This is at 5:30am on Thanksgiving morning.

 

 

 

 

Yes it is early Thanksgiving morning. Crazy my baby wants everything fresh. It has to be made the day of the event. To me, I would made the turkey and sweet potatoes. The day before and all will be right. NO my baby wants fresh that means the day of. 

 

 

This is called a chimney. This is for charcoal fires. My baby doesn't like using gas grills. But we still have one, just in case? Okay so you put newspaper pieces down under the chimney. Then inside the chimney  you put in lighting charcoal then the regular charcoal on top of the lighting charcoal. Then you light the newspaper piece and wait for a nice glowing fire inside of it, 

 

 

Like this. It is a beautiful fire started. 

 

 

Then we started a burning fire. This is used to feed the charcoal fire. Just in case there is not enough fire for smoking.

Meanwhile inside the grill itself is set up with a chain of charcoal and it goes around the outside of where the meat will lay. 

 

 

 

Here is a picture of just cooking one item. But we have two turkeys to smoke today.  Do you see the chain going around the grill? Plus you will see apple wood on top of the charcoal. So now  there is two tins  of water in the grill because there is two meats to be smoked. This keeps the grease from dropping into the bottom of the grill and keeps the meat moist. 

This method of smoking your meats. It really works too. The first time we did this, was last year. The sad part the charcoal was not laying on top of each other. The fire went out. You need to put down two pieces of charcoal opposite each other. Then putting a piece on top of them this way the chain will keep burning.

 

 

Now we have the turkeys smoking and doing well. Okay we need sweet potatoes for ourselves.  I got to peel an cut up the sweet potatoes. There will be enough food for the family as everyone has brought a dish to feed us all.

 

 

Looking pretty good!!!!

 

T

 This is the one for the family get together. 

Jeanne had it in her head that the party starts at 1pm. We still would have been later, got there at 1:30pm. But the funny thing is no one showed up until around 2:00 or a little later than that. Once everyone got here, we stood around in a circle and prayed and ask for blessings on the food and family. 

I think there was 8, plus missing. Not sure why? But we all had plenty to eat an just enjoy getting caught up on some of their lives. Jeanne and I sat at the kitchen table here and enjoyed talking with Shaughnessy's mom and dad. Tom was her dad's name I a sorry but I never got her mom's name. Then David, (Shaughnessy's hubby) I think this the most I have ever talked with him? It really was kinda neat to find out how he was doing. He is the one that got a NEW KIDNEY AND PANCREAS. David was very sick, he was on dialysis machine three times a day. I think about three month ago, they got a call to told him to drive down to Miami, to the Miami Transplant Institute World Class Transplant Center. They drove down there and waited to see if  the new kidney was working, and the sad part  was it didn't take? So they drove back home, then two months ago, they got another call and  went back and all went well. Everything is working correctly. PRAISE OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVOR.

So while we talked, found out he doesn't have any sugar problem any more. The new PANCREAS FIXED that too. Our Lord is SOOOOO GOOD. 

Then we started talking about Jeanne's boat, fixing up project. We have this guy named Roger an he has been working our her boat since July. He is almost done. Only needs to put down the skid proof aggregate. But as of today, he has stopped working on it, he has another project to start up. 

So now David has been a bait guy down in the inter coastal water in Fort Pierce, for many years. While he has not been able to go out and caught bait, he sold his boat. So after the operation, he is having a new boat built. This is going to be his bait boat an family boat too. He is putting tanks on top of it to hold the bait and this way he can take them off and be able to use the boat with his family. Kinda neat to hear all about it. 

I asked him about the trolling motor He told us he has one order for his boat already. It really is neat how you punch in the GPS course and you stay right on it. So this last week-end Jeanne ordered one for her boat now. It came in yesterday an not sure of the cost. But she wants it. She shall have it.

 

 

This is  Shaughnessy's Dad and mom.

 

 

This is  Shaughnessy and my lovely wife, Jeanne. Just getting caught up with her. 

Folks this was the best time I have ever had so far with her family. Most of the time I really don't talk that much. But with David it was so much fun. Just getting ideas how God blessed him and to see the difference in how he looks today, compared to during Easter family get together. When we get together sometimes I feel like a outsider, which I am. But this day was great. Another thing I look back, Dustin was not here. He is one of the guys that really loves to take over a conversation. I have tried to talk with him and he pretty much rules. You know these guys have known each other for many year now.  I am the new kid on the block. 

So I walked away very happy and felt like I a part of the family now. 

Thank you Lord for all you are doing in David's life and family.

 

This is Monday afternoon, same week of Thanksgiving.

Jeanne and I drove south on Monday morning. We stopped at Doyle's business. To drop off a Apple Pie Cake. Remember those apple I pealed and cut up? You will see me doing that again down on this blog. 

Okay we meet my sister Kathy and my niece Debbie for a nice lunch. The place is called Old Key Lime House. It is in Lake Worth area. If you look back a year ago, you can see we meet at the same place. My sister and her daughter come down this way every year. This tie they stayed in Hollywood area. 

We had a great lunch and time to get caught up with our lives. Things keep moving forward and our lives are very busy. But times like these are very important to me and just seeing my family. 

Folks I look back at our lives and see how BUSY we all get and say next time we will get together THEN.  But PLEASE, everyone out there, MAKE THE TIME TO SEE FAMILY AND FRIENDS.THIS YEAR.  

Don't look back and say I WISH I DID THAT????

Well we said our good byes and Jeanne and I headed back home again.  

Okay I am here again pealing apples and cut the up for more Apple Pie Cake. Oh we gave a cake to Doyle and his wife. Plus Jeanne gave one to my sister too. So now we need to make a few more. 

This one is for us, Jeanne and I . She made one more for Thanksgiving dinner. I will share more about that during the week ahead. 

Jeanne and I were talking about different things like this trolling motor and things for the kids for Christmas. So we drove to Bass Pro Shop. First ting you see was Santa Claus. He really looked the part. 

Okay this is what we were talking about. This trolling motor is ran on GPS. This is way Jeanne would like this, so we don't need to use the anchor on the boat. 

We talked with the salesman there and he told us that he owns one himself. He went on saying how he uses his. Hey this machine does many things. Example- you can set the trolling motor by GPS. go along the shore line, like 20 feet off of it and stay on the correct path all the way. 

What we are hopping for is, we get to the spot that Jeanne's GPS says and stop right on to of it. 

I will be sharing about our time at Thanksgiving dinner. There we were talking with David (our nephew) he has been looking at buying one of these. 

After we got home, Jeanne went to Marine Connection here in Fort Pierce. 

Just looking around here and seeing all kinds of tings we could buy. 

This is always a nice picture. 

On the way home, what is there to eat there?? Not to much. So we stopped at Wendy's and look at this, Yes the FREE FROSTY FOR  A YEAR. ONLY COST $2.00 So I think Jeanne bought like 6 or more for stocking stuffers. 

I have ever heard at Wendy's you can get a Peppermint Frosty. Hey it was really good, tasty and refreshing. 

We both look at the menu and thought ware not that hungry. Hey #1 is what I usually get. But looking at the prices, $9.99 for the combo. 

We got the 5 for $5.00.(each) It filled us up and kind a tasty too. 

Well it is so good to be home and just being with my little girl. 

 

This was our last week-end, before Thanksgiving Day.

Okay it is a little cooler than normal. I think it was 60 degrees outside. So my baby wanted to have a fire, in our back yard. 

The neatness thing was, we got some, Lighting stuck trees, across street from our home. I think a couple of years ago, we went over there and got our chain saw and cut up enough to fill up large  garbage can. 

So I just looked up what is tree stuck by lighting is called Fossilized Lighting. 

So the reason we have this wood is, Jeanne saw the trees damaged by lighting, told me we need to get that. You are not to use when cooking on a grill.  But a fire pit is the best way to use it. 

I was watching the two logs, Jeanne put in. They sure didn't look like they were burning. But they were. It didn't burn as fast at all limbs 

Got up on Saturday  morning and drove over to Chic and Shore, it is downtown, Fort Pierce. We have been coming here for over the last three years. We have many items in our house that we bought here. 

My baby was looking for Christmas ornaments. Which she found, for our grand children and others. 

The girls that run this place, every year go all the way out to make it be Christmas.

Which they do a great job and always welcoming everyone in. The week-end before was their sale. We missed this year. 

So now this is Saturday or Sunday? Jeanne asked me to peal the apples and cut them up. She is going to make Apple Pie Cakes. I think she told me 4 four or 5 five of them. These will be Thanksgiving gifts  For our neighbors and family.  I know 2 two will go with us south on Monday afternoon. We will be going that way to see our old friends Doyle and his wife. Plus having lunch with Kathy (sister) and her daughter Debbie. So that will be the next story I write about this week ahead us. 

 

Well we were in the middle of the state and took a ride east. Ended up in Titusville, Florida.

On the way here, Jeanne was telling me about their Rock Shrimp. Her and Bubba (husband) have been here a couple of times. So we got here and the first thing you see is this mural. Pretty nice. 

This place is called Dixie Crossroads. 

Prices are not to bad? 

Okay these all look great to drink. But I ordered Coke and all they have is Pepsi.

What is going on Why are some of these place switching from Coke to Pepsi??? 

Oh well I need to something to drink.  

My baby talked me into getting the Rock Shrimp. Hey this place is known for having the best Rock Shrimp. It was good an tasty. The shells are very hard and not easy to cut in half, I guess? We did share our meals between us. 

Jeanne ordered the steak dinner. You see these puff balls in this picture? They have corn in the and they are delicious. We ordered them twice. 

As we finished up our dinner. We both were over filled. But all the food was great. 

As we were walking in saw the pound around the front of the restaurant. So we stopped, after dinner and enjoyed feeding the fish and turtles. I knew the pictures would not come out, so I didn't take any of the things in the water. But I know we all have a great imagination. Oh the alligator is not real. 

My baby took this picture just for me, she really doesn't like her picture taken. But I love showing her off. Don't tell her if you see this blog. She might nee let me take any more pictures?

This is a Mister Rock Shrimp himself. 

Well this was a very nice drive and wonderful company too.  But we need to get back home and just relax after having such a good meal. 

I am very blessed to have a beautiful wife that loves me. To drive me around and just hang out. 

My prayer is that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I will be writing about that in a little while down the road. Still trying to get caught up. 

 

On Nov. 12th we took a ride to Saint Cloud, Florida. In the middle of the state

We were driving along an it really started looking like we were lost? But Jeanne put the address in the GPS and she said don't worry we are going correctly. 

We pulled in someone's farm. No signs or even the name of the owner of the farm. We found it and talked with the owner and he just said drive down this dirt road and see the fields. So we parked our car and walked, I hopped to the fields. You can see Jeanne is way down this row. Meanwhile others came and went. I yelled out to Jeanne and asked if she would like a bag instead of the plastic box they gave her. The reason I said this is I saw others carrying bags, instead of the boxes. After I yelled, another woman that was closer to me, yelled back, thank you any way honey, I will be okay. Now that was very funny. 

After her picking a full box of peas. we walked, I hopped, back to the car and drove to where everyone was hanging out at. 

You cans see we had a wait a couple of minutes before we could shuck our pods. 

This is the pail she used to pick her peas. 

You dump the pods in here and the purple peas come out the bottom. You can see some on the floor. The plastic dish on top needs to be put under the machine. I think she picked like 16 pounds of pods. At the end we had 9 pounds of shuck peas. Jeanne was so happy to get fresh peas. Plus she gave half of the to her niece, Michael. We climbed back into the car and headed to the east coast. 

There sure was some pretty shots of scenery. . 

You can see this is a one lane only. You don't see this to often.

This is a tall fire outlook. 

We kept on driving and enjoying the views. 

We are heading to a restaurant on the east side of Florida. Titusville. I will share tomorrow or the next day. It is so nice to just climb the car and drive to different places. I am very blessed for having a wife that loves to try different things.