7th Annual Turkeypalooza: Burning Man 2009

Our annual gathering of "muppets" went extremely well this year. As always, we welcomed old friends, new friends, and family this year - from Minnesota, Michigan, Idaho, Wisconsin, and of course, Illinois. As more years go by in this tradition, the more I know these people who gather in piles of blankets on our living room floor are our family in the truest sense - a gathering of individuals in which the deepest love, respect, and joy is found. Not to diminish our feelings for our actual relatives, but only to say that in this motley crew of friends we feel the same warmth.



This year will go down in Turkeypalooza history as "Burning Man 2009". In the tradition of the illusive desert art and music festival, we held our very own Burning
Man this year, built in the image of John Nicholson (don't ask me why, he was a totally innocent victim). With the remainder of our splintered Juniper as a torso, giant hackberry logs as legs, boxelder limbs, and a jack-o' lantern head, he was a grand spectacle for all in our backyard.




Throughout the weekend, we also enjoyed a few other activities, including frisbee bowling, sticktape (at which John "thunderstick" Mitchell defended and captured his 2008 title victoriously), canoeing, and lots of frisbee and football catch. And to be sure, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and lots of delicious desserts were consumed with gusto. It occured to me that this gathering used to be primarily about the food - it all started when I felt sorry for our male friends without girlfriends could not go home for Thanksgiving Dinner during our years in college. It now is less about the food than the fact that this is normally the only time of year we see most of our dearest friends.

And just so we're all clear: the 8th Annual Turkeypalooza will be held November 20, 2010. Save the date!