Thanksgiving in Zone 10

Happy Post-Thanksgiving (I hate the term black Friday) from Ft. Myers, Fla., in plant hardiness zone 10, which is to say, the sub-tropics. Although it did get down in the 40s here last night. We arrived about 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday after an uneventful (except for a few bumps at 29,000 feet over the Florida panhandle) non-stop Southwest Airlines flight. It has been 2-1/2 years since we visited Doug and Matt, and the vegetation around their lake in the center of their community has really grown. Although it was cloudy on Thanksgiving morning, the sun came out in the afternoon and the sky cleared. This is the view, facing east, from their lanai (we midwesterners would call it a screened porch.)


This table was set in anticipation of 13 guests. Matt ironed the tablecloths. Doug printed personalized place cards. Their space is very adaptable, even if there is no dining room. An open great room makes for varied entertaining possibilities. In addition to us, the guests were all colleagues of Doug's at FGCU, from a variety of departments. On Tuesday, Doug and Anne-Marie shopped for groceries and picked up the fresh organic turkey. On Wednesday, Anne-Marie and Maggie did a lot of pre-prep for the big day. They were ready to leave as we arrived.

Thursday afternoon, the kitchen was a veritable beehive. Matt kept washing up pots as Anne-Marie (left) carved the turkey and Kathy and Nicole dealt with something on top of the stove. Doug and Anne-Marie's son Simon supervised, a lot.

The final result: a toast to friends and things to be thankful for, before heading for the sideboards to fill our plates. With turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, asparagus casserole, green beans, brussels sprouts, whole cranberry sauce, rolls, and four kinds of pie (pecan bourbon chocolate, apple, banana caramel and chocolate) everyone had plenty to eat. And the leftovers will go to Anne-Marie's house on Sanibel Island this afternoon for an after-feast from the same crew!

This is the second year that Doug's kitchen has been comman- deered ably by Anne-Marie, who loves to cook and has a kitchen too small to cook for a crowd. Although Doug is also a fabulous cook, he seemed really pleased to let four of his best friends do the Thanksgiving dinner. The meal was amazing, fresh, wholesome and above all, delicious!

Norm and I were going to have dueling cameras, but he put his down so I could take my picture of him first. He is enjoying leisurely morning walks around the condo complex with Sam as a companion. Yesterday afternoon I took a walk with him, too.

Sam and I stayed out of the kitchen, mostly, although Sam did make periodic trips through to check for crumbs and other goodies. On Wednesday night when we arrived, Sam gave a brief bark and then broke into wiggles and grins and he spent most of Wednesday evening on my lap, as though he had missed me the whole four or five months since we last saw him, in May in St. Louis. His thanksgiving scarf came from his groomer, who also wrote his name in day glo puff paint on it.

The guest room faces west and is very cozy. Norm and I have no trouble feeling at home and we sleep really well. This room is also the music room, since Matt moved the piano in here on carpet after the downstairs neighbor complained about the "noise" not long after they moved the piano in. The guest room is over the garage, so the neighbor doesn't get the vibrations while he's trying to sleep in the daytime. On Thursday afternoon Simon played Chopin for endless hours it seemed, while we were waiting for dinner. Then Matt took over and played some of his original compositions that are in his head, although he says he will write them down, someday.

We are so thankful to have some time to savor the Gulf air, relax, and have meaningful conversations. Soon enough we will be back home and busy with Advent and Christmas events, hustle and bustle. For now, we are looking forward to a field trip to Sanibel where we can walk on the beach. We brought sunscreen, hats, and beach shoes. We are ready!