Another November brings with it the fun of visiting with the Colorado Mallotts in Minnesota. We packed three days full to the brim.
On day one we took a trip to Taylors Falls to hike.
It was a pleasant 35 degree day.
We kinda had the entire park to ourselves.
We were also the only ones that thought it was perfect picnic weather.
We warily looked over boulders.
We carefully climbed walls of rock.
It snowed on Thanksgiving Day. This is the second year in a row our Annual Family Football game had to be scrapped because of the weather.
So instead, we played many games of chess.
We read.
And we read some more.
We cooked our turkey in this oil-less turkey fryer. Obviously, we had to set up a wind/snow block so our turkey could actually cook.
This was the best turkey ever. No more 3 legged, undercooked or overcooked birds or fires for us.
We lounged by the fireplace eating pumpkin pie.
We only encountered one small disaster on this day of Thanks. John backed our car out of the garage so we could place the turkey fryer in the safety of the garage. Apparently, my car ignition is different than his because he kinda forgot to completely turn the ignition all the way off. Once, when Chuck was out checking on the turkey he heard and saw the car SLIDING DOWN THE DRIVEWAY! Not a sight you are typically prepared for. I have no idea why, but he runs out there to save the car in his bare feet. He starts trying to use the remote entry, but it won't work. Then we try inserting the key into the door and it still won't unlock. We are locked out of our car even though we have our keys. Gavin suggested we lay wood behind the wheels so the car wouldn't slip down the driveway any further. Thank God for someone with a clear head. We were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off - well, at least Chuck was. We tried breaking into our own car using a wire hanger (I'm shocked I could even find one in the house). Fail. After several hours, John remembered that he's a member of Triple A. He called them out - problem solved. This guy was able to break into our car for us in less than 5 minutes. Apparently, my car has a safety feature where all the electric systems shut down and it locks all by itself if the ignition is not set in the lock position. That's good to know...ahead of time.
On Friday,we went to see The Wizard of Oz at the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis.
It was a brilliant performance and even Logan was enthralled and sat perfectly still enchanted by the amazing actors and stage the whole time.
We played dinosaurs.
And of course, we played Guesstures...
...it wouldn't be a Mallott Thanksgiving without it.
We thought we'd indoctrinate Logan now - the earlier, the better.