Thursday, November 22, 2018

Thanksgiving in the Great White North


Maybe we'll just call it the Great North for now, because we're a little short on snow at the moment. But we spent the Thanksgiving morning in Anchorage on a Turkey Trot run which serves as a fundraiser for the local homeless. Jolene and the boys all ran, but as you can see in the picture, I'm in an air-cast as I await surgery on my ankle (long uninteresting story). So I served as their moral support for the run.


Grayson insisted on getting his picture with Miss Alaska.  Ok, maybe that's not entirely true. Truth be told, maybe I insisted on getting my picture with Miss Alaska, and I drug Grayson along with me so I wouldn't look like the weird old guy trying to get his picture with Miss Alaska. Either way, we got our picture with Miss Alaska ;)


Neither boy looks especially excited to get their picture with the blow-up turkey.


About 1,500 people ran today. Here Jolene got a quick snapshot of Grayson while waiting for the start. They started pretty far back just due to the massive amount of people in the race.

I got a quick video of the race start, and if you listen to the sound, you can hear everyone's ice cleats clicking with each step as they run by (a later part of the run was on slick ice......Alaska problems).


Along the way, Grayson took a breather to pet a local reindeer, and Jolene stopped to get a picture of it as she passed by as well. Not an unusual sight here in Alaska, but I bet there's not many Turkey Trot races around the country where you see someone out walking their pet reindeer!


After running all morning, Jolene cooked all day, and we sat down for a delicious traditional Thanksgiving dinner, just us. We're sorry we didn't get to see all our family around the country for the holiday, but we're thankful we have such a great extended family. Hope that both our "you all" family and our "y'all" family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.
Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.
                                                                      - President George Washington

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