Thanksgiving Review

I’m one of those people who believe Holidays, like Thanksgiving, are stressful. This past Thanksgiving was no exception. I had to fly into and out of O’Hara airport. First of all, I hate to fly. Secondly, there is bad blood between the O’Hara airport and I.

Besides the flying part, Char and I had a great time in Chicago with the kids. Here are some of the highlights.

Upon arriving, we went to DOR’s (Daughter of Ralph) and SILOR’s (Son in Law of Ralph) apartment. It looked almost like the first apartment Char and I had.

While there, we played a little Guitar Hero. I got exceptionally good at playing ‘Slow Ride’, but decided not to become a rock and roll star when I retire. I mean there is all that traveling, and then the whole groupie thing.

Char and I had the privilege of taking in one of SILOR’s basketball games. SILOR is number three. They won with a score of 73 to 48. SILOR scored twelve points.

On Wednesday, SILOR entertained us. He took us to a place for lunch called the Soup Box. They have twelve different kinds of soups and encourage you to mix soups together. Now, I admit that it sounds a little weird but ‘when in Chicago. . . .’ I asked the guy what he recommended and he suggested the chicken and sausage gumbo mixed with the creamy chicken and rice. I swallowed hard and said I would try it. To be honest, it was fantastic. It also gave Char a great idea for a Super Bowl party.

SILOR then took us to the school where DOR teaches. It is the first marine military academy in the nation. It’s a nice school, but it was also the first time I heard my little baby girl referred to as Mrs. Gordon, that made me smile.


Thursday morning SOR (Son of Ralph) and SORSO (Son of Ralph’s Significant Other) showed up as we were having breakfast. SOR told everyone that for Thanksgiving we dress formal. They arrived all dressed up. I’m sure this is just one of the many times SORSO has wanted to strangle him

The kids are getting tired of hearing this but. . . .if a year ago, someone would have told me I would be in Chicago to celebrate Thanksgiving with DOR, SILOR, SOR and SORSO I would have laughed. If they told me that DOR would do most of the cooking, I would have laughed even harder. Yet, DOR cooked enough food to feed half of Chicago. It started with appetizers including a cheese ball with crackers and celery and cheese provided by SORSO. Celery and cheese is a necessity at Thanksgiving, the kids would throw a fit if we didn’t have it – well, maybe not. Then we proceeded to have a twenty-pound turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie, sweet potatoes, and a few other dishes. It was finished off with pecan pie, and pumpkin cheesecakes in the shape of miniature pumpkins. All of it was extremely good.

This was followed by an evening full of games. Playing Guesstures all the guys ended up on the same team and of course, we were beaten. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. We even did a group huddle – it didn’t help.

Friday we were in downtown Chicago, along with everyone else. We took in many sites but two of my favorites were the skydeck at the Sears tower and Millennium Park. Sears Tower was completed in 1974. Ten thousand people work in the building and it is visited by one and a half million people a year. The skydeck is located on the 103 floor. You get there by taking an elevator that travels 18 MPH.

At Millennium Park, you can see Cloud Gate, better known as the bean. It looks like a giant jellybean, it’s 66 feet long, and 33 feet high. Now brace yourself because I’m about to tell you how much it cost. You ready? This bean cost $23 million. You can read more about it here.

When it was time to leave, getting on the airplane, I noticed our pilot had gray hair – that is a comforting thing if you don’t like to fly. Shortly after we took off, over the intercom the pilot said something like, “It a beautiful day to fly. My job and the job of the entire flight crew is to get you to Denver safely.” I told Char I really liked the pilot. She said all pilots say that. “Yeah” I replied, “but this one sounds like he means it.” And with that, I fell asleep after a great Thanksgiving full of family and food in Chicago.