A weekend to give thanks



The girls at a geocache in Detroit Lakes. This cache has collected several favorable comments over the years, and the girls and I were happy to add one from us as well, as we appreciated the creativity that went into it.

By Allan Olson

It was a great weekend. I could just leave it at that, because it was just that – a great weekend. The kids and I hung out at or near the house for most of the long weekend. Nikolai and I tended to our neighbor’s stove all weekend, and on Thanksgiving Day and Friday, that was the only reason I left the house.
We hosted about 12 people for Thanksgiving dinner. My wife and mother-in-law prepared the meal, with the exception of a couple pies and a few other goodies and snacks. We sat down to enjoy the feast at 3 p.m., and by the time we started serving pie about 90 minutes later, I was still so full I couldn’t even finish the two pieces I had dished up for myself. I probably should have just put one on the plate, but I couldn’t decide between banana cream and the pumpkin, so of course I didn’t. Our company cleared out by 7:30, and I struggled to stay awake for about the next hour before I finally gave up and headed to bed.
Friday was not productive at home. We let the kids take the day off, and I watched Nevis play in the 9-man football championship game on TV and got some other work done before taking a nap later in the day. I enjoyed a couple pieces of pie and some other leftovers (the best part of hosting the big meal) for a late lunch, and spent a little time reading – another common theme of the long weekend.
On Saturday morning the girls and I took a road trip to the southwest to check out a Ruby’s Pantry in a different town. We left for home from there at about 11 a.m., making multiple stops to do some geocaching. I have found that it is far easier to geocache with a good navigator, instead of trying to rely on e-maps that try to direct you down streets with names that don’t always match. 
The girls and I rolled up to the first stop at a nice memorial of those gone before us. I searched and searched for the darn thing and I probably looked right at it; finally Alivia made the discovery. Our next stop was in the town of Frazee. It took me a little while to find the right access point after first stopping on the wrong side of the river. We signed in and headed further north, making a stop before Detroit Lakes for a cache, then had lunch at Dairy Queen and found a couple more geocaches around town before once again setting our course northward.
In the little town of Mahnomen we found a couple more caches, and even met a new geocacher who had recently moved to the area from the big metro to take a teaching job. After a short visit with him, we continued on our way home. We stopped in Erskine to search for a couple more recent caches in that area. It was nearly 3:30 p.m. by that time; it was already past the 3 p.m. time frame I had thought we would make it home by, so we set a course due east and headed for home, making it just after 5 p.m.
Ah, Sunday – the true day of rest. I stayed in bed until 9 a.m., then got up and made eggs for my wife and me (the kids ate the leftover pizza and were just fine with that). It was a quiet day – I lost a game of cribbage to Alivia (thankfully I didn’t get skunked like I had the night before against my wife) and then returned to my book. I suggested going for a walk, but it fell on deaf ears – there was no real interest shown by anyone (including myself), so I tried napping. I couldn’t sleep, so instead I just watched a show.
I made a hamburger tomato hotdish (like Grandma makes) for supper for the kids – just like Abigail requested, and after dishes and supper were taken care of, I let the kids do whatever they wanted while I did some work.
I decided what I’m most thankful for after this weekend – besides leftovers – is, of course, my wife and kids.
This weekend will be another busy one, and I’ve been informed that we are likely going to get a Christmas tree at some point, whenever we can fit it into our schedule.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that will be carrying our most precious cargo. Also, snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.

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