Friends, Family & Thanksgiving
From Durham (and the godforsaken campground we were in), we drove to Winston-Salem, to visit our close friends Basak and Chris. After Corey successfully maneuvered the Airstream into their house’s rather tight driveway, everyone rejoiced at our reunion, including Basak and Chris’s gigantic but extremely sweet-natured doggo Goobie. It was just wonderful to catch up, take walks in the city, eat more fried chicken and biscuits, drink local beers, and lounge in their house together (not only because it is much much larger than the 16-foot airstream that we’ve been hanging out in during the past 2 months, but rather because inhabiting your close friends’ space with them always feels warm, comfortable and familiar). We had such good time, we forgot to take any photos!
Driving to DC from Winston-Salem proved to be a much longer and more stressful day than we thought - mostly due to various road closures and attendant 10-mile traffic. We also had some apprehension on how the Airstream would fit into Corey’s sister and brother-in-law’s newly expanded garage, but things went quite smoothly once we got there. They had a full-to-the-brim house with a lot of family members visiting from out of town for Thanksgiving, so we actually spent a few more nights sleeping in the Airstream, parked in the garage. Cozy.
On Thanksgiving day, together with family members, we ran the 5K Fairfax Turkey Trot. It was pretty windy and cold that morning (and a few us had gone out drinking the night before), but everyone who had signed up for the Trot showed up and finished with flying colors. There had already been a few days of food preparations in the house, but preparations continued at full speed after the Trot, with friends and family arriving in the early afternoon. In addition to making some dishes, we did our duty and provided tours of the Airstream to all those who were interested. And realized that Corey and I not being so tall is a blessing for the purposes of the Airstream. Unspeakable amounts of food were had as expected (I will not divulge how many helpings of turkey I ate, though I will say that this was the best turkey I ever had, expertly fried, rather than roasted). Corey also lit a fire in the backyard, with friends and family gathering for tale-telling, rounding out our trip very nicely. Adventures as two are quite good, but they are much better when shared with family and friends.
And with that, on to the next adventure, skiing in France through December. With ice climbing and para-gliding and other experimentation likely for Corey. Drinking mulled wine and eating cheese very likely for me.
