City Thanksgiving

Yes, I spent my first Thanksgiving away from Oregon this past week. There is a charm to New York City in the winter - if one can see through the tourist filled streets and the hot dog stands you can see the glimmer of the distant green and red lit Empire State Building, the clear cloud of your breath as you wait for a subway car...scarves, gloves, hats, and big coats - the strange feeling that the city is quite small during such a celebrated season. So many things that I wish I could write about on a more consistant basis, but things like work, working out and cooking steal my time away from artistic expression of certain kinds.

On Thanksgiving I baked pie, bean dip and then went to feed the homeless at my second home: Madison Square Garden with Jamie, Todd, Johan and Todd's friend from work Darin. I then ran home to finish baking - then Jamie and I took our homemade goodies inside our Thanksgiving cab over to Caren's apartment in Chelsea. There we met the kind, hospitable and gracious Caren and her friend Teddy...we all pitched in with preparing the meal. Brought out the appetizers and champange followed by the red wine and the dinner table. Dinner time moved from five to eight, while the cozy group of six got comfortable around the sounds of U2, Rolling Stones and Ben Harper - Tom Waits took us from a room full of pillows to a fire lit table of spectacular simplicity. The food, a reflection of the company - perfect.

I couldn't have scripted the day any better. After Cranium craziness and a little "Tango" it was time for Jamie and I to head home, with full bellies and warm hearts. Thank you Caren, Teddy, Darin and Todd for letting us become a part of the "fam" for this gracious day.