The Plank Family: Turkey Day! and beyond.

Thanksgiving outside the US is a little different. Everyone knows about the holiday, they just don't really care. Vic and I decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner at our house and invite our American friends and some friends from other countries, to let share the day with us. All told, there were 23 of us - 14 adults and 9 kids all five and under. We also had three nationalities represented for a distinctly American holiday - American, Australian and Belgian.

The food was the same as you would see at any American table. We had bought what we thought were the two biggest turkeys available down here (9 and 11 pounds), there was pecan pie, brocolli casserole, sweet potatoes (with orange food coloring as batata dulce are white), gravy, bread, salad, etc. From a culinary standpoint, the day was the same as always.

The shock to our system was the kids. Vic had cooked some sweet pecans that had brown sugar and coffee as ingredients. The kids enjoyed them to excess for the first five minutes of the party. The remaining several hours were filled with a level of noise typically reserved for rock concerts. The adults would stand around - the women in the kitchen while Vic put the finishing touched on the food and the men watching football in the living room (I believe the Non-American men were fully on board with a holiday that focused on sports). Every now and then a herd of children would stampede through one room or the other, occasionally both. One child would invariably break away from the herd to tattle on a different member and then scream a battle cry and rejoin the herd at full gallop. The couples that had not had children were a little awed. I have always said that the best birth control in the world must be a party with children involved.

We eventually corralled the children to a table for grazing and did the same ourselves. It really was a great day. All the food came out perfectly - especially the turkeys. For those of you interested, check out Alton Brown's Turkey recipe for our new favorite. Vic's Pecan Pie was perfect and we went through seven bottles of wine and a case of beer. There was even football on TV thanks to my sling box. I believe everyone went home happy and thankful and slept well that night.

The following weekend, we decided to try one of the most traditional past times here in Rio - Ice Skating. I think Ansley was so excited she almost peed her pants. When she decided that she wanted me to help her on the rink, I almost did the same. I had managed to crack 18" of ice with my head one time...and I didn't even have on skates. The thought of ice skating again with my daughter hanging on me certainly made me nervous. When we got there, Ansley and I suited up while Vic took Sawyer to the jungle gym. I think Ansley assumed that she would be able to step onto the rink and begin doing pirouettes just like the princesses did a few months back. She actually wasn't far off. The first ten minutes she essentially kept her skates straight and was dragged around the rink by your's truly and Daniel...a rink employee that recognized those needing help. The second ten minutes she spent trying small runs by herself. The last twenty minutes she preceeded to pull Daniel and me around the rink at an alarming pace. This girl is a natural.

This morning we went back to a walking park near our house. When you are walking, you would never guess that you are in the middle of Rio as the trees are very effective at hiding the buildings and noise. They have three or four parks (with slides made of wood...see picture below)and the trees are crowded with monkeys and children (again...see picture and video below). The highlight of the day came when a momma monkey turned up with two babys on here back. We also spotted a pod of capybaras asleep next to the swamp. The kids had a blast as always.

Illegally Picked Flower