A New Day and Thanksgiving in Retrospect

The snow from the weekend snowstorm is mostly melted so I felt very comfortable that the roads and bike path would be free of ice and frozen snow. The commute to my new job at the Flagstaff Airport is only about an 8 minute bike ride from our front door. While I enjoyed the 30 minute ride into downtown, the new shorter distance allows me to sleep in a bit later. Who wouldn't appreciate a bit longer snooze time?

When starting a new job, a common worry is what to wear. Mine, of course, is what to wear in the cold and on the bike. Inspired by Trish and Dottie from Let's Go Ride a Bike, I vowed I would master biking in skirts but worried about warmth. This summer Decker Outdoor gave me some Teva Montecito boots to try out. I loved them and knew they would be a central part of my fall and winter wardrobe. As I posted previously, they are stylish and perfect for Flagstaff's often rougher terrain. They are also ideal for pedaling and look great with casual skirts and tights. This morning I pulled out a simple denim skirt I found recently at target, a Columbia mock turtle neck cardigan, and black ribbed tights from JCrew (the latter two picked up at the outlets in Anthem outside Phoenix. I put on my black, quilted, down vest from Eddie Bauer for just the right amount of warmth and pedaled up to the airport using the urban trail. I was pleased to find that my feet stayed perfectly warm during the ride, although my hands unfortunately were freezing despite my fur-lined leather mittens. I guess I'll have to break down and pick up some insulated ski mittens.

The Flagstaff Airport doesn't have any bike racks, although the airport director mentioned to me that several people who work there bike in and that he is interested in getting a rack. Given Flagstaff's budget dilemma, no different than those of most cities across the country, a bike rack will likely be a low priority but the sentiment so in the meantime I'm grateful to be allowed to lock it in the employee parking area to a sign pole close to the building. Here is my Expedition with a few private planes sitting under "shade" hangers next to the terminal.

I had a great second day on the job. I got to tour the airport facilities, including the runway, hanger areas, and the public safety areas. I had no idea so much was out there. I also got to attend a meeting for the selection of public art to be displayed at the airport, all of it by local artists.

The 5 p.m. temperatures were considerably more comfortable than in the morning when I couldn't bear to remove my mittens to take some pictures of my morning ride. Here is a not very good shot taken on the way home from the bike lane on Pulliam. Since it snowed over the weekend the San Francisco Peaks are snow-capped (a bit). No worries by the end of December, I am sure they will be respectably snow covered and the Ponderosa Pines will be thoroughly coated, whipped-creme-like.

Tomorrow, another pair of boots and another skirt.

Focusing on the Positive on Thanksgiving Day

On our nation's day of giving thanks, it really is best to focus on the positive. No matter how often the oven shuts off, no matter how long the turkey takes to cook, no matter how frustrating it is to have to throw out a ginger crust that just won't bake, it's much preferable to enjoy the wonderful aromas and flavors filling your kitchen and your mouth. A great tasting turkey is just as satisfying at 7:30 as it is at 4:30. An apple tart minus the crust is called an apple crisp.

This was our fourth Thanksgiving together and the third in which we used the holiday menu from Seasonal Southwest Cooking by Barbara Poo Fenzl. Every recipe is a winner.

Given the extended preparation time this year and the associated problems, it was a good thing we didn't have any dinner guests. Plus we had enough food left for left overs. In this case, Chef Bob prepared comfort food for the upcoming week, turkey tettrazini.
Jade enjoying her post Thanksgiving dinner nap.