Thanksgiving, WIN style

Every year our Singles RV club, WIN, gets together on public land near Borrego Springs, CA, for Thanksgiving. As I always say, we have Thanksgiving in the desert with 100 of our closest friends. This year it wasn't quite 100, more like 80 or so, but, as always, it was a wonderful celebration of friendship and community. WIN is like a family with all its ups and downs, laughter and arguments, but people you can count on to stand with you when you need support. I always say that if you need a lift, just drive into a WIN gathering. The Thanksgiving gathering is one of my favorites because I get to see people I haven't seen for a year or more. It's a great feeling.

On our way here, we took Box Canyon Road from I10 to the tiny town of Mecca. It's a funny name for a road since it does go through a canyon, but it's certainly not a box canyon. It's a very scenic drive and a surprising change from the surrounding flat desert. You can even camp there, but I wouldn't advise it if there is any chance of rain. There were signs warning about flash floods and looking at the road as it runs through the wash, you can see the problem.


Here we are all huddled together in our traditional spot in the desert.


It's really quite a production to make this event happen. We order turkeys from a grocery store in Brawley - 60 miles away. Yesterday (Wednesday), a volunteer picked up our twelve turkeys and a couple hams which also came with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pies. The turkeys are carved up, put in serving dishes, and, along with the sides, distributed to the group to refrigerate overnight. Ron is pretty good at (un)bagging those birds.


And we have plenty of willing carvers.


This morning all the things that needed to be warm were heated in various ovens and microwaves and brought to the feast at the appointed time. Each person also brings a side to share. I made cookies and brownies for Ron and I to bring.

Here are the hungry troops gathering like the clouds in the background.


We have servers for the turkey, ham, stuffing, and gravy to speed things along. Now, who's ready to eat?


Personally, my favorite dishes are the ones made by the WINs. With the second shift servers leading the way, the feeding frenzy began.


Mort had a particularly delicious-looking meal. I'm going to have to get one of these partitioned trays.


Most people take a picture of the table before they eat, but we didn't think of it until later. Here are Diana, Phil, Ron, and I, looking fat and happy.


Trust my sister to get a shot of me scarfing down Nelda's amazing pie.


I hope all of you had a Thanksgiving as wonderful as I did. I feel truly thankful and blessed to be living this lifestyle in this great country. I must have done something right in a former life.