Heading home from the holidays

For the Thanksgiving long weekend, Wednesday evening after 5pm is supposed to be the absolute worst time to hit the road. I guess everyone who is leaving town wants to leave as soon as they finish work on Wednesday.

But coming home is a little bit different. People head home on different days, and by Sunday afternoon, traffic—at least in this section of the I5 passing through Downey—is back to normal.

Rain!

It was an amazing day of rain today. May we have many more.

"Tell me how many beads there are
In a silver chain
Of evening rain,
Unravelled from the tumbling main..."
~ Thomas Lovell Beddoes

And so it begins...

The weekend of Thanksgiving is the beginning of many things, depending on who you are. This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Today (Black Friday) is the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season. And for those with a lot of energy, today is the day to get out those Christmas decorations and light up your house.

And so, on my walk tonight (still walking off those Thanksgiving leftovers), I saw the first decorated house in my neighborhood, all lit up and colorful. Just a taste of what we can look forward to over the next few weeks.

Happy Thanksgiving

Each Thanksgiving, as families grow or shrink, the big question for all of us is, "who is going to cook what?" As I went to my local Ralph's supermarket today, I noticed this line of people at the Boston Market. It seems the drive-thru became the walk-thru. I learned that they had pre-ordered their Thanksgiving dinner and were here to pick it up. Their answer to the big question was to let someone else do the cooking and they would enjoy the meal and the added time doing what they wanted to do on Thanksgiving.

Whoever prepared the meal you enjoyed today, my hope is that you remember the blessings you have received this year and tell the people involved.

Practice makes perfect

This is the driving range at Los Amigos Golf Course here in Downey. I prefer this driving range because it allows you to hit off of grass rather than an artificial turf mat. It makes for a truer practice of being on the course. It allows you to work out errors in a real environment.

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect."
~ Vince Lombardi

Retro trailer

I like all things retro and rustic. Which is why my attention was drawn to this old trailer set on a lot behind Downey Avenue. I could imagine a family using this to take a vacation.

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” 
~ Bill Bryson

Thanksgiving choices

Porto's Bakery is doing its part in giving Downey lots of choices for our Thanksgiving menus. Whether you choose turkey and giblet potato balls or one of the Thanksgiving-themed cakes, they've got you covered.

Choo-choo!

Santa might be down at the other end of the mall already, but kids are still having fun in the old-fashioned Old West train at the Stonewood Center.

"I like trains. I like their rhythm, and I like the freedom of being suspended between two places, all anxieties of purpose taken care of: for this moment I know where I am going."
~ Anna Funder