Thanksgiving.

Seven of us, each preparing their favorite "mom recipe". We ended up with a gourmet feast, which ended up with us scattered in the living room, sleeping. Marissa strums and hums on the guitar. The fire in the fireplace is crackling. More dessert. Scrabble. Nap.

A good, homey evening.

The next day, five of us packed in a car and headed for Vashon Island, or, debatably the most beautiful place on earth. A short drive and ferry ride later, we arrived. You could see the Sound from all sides on this 12-mile wide island. The homes are nestled in little pockets of forest so that you can only see them faintly through the trees. The homes themselves are straight from storybooks (and most have a barn of sorts). The small stretch of downtown goes like this: "Spice Route Indian Cuisine", "Monkey Tree Cafe", "Stranger Than Fiction Books", "King County Library", a bank or two, a grocery store and market or two, and "Vashon Island Books", and a tea shop or two. It is a magical place. We topped off our time there with a hike to the lighthouse and just sat for a bit.

A good weekend for giving thanks.