Our Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day was different this year, no hours of cooking and cleanup in the kitchen, no turkey leftovers, no partial casseroles lurking in the refrigerator. It has turned out to be a lovely, restful time.

Our darling daughter and son-in-law arrived Wednesday from Florida with my grand-Schnauzers. We had not seen them since summer so please forgive us if R.H. and I give you lots of photographs below with them featured. She is, after all, our one daughter!

After checking in here at Valley View, Christy and Bryan took Maddie and Zoe out for a good walk through the valley.

Then they were off to the grocery store with R.H., list in hand. Maddie and Zoe stayed here with me and our dogs, cat hiding in a closet.

Back and forth they went from front door to back standing guard while I made pie crust and baked a pecan pie.

After supper it was out to the picnic shelter for a fire in the chiminea.

Later grandson Alex and his girlfriend Melissa came over to roast marshmallows over the fire. The only problem was the jumbo marshmallows that didn't want to stay on the long roasters R.H. made years ago.

On Thanksgiving morning after R.H. cooked pork chops for breakfast, we left to drive some on the beautiful Natchez Trace Parkway. After driving over the amazing award-winning Double Arch Bridge that soars 155 ft. over TN Hwy. 96, we exited to go below for pictures.

Then we parked in Birdsong Hollow, lovely name and lovely spot on a lovely day.

Then it was off to our Thanksgiving dinner at the nationally famous Loveless Cafe, serving Nashville delicious food since 1951, but especially known for their biscuits, and the much missed Biscuit Lady who won the Throwdown over Bobby Flay.

Behind Christy perched on the old tractor is the new Loveless Barn, party venue and home on Wednesday nights to the Music City Roots live radio show.

Our waiter was too rushed for us to ask him to take a picture of us at table but we all had the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner, everything homemade including the biscuits and blackberry preserves we began with, eaten by people from all over the world. Even Miss Paula loved the Loveless!

And the country music stars who love the Loveless cover the walls. Star watching is often a fellow guest's privilege but we didn't spot any on this crowded day.

Home to rest and walk all the dogs and then to enjoy my pecan pie, a coconut pie from the Loveless, and pumpkin pie from Publix, while other family came by to join us for dessert. Too tired to even think about getting pictures, we missed getting one of grandson Luke on his Thanksgiving birthday, so here is a summer one of him with his mother. Happy birthday, Luke!

This morning Christy and Bryan fixed pumpkin pancakes for our breakfast and then took Maddie and Zoe for a long walk on the trails of a nature conservancy near us. Home for the dogs to crash on the sofa while their parents head for the mall. It's been a nice non-traditional Thanksgiving for us. I hope yours was nice too, however you celebrated it.