ISLAND SCENES

I hope everyone had as nice a Thanksgiving Day as we did. Tourists were out in force because the day was gorgeous. Not too hot, not too cold. We met several interesting people. One couple had traveled from Colorado to spend the holiday on their sailboat. Once in Charleston SC  where it was docked, they sailed down to our little island and were having turkey and dressing next to us at Barbara Jean's. After overeating, we waddled--er, walked around the island.

A few interesting sights:

This is the highest point on the island. The airport was built on the highest place, but this mountain of ground-up debris from the hurricane aftermath must be a height record. You can tell it's almost as tall as the airplane hangar beside it.

Mounds of the ground-up tree branches, trunks, roots, and other leftover debris are constantly being piled up and moved around by the tiny scraper you see at the bottom right. I'm not sure what the white thing next to it is. It may have something to do with the loading. But even though truckloads of the stuff are constantly being taken away, the pile doesn't seem to get any smaller. And we still have debris to be picked up. The worst part is that the lack of rain dries it up and the winds send the dust swirling through the air. Some people are finding it hard to breathe.

Further on our walk, we came across a tree blown down in the storm and recycled by the imaginative homeowner. For Halloween, a ghost hung from the top branch. This week, it's decorated for Christmas. See the Santa cap on the top ball?

Someone must be an artist to see such potential in felled timber!

And finally, here is our own lovely lemon tree. The lemons look like Christmas ornaments, don't they?

Now if I had an artistic streak in me, I could make this into an outside Christmas tree! Except that we're probably going to pick the lemons and have a pie before Christmas! Yum!

CHRISTMAS TREE

Yes, I know it isn't Thanksgiving till tomorrow, but I couldn't wait till after it to put our tree up.

A few weeks ago, I got an unexpected package in the mail. In it was a handmade Christmas ornament from our former neighbors! I've been chomping at the bit ever since to get a tree and hang it. (Our old tree bit the dust last year and I failed to buy one during the after-season sales, alas.)

Finally my guy gave in. Well, not so much gave in as got bulldozed into buying one and putting it up. Not a pretty tree, mind you. More like an artificial Charlie Brown tree. But it's up and my ornaments are on it, waiting for the finishing touches when we finally find our last Christmas box that somehow got lost during the moves.

I took a picture of the ornament. See the little bird with its eggs? It's lovely and all the more for our ex-neighbor thinking of us!

THANKSGIVING'S OVER, CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

On our morning walk, we ran into workers stringing up holiday lights on palm trees down by the pier. We supervised a while, then went on our way.

At the lighthouse, we heard music. Yep, Christmas music. Couldn't figure out where it was coming from at first. Then we looked up.

Evidently, the lighthouse is about to be decked out for the holidays, too. This year, that must include music broadcast from the top because that was certainly where it was coming from.

After a couple of songs, the music ended and people were seen working. The first picture shows the lighthouse full length, the next shows the workers on top. If I get some nighttime pictures later on, I'll post them here, too.

I love the holidays! And not just for the food.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving and lots of turkey! I've had mine, thank you very much, along with dressing, cranberry orange salad, and other stuff that at this time make me feel almost nauseous thinking about eating. Especially the peanut butter pie. It was yummy at the time. Now...



Remember, this month I'm giving away earrings on my blog. Anyone who comments with the word 'earrings' somewhere in his/her the post is eligible to win. Here's a picture:

And here's the link to the store they come from:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TalismanMoon?ref=search_shop_redirect

Not many people entered so someone stands a pretty good chance of winning!

THE CRUD

For some reason, either my guy or I get the crud around holidays. This Thanksgiving it was my turn.

So...No traveling to my brother's for fear of giving him the stuff. No turkey and fixings that my sister-in-law cooked without my help. No leftovers carried home to feast on later.

Instead, we had soup. And I lay on the sofa and watched the parade and dozed through football.

My guy was sweet though. I tried to send him to his sister's here in town, knowing she always cooks enough for extra guests. But he declined and stayed with me.

I think it was the football he wanted to see actually but...

AND IT WAS A HAPPY, HEARTY THANKSGIVING!

Too much turkey, ham, dressing, gravy, biscuits, green beans, sweet potato casserole, congealed fruit salad, cranberry sauce. Couldn't eat either the homemade chocolate cake (with homemade fudge icing!) or the luscious looking pumpkin pie. Had to wait till long afterward.

Hope everybody ate as well as we did.

Hope everybody isn't still groaning today like we are.