner.  And with a lot of guests.  I need the guests to make it happen.  Of course, having four children, even though they live in a variety of places often guarantees that I've got some guest action going on.  I love Thanksgiving because it's all about the gathering and the food and just taking some time to talk and enjoy ourselves.  The cleanup can be part of it, too.  And definitely cooking.  A special low stress time, when all can just pause and celebrate.  And that last rush to get all the food out; I like that too.  There is a moment, I was conscious of it yesterday when it's action time.  People are getting their dishes ready.   Yesterday we had some of the food buffet style and some on the two tables.  Dennis is finishing up with the turkey carving and the stuffing.  I'm dishing up all of the things I've got ready.  Here come the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the cranberry sauce, the rolls.  I always put out a variety of platters and bowls and figure that people will grab them as they need them.

There's yesterday's Thanksgiving and there's all of the Thanksgivings that I have hosted during my adult life.  As I reflect, I liked it as a child.  We traded off with the Beittel family.  I was the oldest and usually got stuck with most of the dishes but it was still fun.  Dennis and I started hosting our own pretty early, right after we moved to Seattle in 1979.  With the Garrisons.  We traded back and forth; I think that my side ended up with so many people mainly Dennis' parents maybe some other older relatives. 

Thanksgiving resides in me as I experience it and remember it.