A Thanksgiving to remember

It wasn't the day. We had no turkey, no pies, no mashed potatoes. No over the River and through the woods. No grandmother's house either. No football. I think the menu was takeout fish stew. The backdrop was coconut trees and World Cup soccer. 

But it was the fact we were all together. Far away, but together. In Guarajuba. In fact, we were there almost a week, with the exceptions of excursions into the city of Salvador known for its Afro-Brazilian vibe. 

And then we went our separate ways. After a bout of food poisoning??, Margaret and Andrew headed home on Black Friday only to arrive the next day. That's when Annie and Sankar split off for an extra day in Salvador before Annie heads back. The rest of us returned to Brasilia for a few more days before Mary and I give Joe and Leonor some much needed rest after playing hosts for several weeks.  

We turned their home upside down displacing children from their rooms and disrupting routines. That meant loss of sleep for Joe and Leonor but they never complained. They shepherded us around and translated for us. They made all the arrangements. We sat back and enjoyed the ride. 

A couple of other notes. Rarely have I ever, ever been on a beach more secluded than Guarajuba. Just beautiful. 

We fell into routines quickly, jumping in the pool right off the front door before breakfast and heading over to the beach for lengthy playtimes. Then back to the pool There was even time for a nap and World Cup and trips to a playground with a trampoline. 

And a special thank you to one five year old Thomas who, as the eldest, did such a good job keeping his brother, sister and cousin happy and entertained.  

Not sure we'll ever have another Thanksgiving like this one which makes it so special. 

So sorry to hog all the ink about our holiday, but we couldn't even check in via phone or Tik Tok. And there weren't even any photos of your turkeys or pie spreads. But we can guess you were all together with your families and enjoying the day. 

Dateline Brasilia

And it's snowing. In Pittsfield. But here we are swimming. Or at least Mary is. I'm eating a bacon cheeseburger. 

In fact the whole gang is here.  Mary and I arrived in Rio one week ago. Our first night, we met up with Joe for dinner who was there for work. 

And then on Friday Andrew, Margaret and Simon landed, and you'll never guess who they bumped into in Immigration. Annie!  

Sankar has been in Brasil for about a month, and he came over from Salvador de Bahia,  and we convened in an air bnb on Cocacabana Beach. Tough life. As Margaret said: she liked the Rio vibe. What's not to like?

A few days of sun and fun there, and then we made our way over to Joe and Leonor's in Brasilia.  They welcomed us into their new home where we met Luisa for the first time.  Happy girl! And got reacquainted fast with Thomas and Joao. And Joe served up a wonderful welcome barbecue.  

Leonor had a scare (and so did we) when her arm got caught in the driveway gate after she picked us up at the airport. But, she's okay. Too much excitement. 

And we still have two weeks to go!  Our motto? No headlines, no hospitals. 

That's us. What about you?  Well, raise your hand if you've seen Hamilton, the play. I think I see a number of hands and now one more as Tina and Donald took in a show. She said she paid $29 or something like that for each ticket. They didn't have that deal when we went. A great show at any price. 

Also saw Peter and Johanna enjoying a US women's national soccer team game. Getting ready for next World Cup and with equal pay now too!

Speaking of World Cup; we'll be here in Brazil when the cup starts on November 20. Who do you think we should root for?  Does Brazil have a team?  Did they qualify?

We spoke with John and Marilyn who were anticipating the next hurricane coming over the east coast of Florida. Turns out it wasn't as extreme as Ian but still dumped a lot of water. We saw photos of their town Port Orange under water. And we saw Heather and her daughters on Facebook taking in a Green Bat Packer game. A highlight for lifelong fans. Sounds like it was a good one too. Hope they stayed until the end. 

Also touched base with Andrew and Lur who were joined by Claire, down for the weekend. 

We had a busy last week before departing. My Afghan student had already saved enough money after 6 months of work to buy a car. As soon as he got a license he wanted wheels. So it was a good English lesson with a few stories. He bought a used car from a Ukrainian mechanic just down the road from our house. And then we did the paperwork. I even gave up my nap to help him one day. But he was successful. The immigrant story. 

First call. We put down the first deposits for  Poconos 2023. And by coincidence, look at the dates. July 20 to July 23. Easy to remember. We'll touch base in the new year and see where everyone stands. Right now we have seven cabins reserved. 

Just around the corner. Can't wait. 

That's all for from south of the border. Love