In August we drove down to San Diego to meet Mark's brother David and his family (wife Susan and daughter Marci), who had driven out from Phoenix, Arizona for a few days; this was the start of our meeting each other's families. They invited us out to fly out to Phoenix for Thanksgiving, to spend a little more time together, and since Mark's father Jerry would be there too it would be an opportunity for him and Cheryl to meet each other as well. Since we are both saving our vacation days for our long Hawaii trip at Christmas (we're using frequent-flyer miles, so in order to avoid the blackout dates we will be forced to stay two and a half weeks--don't you feel sorry for us?), this had to be a fairly short visit; despite this, we certainly had a good time!
Dad and we arrived at the airport (on different planes, of course) on Thanksgiving Day at about noon, and were met by David and Marci. We went home to Susan, and found dinner preparations already well under way; we had a small lunch and then just enjoyed each other's company for awhile before sitting down to dinner, at a table set with crystal and china.
Here are the gathered hosts and guests: from left to right are Susan, David, Jerry, Cheryl, Marci, and Mark. (The camera was on a tripod with a self-timer, so nobody is missing.) I (Mark) was a little lazy with the camera, so there are only a few shots to post from our brief visit; the one below was actually taken by David, at the Naples Restaurant on Friday night. Marci didn't spill a drop of the wine she served up for everybody, despite the heavy, slippery bottle!
Then Marci also showed that she could handle a digital camera, taking the photo below!
Quite apart from the tradition of eating a lot during the holidays, there do seem to be a lot of photos on these webpages taken around tables! Of course, what with Christmas preparations and shopping, working on the Jeep, etc., the best time to find everybody in one place for a photo is at mealtimes. More than that, though, sharing a meal is one of the best ways to welcome someone into the circle of one's friends and family; we both thank David, Susan, Marci, and Dad for welcoming Cheryl so warmly!
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to Photo Albumnew 10 December 2000, revised 11 December 2000