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For the first time in a few years, we spent Thanksgiving in San Francisco. So, we took advantage of the relaxing long weekend to put up our Christmas tree and decorate the house.

We decided to move the tree into the living room this year, because we had placed a wine cabinet in the old tree spot. One very nice side effect was that the new location provides a view of the tree from the entry stairwell. Now, we have nearly 360-degree viewing of the tree…which is a good thing, because we seem to add several new ornaments each year.

Anyhow…here is the assembly…including action shots of Jeff with ornament-hanging action grip.

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the new ornaments this year. We added a Virginia Tech ornament…which is extra special after the Hokies big win over UVA today. Kim sent us a beautiful glass ball made with ash from Mount St. Helens. A sample of some Dutch Royal Delft, and a German nut cracker from our trip. Our annual White House ornament…this year celebrating the White House wedding of Grover Cleveland. And a few new Christmas fairies, which have become an annual favorite for Jeff.

The result is this massive table of ornaments. Each one with a fantastic story. A flood of memories as we unwrap and hang each one.

Our last full day in Amsterdam (Monday/Maandag, October 29…text HERE) was mostly an indoor day…two museums with no photos permitted. So, when I went back to recap the day, my photos started with the single shot above from the front of the Van Gogh Museum. Then the shots immediately jumped to our foggy walk through Vondel Park at dusk. We wandered for over an hour as the light declined. A few moody pics resulted.

Hurray…we’ve made it to the halfway point on Europe photos!! This is day 7…Sunday/Zondag, October 28…a classic fall day in Amsterdam. The sun peeked in and out today…for a little photo variety. (Relive the original trip notes HERE.)

Our wandering for the day took us past the Anne Frank House…again…with extra long lines. (We made it inside later in the afternoon…but no pics allowed.) But you will see the gray Dam Square again, contrasted with the beautiful Flower Market. And don’t overlook the whimsical view of the two-level restaurant window.

Midway through our day, we visited the Willet-Holthuysen Museum…a historic 17th century Amsterdam canal house. This one did allow for a few interior shots.

Afterwards, we would our way back through Dam Square to the train station, and its jam-packed bicycle parking deck. A truly amazing sight…especially for us car-hungry Americans. (Although, to be fair…how could we do our post-Thanksgiving shopping with only a bicycle!! MUST… FIND… DOORBUSTER… SALES!!)

Here is a window-sample of the Royal Delft style I mentioned in my original entry. This classic look is ubiquitous in Amsterdam’s shops.

Its time to stand united and eliminate a ridiculous phrase from the common vernacular…”doorbuster”…as in “arrive at the crack-of-dawn for amazing doorbuster specials”.

It appears that the Kohls department stores win the post-Thanksgiving early-bird prize…they are opening at 4am Friday. 4am!!!! Honestly, what cheap, Chinese-made ‘doorbuster’ is worth getting up at that hour?

Charge me twice as much…I’m still sleeping…and digesting pumpkin pie. 🙂

Jeff and I spent a quiet Thanksgiving in San Francisco. It was a BEAUTIFUL day in SF…mid 70s…sunny…perfect. Jeff went out in the garden and created an amazing centerpiece for the table. The meal was wonderful, with an herb-filled turkey (rosemary from the garden), Jeff’s own stuffing creation (the best item on the table!), must-have green bean casserole, garlic mashed potatoes, and a scrumptious hearty mushroom gravy. Jeff made a pumpkin cheesecake for dessert…and we have a pumpkin pie if that runs low 🙂

Of course…stories from our families did make us a bit homesick. Big piles of leaves in Virginia, which nephew Benjamin seems to LOVE playing in. A big family gathering in Michigan with the first snow of the season for decoration. We miss everyone, and send out big hugs.

At dusk, we worked off the meal with a walk along the Bay in the brilliant light of the Golden Gate Bridge. The perfect end to the day.

Happy Thanksgiving 🙂