How could my Thanksgiving dinner have been any better? Despite the lack of a pumpkin pie, I still wouldn’t change a thing! The day was perfect. All week it had been insufferably hot and sunny but on Thursday, I woke up to clouds, cool temps and a nice breeze. This held all day and into the night never getting over 78 degrees--which is quite unheard of this time of year. I had to have the turkey in the oven all day and was dreading the added heat but it turned out to be a non-issue. Everything on the menu came out as planned and timed just right. I had to use three different ovens in other apartments to cook everything at once but that all worked great. My guests arrived, the wine flowed and everyone has second portions on the food—which is always the best thing that can happen to any cook! So for all my friends and fellow travelers who made this happen, thank you so much! Know that I was thinking and thanking those, who through their extra effort, brought all the necessary parts which allowed me to create a truly American Thanksgiving dinner in Iquitos, Perú! Notice my photo—as I was opening the turkey to rinse and find the gizzards, I pulled out the neck and as you can see the head as still attached, followed by the two feet. Man, they don’t waste anything here, do they? Well, I kept the gizzards for my gravy but decided my Peruvian neighbors would know better than me what to do with the head and feet. I’m sure a good turkey soup was enjoyed by the whole family thus Thanksgiving was spread a little further around the neighborhood.
I mentioned in my last blog that I had an Aussie here as a guest and that I would tell you more about him later. Back in August I was out at one of the lodges working on some CONAPAC projects. It was evening and I was alone reading a book. A large group of Australians came in and one of the men came over to ask me if I would like to join them for happy hour. I declined but did join them for dinner and chatted with this gentleman that night and the next day he was here. Well to make a very long story short, he returned from Perth for a two week visit in order that we might get better acquainted. I will tell you that we had a great time together, and I expect to be seeing him again very soon as he's planned a return trip in February. And who knows, a visit to the Land of Oz (once again) might be in my future. Stay tuned! :)
As a final note to my Thanksgiving dinner, my boss Pamela was there and absolutely delighted with the results. As my fellow American, who has now lived here for 25 years and does not cook, she has never made a traditional TG or Christmas dinner. After my successful dinner Thursday she has asked me to do it again for her and her family for Christmas this ye
ar. Of course, I readily agreed but was reminded of my good friend, Tony Sincic’s advice—if you are competent people ask you do things—and often too many things. If you’re not, no one ever bothers to ask you to do anything--so be careful what you want to reveal about yourself. I guess despite trying to unwind my commitments and live a bit more in the moment by choosing the jungle as my home, I still find myself committed. But no worries, Samantha will be here and my new friend, Megan from Freemont, Michigan, as well. Pam will almost have her house outnumbered with Americans to Peruvians for the first time! And the best thing of all is Samantha will bring me my pumpkin and we’ll have two big pies to make up for the lack of one at Thanksgiving. Once again, things work out and I continue to receive abundant and overwhelming blessings in all areas of my life. :) 
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