Jason would start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving if it were socially acceptable, but this year we got our first real tree, which meant we waited a full week after Thanksgiving to start decking the halls Chez Kriegaker. But oh, it was worth the wait!
We live just two blocks from a nursery, so we headed over there to pick out our tree (Jason’s first real one ever!). The owner showed us two trees and I narrowed them down based on scent (and price): a balsam fir (less expensive, it turns out, than a Fraser fir). Strongman Jason carried it home for us on his shoulder while I breathed in the wake. We set it up in the corner, gave it a lot of warm water, and left it for the day to settle into place. On Sunday we started up White Christmas on Netflix and set to stringing on the lights and hanging the ornaments! This year Tania gave Erin a little Brooklyn ornament, which got a place of honor, and Erin made a cute tree skirt. We had some fun taking photos of the process to make a little video in homage to the one that our friends Caro and Boon made.
They always say that the times leading up to holidays fly by, but it seems more true now than ever! We can’t believe it’s been a month since Hurricane Sandy and a full week since Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is Erin’s favorite holiday by far (a holiday devoted to food, at which she alone receives presents (for her birthday)? perfection!) and we’ve hosted at our apartment for three years now. Our Thanksgivings in New York have always been for our “New York family,” our closest friends who also don’t travel for this holiday. But this year, because it was Erin’s parents’ first T-day back in the States, we invited them to join us. In all we were due to have 11 adults and 1 kiddo at the table, and food assignments went out early so everyone could chip in.
We were in charge of a few things besides the turkey, of course. We had to make Lindsay‘s stuffing, a tradition for all of us now that we keep up while Lindsay lives in Beirut. We also made the gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted yams, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie and apple pie. The menu was rounded out with wine and beer and these food additions from the guests: Nanda’s homemade cranberry sauce, Holly’s green bean casserole and appetizers, Tania’s Brussels sprouts and appetizers. Plus biscuits, ice cream, and whipped cream and cool whip from Heather.
Our day on Wednesday started early, with stuffing and pie prep well underway before lunch. Thursday was dominated by the turkey and stock, of course. We used Martha Stewart’s years-old method of soaking cheesecloth in butter and white wine to baste the bird. Folks started to arrive around 3pm and because of all the help in the kitchen, we were ALL able to sit at the table and enjoy some appetizers. (Adding Mom to the kitchen to cook and Dad to help with dishes meant everything went amazingly smoothly.) Everything came out great, even the un-brined turkey (though it was a touch dry). Sadly, we got late word that the McKee family were plagued with a stomach bug, so we were down two.
The rest of us gathered around our makeshift table (made up of our table plus a desk) and ate until we were full to bursting. We had a house full of dear friends and family, a table full of food, and a room buzzing with conversation. What more is there to be thankful for?
[left: Erin’s plate, including a bit of everything; right: Jason’s plate of nearly all stuffing.]
Thank you to all our friends and family who have gotten in touch to be sure we are OK after Hurricane Sandy swept through. Our apartment wasn’t affected, thankfully (Hurricane Irene, in contrast, caused extensive water damage in our apartment), but Jason had to weather the event on his own, filling bottles with water and managing all the electronics, because Erin was stuck in Chicago on a business trip that lasted three days longer than originally scheduled. We ended up having quite different experiences: Erin was in a 4-star hotel, meeting up with friends, while Jason was in our apartment hoping to not run out of power or food! Luckily we never lost Internet or electricity, so we could stay in touch the entire time. Both of us documented our days…
Jason has uploaded more photos and a few videos if you want to see more. Erin posted a few other photos to her own blog. Also, if you can find the means, please donate to the Red Cross. The recovery for the city and, notably, New Jersey, is going to be long. Our hearts go out to everyone affected directly. And a huge thank you to Jodi and Chris, who went out of their way (with Jason) to pick Erin up at the airport when finding a car service wasn’t looking good!
Jason’s one real demand on our trip to San Francisco was to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Erin had driven over it quite a few times in the past but had never actually been to it on foot. On Saturday we walked along Crissy Field until we were at the bridge’s base and got some nice photos despite a dreary background. On Sunday, the day dawned with sunny blue skies, and we thought it would bode well for gorgeous shots of the bridge, so we changed our plan and booked a one-hour boat tour in the bay. This isn’t the boat to Alcatraz (that was sold out—book in advance!), but it goes around Alcatraz as well as under the bridge, with historical commentary. But, um, we were completely wrong about the weather. Or maybe we just didn’t know enough to know that gorgeous sunny skies and warmth to the south would portend icy icy fog to the north. And icy is the only way to describe it. With wind whipping through our sweaters we huddled together atop the boat and wondered, truly, what in the world we were doing. Still, we got some cool shots, even if they weren’t what we’d anticipated.
Someday we will be back on one of those picture-perfect days!
Years ago, Erin edited a book on the San Francisco murals, and though she’d visited SF multiple times and stayed nearby many times, she’d never seen them until this trip. On our first day we took a walk down Clarion Alley, and on our last day we strolled down Balmy Alley—not to mention seeing all the murals on random buildings in the Mission. Clarion Alley, we’re told, is the less “savory” of the two streets, more likely to be the host of a drug deal than a painting in progress. When we were on Balmy Alley we actually saw two women painting a new mural. In general we’d say that Clarion’s murals were the more “current”—messages that seemed more contemporary and concerned with current events—but on Balmy the murals were traditional, depicting the ongoing struggles of the people who painted them.
It feels like forever ago that we went to San Francisco (and in some ways it was), but life sped up and the truth is, it’s not going to slow down, so it’s time to blog about the trip! Apologies for the delay.
We were going to San Francisco for a wedding. Well, a wedding reception—Erin’s friend Julia was getting married at City Hall on Friday and a reception would be on Saturday night. It was a perfect excuse for a long weekend in SF, a city Erin has always loved but Jason had never been to. Labor Day weekend was typical for SF, with temps in the 50s, and Jason could not have been happier. It made our walking tour of the city (and we do mean walking tour—we covered 25 miles in two and a half days) completely lovely. Highlights include tacos in the Mission, North Beach, Chinatown, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Golden Gate, a boat tour, friends, classic San Francisco meals, and, of course, more tacos.
