Lots to be Grateful For!

We had an Alaskan Thanksgiving this year at Sheep Mountain Lodge about 2 hours north of Anchorage. It has remained very, very cold, and it was never above zero in the Wednesday - Friday that we stayed at Sheep Mountain - still, as you can see in the pictures, we had fun skiing and snowshoeing and going in the wood-fired sauna.

Our landlords, Mary and Lance Mearig rented the cabin next to us with Lance's brother and sister-in-law, and we fixed Thanksgiving dinner together in one of our cabins.  We took a jigsaw puzzle, we read, watched a movie on Jessica's computer, and had a great time -- maybe the best Thanksgiving dinner we've ever had -- food tastes pretty good after skiing in below zero temperatures!
Jessica was with us for a week and left late Saturday night to go back to LA.

Dinner - we should have taken pictures - turkey, dressing, gravy, roasted vegetables (potatoes, brussel sprouts, beets, onions, broccoli, carrots), yams and squash casserole, broccoli salad, homemade rolls.
Then we had to roll out of the cabins for an after dinner snowshoe before dessert -- dark and crisply cold but invigorating!  Then on to pumpkin cheesecake with a chocolate graham cracker crust and an apple pear crisp.  A valiant attempt to finish the puzzle Thursday night and Friday morning, but it was more important to ski again before we left, and the puzzle went back in the box!

Jessica hasn't been on skis since she was 15 or 16, so she did well.  The scenery is drop dead gorgeous, as you can see for yourselves.  They have about 18 km of groomed trails, though with the cold, it was better for classical skis and not good for skate skiing.  We came back on Friday and went out for a ski again here in Anchorage on the Chester Creek trail late afternoon -- looking for moose for Jessica, but we didn't see even one in the week that she was here (well, Brian saw several, but he did a couple of extra skis at the beginning of the week when it was 5 degrees and the rest of us were resisting!)  Then on to Crush, one of our favorite places to go for wine and little dishes to share.

Saturday was a big craft fair at the Anchorage Museum, a tradition for them and becoming one for us!  Jessica and Judy went for the afternoon, then dinner with friends, and on to the airport for Jessica's flight out at 12:30 am.  She had a red-eye and arrived back in LA at 6:30 am. on Sunday.  All in all a great weekend, with lots to be thankful for.  We were able to talk to the rest of our children - Colin and his fiancee April, Scott, Alex, and Colleen by phone - not the same as being there but we're grateful still!

Town Square in Anchorage - decorated now for the holidays!