Thanksgiving Day USA November 24, 2016

A glistening Thanksgiving Day on Hilton Head Island! Though I went to bed around midnight last night I was up before seven o’clock this morning, a tad earlier than normal.  My days of beating to the office before nine are long gone! As a rejuvenation I decided to launder my bed clothes and bath towels, etc. I tossed in the textile I had worn yesterday as well. The washer/dryer here is extremely efficient, it practically invites participation! Almost all my clothes are identical – three blue and white stripped Polo shirts, four white Polo shirts, 3 white smalls, two white shorts, 2 khaki shorts, a red and a black pair of synthetic shorts (for bicycling), 2 sets of three pairs of white socks. The cotton crewneck sweaters are red and grey (I would have a dark blue but they didn’t have my XXX size on my latest shopping spree).  I have two woollen sweaters for those chilly days in January (and one black Viyella cardigan that I’ll probably never wear here). Generally I look the same one day to the next. I only have one webbed belt.  My thinking is, if I need anything else, I’ll buy it. Generally every morning I wash whatever I wore the previous day though as I say, no one could tell, it all looks the same.

I was abandoned by the cycling enthusiast shortly after I began to prepare my breakfast this morning. I was left alone with my streamed classical music and the Ocean. Breakfast was my usual bowl of fruit (sliced green apple, black berries and Giant French prunes) followed by slab of cedar grilled salmon, wedge of Stilton cheese, cherry tomatoes, celery stalk and carrot stick. As I munched, crunched and sipped, I scanned the BBC and CNN news (mostly about Trump of course) and bounced back and forth between my email and favourite Bookmarks. It was a slow day for email today which surprised me considering it is just a regular business day in Canada. As the hour approached 11:00 o’clock I touched base with my elderly mother and afterwards reported accordingly to my sister (who has since responded with her own update). And then it was time to push off for my own mandatory bicycle ride.

The bike paths were busy today with parents and children, an expected repercussion of the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Most visitors will be gone by next Wednesday at the latest if not indeed by Monday in time for recommencement of school. The normal vacation period here is Saturday to Saturday or at least one-week intervals. We won’t see a resurgence of the population again until the New Year (not Christmas) and then it will be tranquil until March when the crowds correspondingly increase with the ambient temperature. By April we’re ready to pull up stakes.

I am still adjusting to the rental bicycle I have.  It’s perfectly fine as a single-speed bicycle suitable for riding on the beach but it lacks the slight recumbent element of my Electra Townie bicycle at home.  As a result I am bound to use slightly different muscles and it is requiring some conditioning.  I am not therefore anxious to press myself.  I am content to cycle to Coligny Park and back along the beach (into the sun).

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There were swarms of people all along the beach from Coligny Park to Beach Club. The restoration of the beach following Hurricane Matthew is virtually accomplished.  The enormous rusty pipes that were used to hose water and sand from the Ocean onto the beach have been removed. The high tide was scheduled for 3:47 pm today.  I entered the beach shortly after noon today and to my surprise the beach was still very wide, delightfully so I may add.

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Normally I wouldn’t get back home until around three o’clock but my early start today shifted that model. I landed on the chaise longue by the pool at precisely 1:11 pm.  Because the temperature was close to 76℉ it wasn’t long before I felt uncomfortable. I have now returned to the condo to prepare for the evening.  I’m thinking of a Caesar salad and chicken.  Not very Thanksgiving but I do like my garlic sauce and Parmesan cheese!

Post Scriptum

The previous account  was so fraught with shameless domestic details that a few more can’t hurt. Aside from the salad dressing the only substantive element of my Caesar salad in addition to the crisp shredded romaine lettuce leaves was choice bits of cold dark chicken meat from the drumsticks and a generous portion of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  What was significant was that the entire mess was literally swimming in extra-virgin olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, capers, a can of chopped anchovies, Dijon mustard, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, a splash of red wine vinegar, ground salt and pepper and of course a pile of fresh crunchy chopped garlic. After having consumed the plateful I felt like an old piece of mahogany drenched in soothing oil. The garlic flavour lingered irrepressibly; I practically felt my skin adopting a Mediterranean glow.

it is hard to imagine on a diet like this that I can conceivably lose any weight. I shudder to imagine the caloric content of the extra virgin alive oil alone!