Cozumel - Two Days Before “I” Day!

Thanksgiving Day was comfortably warm and quite windy; however, we gave “thanks” for all the fortunate components of our lives.  The morning began with the beginning preparation for the holiday repast, Cozumel style.  The unstuffed Mr. Tom Turkey, weighing in at 6.8 Kilograms (almost 15 pounds), went in the oven before 9.  The idea of stuffing was relinquished in favor of dressing, without our traditional seasonings and spices, baked in a casserole the last hour of the roasting time.  Jeff made his specialty mashed potatoes, David sautéed green beans in butter and garlic, Kari tossed a deliciously fresh salad, and I made about two quarts of turkey gravy.  These delectables were accompanied by Mexican dinner rolls, “bolillos,” canned cranberry sauce from Wisconsin, fresh pineapple grown here on the island, and finally, great family and friends discourse and camaraderie.  We shared our dinner with five other athletes:  Bita and Shakufa (accept my apologies for spelling blunders), Amanda, Damon, and Aaron.  We wish all of them well in the upcoming competition.

After dinner, Amanda offered to take a snapshot of the Sherman-Duane family for our reminder of the day and the wonders of another holiday season . . .

L to R:  Avery, Jeff, Samantha, Malia, Alice, Tate, Kari, David, Spencer, Mimi.  It's one happy family missing only Kari and David's three oldest girls and one fiancee:  Quinn, Landon, Addison and Holland. 

The party was interrupted by the athletes’ need to register retrieve racing bikes for Ironman Cozumel, so two or three cars left here for the 6-mile jaunt into town and Kari and Jeff riding their race bikes back to the condo at about 5pm.

Then, of course, for us Californians, there was the 49er game, broadcast here at 7:45pm.  Some of the crew went back into town to join the revelry in a local sports bar and some of chose to stay here and relax, with lots of conversation, and enjoy the end of yet another family Thanksgiving.

The over-the-top games for all the kids and most of the adults is beach volleyball, which they've played with abandon, even encouraging participation of some of the staff members. It'll create wonderful memories for all of them.

Also missing, especially for me, was my youngest son, Spencer, who's currently in Brussels with his girlfriend, Rachelle.  We missed you , SJ!