Not our recent typical Thanksgiving, in that we gathered with a slice of family at someone else's home.

As was the pre-pandemic tradition, we packed the Jeep with things and head over to the wife's mom's house. Normally her dad would also meet us there. On rare occasion the older kids would also join.

The wife spent the morning at our house cooking a turkey (so much food for such a small party, though), and we'd head out a little before lunchtime to finish prep at grandma's house.

Her dad's getting on a little, and it's a bit far for him to comfortably drive, especially at night. So I took the little little with me to fetch him. We got a late start, so we arrived later than planned. He was ready to go, but took a few minutes to poke through the mail I'd grabbed for him on my way past his mailbox, and to look for his keys and check for lights...and other house-leaving things. Then we piled into the Jeep and headed out.

We took a route suggested by Google Maps, that cut more directly than the route I might have taken or the one grandpa was suggesting. I pointed out that it's rare I've done better than Google on longer trips (sometimes on shorter, city drives, it avoids lights or turns more than it seems to care about the minutes you can shave avoiding busy intersections), so we spent some time talking about what makes that route better, and how different everything is from the other route. The drive was nice and straight, unlike the route we might have chosen for ourselves. That route follows the bends and curves of the river and the farms and bluffs; Google suggested a bit of a straighter "north then west then north then west" route with many miles between turns or big curves. The weather was clear, but in that just above freezing temperature, so the snow on the ground was evaporating just enough to make a misty fog. There wasn't a mile of visibility for most of the trip, so you couldn't see all the way across some farms as we drove through the country. Otherwise uneventful.

The boys arrived about an hour after the girls had, but still a half-hour before food was ready. The kids growled at each other, as they do, while settling in for separate play, but too close to each other on occasion. The old men sat in comfortable chairs, fighting road-fatigue naps.

The usual menu was there. I'd been told it was planned to be a lighter menu, but really it looked about 80% normal, really just 20% smaller...not as much in the vat of mashed potatoes, for example. Everyone had a round of food, some had some seconds of things. A little chatter and catching up.

It was the first time since the pandemic started that we'd all been together. We've been to visit each of grandma and grandpa in some combination of adults or kids. Mostly the wife alone visiting her parents, but I've made a couple visits, too. And on some occasions we'd both go, and with some other Venn overlaps, the kids would also come in single or couple modes. So not the first time we'd seen them during the pandemic, but the first time all together.

After dinner and dishes, a little dessert. After the apple pie (I'm going to have to make or find a pumpkin pie, I guess), we collected the things and headed out. The wife took her dad home with the girl child in tow, and I took the boy home.

After the first attempt to get the little little to bed, the Vikings started hosting the Patriots on TV. Shortly after, the wife arrived. The big disappeared to her room, mostly, for the night (with her iPad, which has become a sneaky thing...I might need to cut it off at the router since it seems it doesn't cut off with the Family time stuff...hmm). The little made a couple trips down to say he wasn't sleepy. He got a bit more grumpy responses than he deserved; I think everyone's a little fatigued from the day of travels and company, plus so much turkey. He eventually went and stayed down, excited for the stay-home day in the morning.

The Vikings and Patriots traded scores the whole night. It wasn't until the end that the Vikings pulled ahead and kept it for more than one drive. Even then, with a tenuous 26-33 lead, with just a minute to go, the Patriots got the ball after the Vikings failed to secure a first down on their last drive. The Vikings succeeded in letting the Patriots run out the clock, though, forcing a couple of sideline plays to stay in bounds, and the game ended on a midfield catch as they tried pretty clearly to catch and run for a score.

The wife turned in, and I watched a little stand-up, as I sometimes do. Work in the morning, though, so not too much. Then...this.

Happy Thanksgiving! On to Christmas starting right away in the morning.

Everyone's healthy.