This year I spent Thanksgiving in a cabin on the Wenatchee River with my friends. Charmaine, a friend I met earlier this year in Portland, invited me to come up to the cabin outside of Leavenworth to spend Thanksgiving with friends. There were 12 of us, not including Pixie, Charmaine's cute doggie. This cabin was close to Leavenworth, which is about 1 1/2 drive Northeast of Seattle in the Cascade Mountains. I drove up the night before Thanksgiving with my friend Bronwyn. We got lost on the way and ended up getting there a little later than we expected, but we made it safely.
When I woke on Thanksgiving day, out the front door of our cabin was a beautiful river, trees, and train tracks and mountains in the distance. It was beautiful. Bronwyn and I took a long walk before we started cooking the meal. We made our way through brush and branches to the bank of the Wenatchee river, looking out across we could see a painted tepee. Sunshine was abundant and the air was crisp and cold. 
The kitchen was filled with great smells, surprisingly though not crowded with people wanting to cook. Everyone took turns preparing their dishes. I was assigned to make a green bean casserole. Since i have never before eaten this dish, or prepared it, I found a recipe online, that used no premade ingredients. Brownwyn and I snapped 4lbs of fresh beans and I sliced about 1lb. of mushrooms. They turned out so savory. Along with a great big turkey there was homemade cranberry sauce(not the kind that's shaped like a can and cut into slices), glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, yams(which I think are the same as sweet potatoes), nut loaf w/cashew gravy, roasted veggies, salad, cornbread, whole wheat rolls, pumpkin pie, brownies and this AWESOME Mayflower cake! We also had plenty of great vino and beer.
All I have to say, was that I wish my stomach could have held more. The cuisine this year was probably the best I've had for Thanksgiving, most of it also being organic and local. Everyone was so full and the ambiance was festive and cozy. We had a log fire going in the fireplace and a kiddo playing under the table. Toby, 3 1/2 year old, was having fun playing with us and was really excited about the cake. I understood why after I tried it. It had this frosting that tasted like marzipan, delectable. 
A while after the meal, I decided to go take a dip in the hot tub, which was right outside the backdoor. We got tons of jamming time and played many tunes. I switched between banjo and Uke, but mostly played my banjo. Bronwyn, Charmaine and practiced some tunes for an upcoming square dance we're playing for. 
Lavender & Toby
Justin with the steel head he caught. He had to throw it back, pretty impressive though.
On Saturday Bronwyn, Charlie, Charmaine and went hiking along Icicle creek, in the late afternoon. Above is a photo of the creek before we began the hike. It was about a 4 mile hike round-trip, a meandering to gigantic boulders.
Bronwyn and I on the bridge.
The light at dusk was perfect for capturing the beauty and magic of the mountains and forest.
Charlie, Charmaine & Bronwyn about half way up. 
Above is a photo of the 1,000 piece black and white Hitchcock puzzle we completed. There was no picture to reference, so it was mind boggling, but I think puzzles always require a certain degree of patience.
This is us destroying it after our hard work. All good things must come to an end
The kitchen was filled with great smells, surprisingly though not crowded with people wanting to cook. Everyone took turns preparing their dishes. I was assigned to make a green bean casserole. Since i have never before eaten this dish, or prepared it, I found a recipe online, that used no premade ingredients. Brownwyn and I snapped 4lbs of fresh beans and I sliced about 1lb. of mushrooms. They turned out so savory. Along with a great big turkey there was homemade cranberry sauce(not the kind that's shaped like a can and cut into slices), glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, yams(which I think are the same as sweet potatoes), nut loaf w/cashew gravy, roasted veggies, salad, cornbread, whole wheat rolls, pumpkin pie, brownies and this AWESOME Mayflower cake! We also had plenty of great vino and beer.All I have to say, was that I wish my stomach could have held more. The cuisine this year was probably the best I've had for Thanksgiving, most of it also being organic and local. Everyone was so full and the ambiance was festive and cozy. We had a log fire going in the fireplace and a kiddo playing under the table. Toby, 3 1/2 year old, was having fun playing with us and was really excited about the cake. I understood why after I tried it. It had this frosting that tasted like marzipan, delectable. A while after the meal, I decided to go take a dip in the hot tub, which was right outside the backdoor. We got tons of jamming time and played many tunes. I switched between banjo and Uke, but mostly played my banjo. Bronwyn, Charmaine and practiced some tunes for an upcoming square dance we're playing for. Lavender & TobyJustin with the steel head he caught. He had to throw it back, pretty impressive though.On Saturday Bronwyn, Charlie, Charmaine and went hiking along Icicle creek, in the late afternoon. Above is a photo of the creek before we began the hike. It was about a 4 mile hike round-trip, a meandering to gigantic boulders. Bronwyn and I on the bridge.The light at dusk was perfect for capturing the beauty and magic of the mountains and forest. Charlie, Charmaine & Bronwyn about half way up. Above is a photo of the 1,000 piece black and white Hitchcock puzzle we completed. There was no picture to reference, so it was mind boggling, but I think puzzles always require a certain degree of patience. This is us destroying it after our hard work. All good things must come to an end
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