Thanksgiving weekend

I had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving weekend in Louisville, Kentucky with the Stam family and some other friends, with plenty of skype calls home to the family I was missing in New Jersey. Kara, Grace, and I left Wheaton Wednesday afternoon to drive through rain and midst traffic to the Stams and arrived late that night.

After a leisurely morning, we drove to Churchill Downs, home of the famous Kentucky Derby, and watched a few horse races. Clara said that some families dress up and have their whole Thanksgiving meal at the races, but there weren't all that many people there that day, perhaps because of the rain.

Here's Grace, Marty, Kara, and me outside the area where the horses are walked before they head out to the track. Perhaps some people have more sophisticated methods, but we picked which horses we thought would win based on their appearances before the race, or perhaps the color of the jockey's silks. I cheered for the bays because I think they are the prettiest. (I'm realizing I base most of my horse knowledge on the Marguerite Henry books I read as a child, with a little Ralph Moody mixed in.)

We spent the first race in a box belonging to some friends of the Stams, but for the next couple races we got up close to the fence by the finish line. It's pretty exciting to hear the pound of their hoofs as they approach the end. "Heartbeats speed up; I have never been so keyed up" and all that.

Here they are approaching the finish line.

And we talked to a man dressed up as an Indian (that's a real timber wolf pelt) who knows all there is to know about Churchill Downs.

Grace and me

We got back in time for tea and just a few minutes before Grandpa, Gram, and Skip arrived from North Carolina. I hadn't known, til just a few days before, that they were coming and was very excited. It had been nearly a couple years since I'd seen Grandpa.

We had our Thanksgiving meal on Friday - there was much cleaning and cooking and preparing all day long, and a good bit of eating too. I was glad for the chance that afternoon to work up an appetite on the tennis court. The Stams all love playing tennis - Marty and Skip both teach - and they (and Grace) were very patient with me. I can't say I show any aptitude, but it sure was fun. My arm was so sore from holding the tennis racquet that I ate very genteelly with my left hand and tried to keep my glass from shaking too much when I drank. Some day I want to take tennis lessons.

After dinner, dessert, songs, and time to share some things we were thankful for, the middle-aged folks went to bed and the old folks and young folks stayed up and played games.

Here's Grandpa and me in the middle of a round of fish bowl.

Kara has been telling everyone for years about how wonderful Waffle House is. It's associated in her mind with good company, good conversations, and late nights. Now the rest of us have good memories of it too:

Tomorrow. Likely.

The next morning we visited The Southern Baptist Seminary where Clara is attending and her dad has taught.

This is a small chapel in the Puritan style. When I stand behind the pulpit almost as much of my head shows, but not quite.

And then we returned back to Wheaton for the crazily busy rest of the semester. It's nice to be able to post these pictures and think back on Thanksgiving without feeling the stress of those looming papers and exams.