Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving 2008 brought the Grinkmeyer family together at Water Colors in the Florida panhandle. We rented a 4br house with an ample kitchen for the preparation of the big feast. The family arrived between 2:00PM and 11:00 PM and by Wednesday morning the family was together for our annual turkey day celebration. The tradition of coming to the beach for Thanksgiving dates back 25 years to 1983 with Nita’s parents, Virgil and Pauline, and our kids; it’s a tradition that no one wants to give-up.

Wednesday was dedicated to relaxation, bike riding, a little bit of business, some shopping at the Outlet Mall and then the traditional shrimp boil that led to a family game that ended in the usual “We’re better then you” claims in good spirit. Haileigh tried out for the position of staring role of “Turkey Day” with a turkey hair due and a position on the dinning room table. She won Justin’s approval but Ginger vetoed her trip to the oven.

Thursday started with the second annual “Water Colors Beach Turkey Trout” which Haileigh and Emma attended with their Turkey Hair Dues gaining everyone’s approval. Trent, Ginger, Kerry, Haileigh, Emma and Aidan ran the one mile fun run and all set PR’s for the run on the sand.


Later Nita and Kerry kayaked the lake giving them cause to recall their kayaking trip in Alaska two years before. Parents and grand’s went off to a Kid’s Camp Tie-Die adventure; kids designing shirts while their parents had a beer and wine picnic in one of Water Colors many parks; Nita and Kerry held down the house tending to the beast feast. Later in the day Trent and Kerry took the kids to the beach to fix the die in their T-Shirts and play in the surf.

As has become customary the feast was just that; as a result of a cumulative
culinary effort once again we enjoyed a gourmet Thanksgiving meal. The evening ended early, all exhausted from a full day of activity.

It seem that each year our list of “What are you thankful for?”, continues to grow but family, health, opportunity and good fortune continue to be at the top of our lists.

Click on title (Thanksgiving 2008) for more pictures.