Day 262

The boys in Kansas had breakfast at The Chef in Manhattan, KS. And boy did we eat well. Including Bananas Foster Pancakes (which is what Jamie had, of course)! We dropped Sam off at the base and then headed home. It was a straight through drive (mostly) and very windy. We listened to about half of Ready Player Two while on the road (both ways). We planned to have dinner at the I-70 Diner in Limon, except that it isn't in Limon. By the time we figured out it was in Flagler, we had sailed past it. So, dinner at Oscar's Bar and Grille (in Limon) which turned out to be fun anyway. Oscar's, as in Academy Awards. It was thematically decorated. And the food was pretty good, great fries. In the meantime, it was more Christmas decorating at home. All the Kansas photos are here.

Day 261

The boys in Kansas visited the Cosmosphere (Hutchinson, KS). Finally! Jamie's been wanting to get here ever since they got the Freedom 7 capsule (small beginnings in 1962, major upgrades in 2014). The boys spent five hours here today then stopped at Martinelli's Little Italy for dinner in Salina, KS. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Christmas elf-work continues. All the Kansas photos are here.

Wait time for our elves - one week.

Hurricane force winds!

Fina finished her dress.

Day 260

Matt, Jamie, AJ, and David made it to Fort Riley this afternoon to see Sam for the weekend. We had a super dinner at Umi Japanese Steakhouse in Manhattan, KS. In the meantime, back at the ranch, the girls got quite a start on the Christmas decorating.

Been there, done that, got the sweatshirt.

Mesmerized by the Hibachi Master

Almost caught the flying morsel!

Day 259 Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2020. With all the favorites except friends and extended family we would otherwise be with. From Bubble Bread to sausage/ham egg casserole to Grandma's Rolls to Rainbow Jello to Braised Ribs to stuffing to mashed potatoes to 7-layer salad. Some recipes are here. The newbie on the menu was Matt's spatchcocked turkey including his own seasoning mix, injections, etc. Sounds horrid but was the best turkey ever, really. And Kneader's pies for dessert. Nana and Papa watched Christmas Chronicles 2. Not nearly as entertaining as the first. All the photos are here.

Spatchcock Boogey (video)

Spatchcock Boogey

Day 258

The big kid activity of the day was making their own ice cream sandwiches. Jonathan was the initiator and graciously shared the experience with his sibs. The wooden trains down in Jamie's office got a workout today as well. Lunch today was at Broken Bones BBQ just down the hill. The steak fries were uniquely good. Matt began work on his spatchcocked turkey and root veggie medley. We stocked up on some bubbly. One of our faves is Veuve du Vernay, a sparkling from France (not a Champagne). Surprisingly inexpensive (under $20) and brings back memories. And, of course, the bubble bread was prepped for overnight rising. The fam found a new funny TV series, Life in Pieces.

Trying tomorrow's pies from Kneaders.
See the new foster babies?

Bubble Bread

Day 257

The Screening Room folks showed up today for the final tweaks of the theater room. Our first movie tonight was Ready Player One. Fanstastic! You could feel the scenes. Given that all dine-in ceases this Friday at 5pm, Jamie has vowed to eat out as much as possible between now and then. So today we had lunch at Fuji Mt. Love the drunken noodles. Matt and Jamie ran to The Prime Cut for Thursday's turkey and short ribs and King Soopers for veggies, etc. BTW, it really did snow today; a fair amount, actually. The day finished up for most with a viewing of the first Harry Potter movie in the theater room. Also BTW, Jamie's thoroughly enjoying his new Bose speaker in his office - Christmas music!