Almost every year for the past 29, we’ve spent Thanksgiving at home with parents, kids, and a few friends. This year our son Ryan was in Hawaii with his fiancée Jaime, one daughter Mackenzie and son-in-law Matt were in Ecuador, and Adrienne and Justin were traveling to Ohio to be with his family. Justin’s parents invited us to join the group in Ohio, and we happily accepted.
Justin’s parents raised the family on an 11-acre farm outside Columbus, but work in the city, so own a condo there too. We stayed at the condo with Justin and Adrienne at night, and the rest of the family at the farm. What generous hosts, those folks!
It was 23 degrees with a bit of snow on the ground on Thanksgiving Day. Ten adults and two toddlers enjoyed a feast, watched football, tromped around the farm and had a great day.
The farmhouse where Justin grew up is lovely, much of it restored by his Dad, Jeff.
On Saturday extended family, friends and neighbors gathered (about 50 people) to celebrate Justin and Adrienne’s August nuptials . Fortunately the temperature climbed into the 40s and most of the snow melted.
Bucolic scenery around the farm.
Skeet shooting is a source of fun in many families, but Adrienne’s only done it once on a previous trip to Ohio with Justin, and we had not done it ever. Out came the clay pigeons and shotguns, and lessons began.
Little Annie (Adrienne) Oakley demonstrated her sharp shooting skills. Who has acute enough vision to spot two clay pigeons in the air in the photo below? Justin got ‘em both.
Steve, a peace Corps friend of Justin’s who performed their wedding ceremony, also gives shooting lessons. Beginner’s Luck had Bob, Cathryn and Adrienne all smiling with success at nabbing those pigeons!
Another day was spent driving to Cincinnati, about 2 hours from Columbus, for a reunion with Looper friends Craig and Barbara from “Blue Heron”. We had lunch on the Ohio River seen in the background below, about 400 miles upriver from the stretch we traveled in September 2012.
What a great Thanksgiving trip!
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