Magical Mystery Tour!

Deb (and Paul) gave us the best Christmas present ever! The five of us stuffed ourselves into two cars and motored off.

 

Deb and Mom waiting for Mom's car to come out of the garage.

 

 

Deb and Paul's rental car. They are going TDATT (Top Down All The Time). BTW, it's 89 F.

 

 Yes! Deb signed us up for a two hour windmill tour (beginning at 10 a.m. when it was only 79 F.). It was wonderful! Randy, our guide was so informative. He was a wealth of solar and wind energy and some CANaturalGas information. Luckily, the bus was comfy and air conditioned.

These blades are about 150 feet long.

 Each base for each windmill is 15 to 20 feet down with about 15 truck loads of cement thrown in.

 

 The newer the windmill, the bigger they are. This is a fairly new one. There are about 221 windmills there, not all functioning. Each successive model is sturdier and produces more electricity.

Yup, it's desert. That's my foot and cane on the left. By the end of the tour, here, we were fairly thirsty.

And where did the little bus bring the weary tourists? To the Windmill Market where they gave everyone a complimentary date shake (about 6 ounces!!). Randy was sure to tell us that they use fresh dates and ice cream, not a mix with date crystals. Then the owner came around giving us a taste of a date called harbiner which tasted like caramel. It was delicious and very different from the medjool dates.

By then it was lunch time and we were off to the Perlita which is a great Mexican restaurant. The carne asada (beef) was delicious! 

Then back home where I began food prep. It's now 3:21 p.m. and the stuffing is made and cooling.

 

I added sausage to these veggies to put into the stuffing.

And the green beans are washed and devoid of their ends. It takes a long long time to cut the ends off that many green beans! (It's green beans for seven people.) Tomorrow I make the caulimash and turkey. Woo hoo!

Tonight, Deb and Paul are making prime rib for us. I feel so pampered. It's great. I really think I need a nap before dinner, but the pool is calling to me. Do you suppose if I wiggle my nose, the bathing suit will put itself on me?? 

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Just in case I forget: I wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, however you celebrate it. I count my blessings and the first is being with my family. I'm very grateful to have so much bounty in my life, not only of food but also of good wishes and good friends. Some of us are separated by miles but not by thoughts. Cheers!