Leftovers from Thanksgiving

Barbara says we're going to have leftovers tonight when we watch Gonzaga take on Florida at their holiday tournament in Orlando, Florida.  

Actually, our upcoming menu isn't exactly leftovers because we did not cook a big dinner yesterday. Instead, we went out for a mid-afternoon feast at a local restaurant and then came home to watch the ZAGS in their first tournament game.  

An island filled with desserts, including Willie's pumpkin bars, some pies, brownies and pumpkin bread sufficed as our Thanksgiving kitchen efforts.  

So, Barbara and Laurie have prepared a turkey-style dinner with a portion of turkey and some green beans, veggies, etc.  Dessert leftovers from last night will top off the meal as we hope to see Gonzaga knock off Florida in tonight's quarter-final round (6:30 p.m. PST on ESPNU) for the tournament. 

We made the decision to pretty much stay out of the kitchen a couple of weeks ago when it was apparent that the Thanksgiving crowd would be small in comparison to usual. Nobody seemed to mind.

That left yesterday open to other activities.  Bill and I took advantage of an open morning by heading off to the Albertson Fish and Game Wildlife Management Area on Gold Creek Road about five miles northeast of our home.

Except for one other couple, whom we saw on our way back, we had the several-hundred acre plot bordering Pack River pretty much to ourselves.  

Someone had been there earlier in the day, definitely on a successful hunting mission.  We surmised it had been successful after happening on to a pile of fresh innards and tufts of deer hair scattered about. 

We enjoyed a nice 2.3 mile hike through wet, wooded areas carpeted with wet, slick leaves, past several wetlands and an oxbow of Pack River.  Colors were generally dull and definitely representative of this time of year, but a few bits of beauty provided me some photos. 

As we stood along the river bank, both of us thought of last July 3 when we floated the river along with hundreds of other recreationalists.  We looked over to the sand bar where I remember our encountering several members of the Puckett family and enjoying their company off and on throughout the rest of our float trip which ended at Pack River General Store.  

The scene looked a lot different yesterday, and Bill informed me that the river is currently running at a record high.  Wonder if almost two months of continual rain has anything to do with that!!!

Because of its convenient proximity, the Albertson property has been one of Bill's favorite places to hike. The former farm land became public a few years back, thanks to a land deal between the Albertson family and Fish and Game.  I have accompanied him on a few other hikes during different seasons of the year. 

Most memorable to me was the time a few years ago when we returned to the property just one day after a hike when Bill had unknowingly lost his cell phone.  

After mentally calculating the approximate area where he possibly lost it, we walked that direction, and as we approached the target area, I called his phone.  

Sure enough, even after a wet night on the ground, it answered with a ring.  Within minutes and with great relief, we found the phone.  

We lost nothing on our hike yesterday, 'cept maybe a few calories in preparation for the feasting ahead.  

It was great to spend time outdoors rather than in the kitchen or on the couch.  I was hoping to do the same today, but yet another rain storm has settled in.

That's what we're getting from Mother Nature instead of the two days' worth of snow which Tom Sherry so confidently forecast earlier this week.

Seems like no end to wet, wet, wet.  Thankfully, a weekend loaded with college and NFL sports should keep us entertained.  

Happy Friday.  GO, ZAGS!