Alissa returned from shopping with a bright pink pair of vibrating slippers. You read that correctly. Battery operated, vibrating pink slippers. Despite serious teasing (not much imagination required), Alissa could not be parted from her new found foot joy.

My nephew Johnny looking more like a man every time I see him. He is taller than his mother and is nearly as tall as Kyle.

I have vivid childhood memories of watching the locks operate. Unfortunately, today there was no traffic on the river and we could only image what it was like.

The lock allows boats to traverse the 20 ft. transition between the top and bottom of the falls.

Today we visited Lock 7 on the Mohawk River.

My sister Alissa, also in fine form.

My mother, looking as beautiful as ever.

Thanksgiving dinner was truly a feast and thoroughly enjoyable. The children, subject to minor coercion, cleared the table and did the dishes which allowed the adults to relax after the meal. There was a lot to be thankful for this year but most importantly, my parent’s return to good health.

On a smaller scale here is the Japanese style lantern and bonasi shrub that greats visitors to my parent’s home.

This year for Thanksgiving, we traveled to Schenectady, NY to celebrate the holiday with my parents, sister Alissa, and her family. Jeanine and I went for a walk on the campus of my alma mater, Union College and I captured an image of the Nott Memorial, the campus landmark.

Tough guy.

In addition to a trophy for the team, each player received a champion’s tee-shirt and this engraved mug. I possessed it for less than 2 hours before Maya convinced me to donate to her emerging collection of glass objects.

This morning, my team won the Division 2 Championship with a 1-0 win over Marblehead. It was a sweet win and the best finish for our team since it was formed. This brings the fall outdoor season to an end and leaves us the entire winter to prepare for a what is sure to be a very difficult spring scheulde.

I enjoyed a boys day out with Kyle and Nico. First, we went to watch the Concord-Carlisle high school soccer team as they won the state championship. Next, we took in the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale, which I can highly recommend as the best 007 movie ever. We finished the evening with dinner out, complete with normally forbidden drinks (anything other than milk or water). It was a great day.