ANOTHER Thanksgiving??

Thursday November 22, 2012
Site 83 Hunting Island State Park

 

 

I go out running on the beach this morning. I have it pretty much to myself.  It’s a great wide running beach at low tide.

 

 

David comes out looking for me, camera in hand, just in time to catch me doing my stretches at my favorite gym.

 

 

I thought only the military and hospitals had chaplains.

Hunting Island is the only park I’ve ever been to that has its own chaplain.  He has a water front site that I covet.  I know coveting something of a chaplain’s is a no-no but it’s a fabulous site.

Anyway, at Thanksgiving, he and his missionary ministry put on a Thanksgiving dinner for the folks in the park.   They smoke 18 turkeys and provide everything.  Not sure who pays for this or why they don’t do it for folks who really need it since those of us here can clearly afford RVs and the park fees.  But it seems it’s a tradition.

Since we had moved our Thanksgiving up to Tuesday in order for Carrie to help out with the leftovers, we decide to have lunch with the chaplain and crew.

 

We have a front row seat for all the preparations and decorating of the picnic tables in his side yard which is right in front of us.  He’s the rig in the far right.  That’s Winnona on the left.

 

 

 

Long lines going through the serving tent

the line wraps around the outside 

 

Including us and the guy behind David with his plate going back for seconds.

 

Lots of people and plenty of food.  Don’t know how they pull this off.  But apparently they feed 200 or so people each year..

We bring our “potluck” plates so we will not have to throw away paper or styrofoam.

 

 

Time to go walking off our second or is it third thanksgiving dinner?

Carrie plans the route

 

 

She takes us down the Lagoon Trail about a mile and a half

 

 

 

We then take the Nature Center Scenic Trail so we can cross over the lagoon.

 

 

 

We stop on the bridge for this shadow picture.

 

We are so grateful for that David is looking and feeling so strong coming off the bridge.  However long it lasts, right now it feels like a miracle.

 

Because it is the “official” Thanksgiving day, the nature center is closed.  And because it is Carrie’s final day with us, she will have to return to see it.

But also because it is “official” Thanksgiving we saw almost no one else walking off their feast and have the trails to ourselves.

We turn up the Maritime Trail and hike another 2 or so miles back to our starting point.  It really is wonderful having so many varied habitats so close together to experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We think we might be able to get to the marsh boardwalk in order to see the sunset but not quite.  We just barely see it slide down out of sight.

 

Still it is beautiful.

 

 

 

The light disappears quickly and we use the flash to get these pictures of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busy day and by the time it is over this is how many steps I’ve taken.
This is a very good thing considering this is our 3rd or 4th day of Thanksgiving food.

 

 

The End!