An evening view

I'm grateful for our blessings on this eve of Thanksgiving.

Today was a beautiful warm fall day in the mountains of North Carolina, and the light at the end of day, reflected from the sunset, illuminated the view into the ravine behind our house in the mountains. Designed by a local architectural designer for his personal home, it's an 'ecohouse', small and spare in design, with radiant floor heat, instant-on gas hot water, Icynene insulation, and recycled materials, including using wood from the site (an empty lot overgrown with black cherry, tulip poplar and white pine).

This is a legacy house for us - our moms, now gone, are part of this place and they'll be part of our thanks tomorrow for Thanksgiving along with all of the memories that they provided for us.

My mom, a great traveler, will be remembered, too, as we travel during winter break, as will my gardening companion's (aka my husband's) dad, who was also a keen traveler. They inspired us to step up our traveling as we were reminded by their loss that life can be shorter, rather than longer, and if not now, when.

Traveling has enriched our lives, work, and understanding of what it means to live in the world and we're grateful that we have the opportunity to do that.

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8 Most Popular Traditions For Memorable Thanksgiving Celebrations

Just a week to go for Thanksgiving and for all those who have been too busy to plan for it and are feeling absolutely clueless as to what to do; here is a quick wrap of top Thanksgiving traditions.With prayers,responsive reading and donations, share your blessings with the not-so-blessed.Get together for a family meal - turkey delicacies, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and exotic pumpkin pies.Splash the festive colors by decorating your interiors, garden and specially the Thanksgiving dinner table. Thanksgiving crafts and gifts are a great way to make your loved ones feel special.

Read the complete article.

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Style Your Homes The 'Fall Way' For Thanksgiving

With Halloween gone by, and thanksgiving on its way, the festive season is at full bloom . Fall flavor definitely reigns as the home decor theme, but the tone to it is subtler for the forthcoming occasion. Get your color and interior decor right with following tips.Fixtures that accentuate your home decor, fresh flower arrangements, adorned entrances, creative place card crafts & much more. Check out some fabulous ideas for exuberant fall Thanksgiving Decorations. Read more.

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Ultimate Checklist For Thanksgiving Dinner Table Decorations

Thanksgiving is synonymous with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pies. Dinner is an important part of the Thanksgiving Day celebrations. And so is the dinner table. Choosing the table cloth, the napkins, candles, dinnerware, etc, etc. Setting a beautiful dinner table requires lots of effort and dollops of passion. This Thanksgiving jazz up your dinner table with creative centerpieces and decorative accessories. Here is a checklist of 5 basics accessories for a perfect Thanksgiving dinner table decorations. Choose from a large miscellany of creative options in the following table tops and sway your guests into the euphoria of a Thanksgiving get together and a Thanksgiving Dinner. Read more.

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Thanksgiving

One of our family traditions is a morning 'hike' on Thanksgiving. Sometimes this is a long hike, in our nearby mountains; sometimes, it's closer.

A favorite place is the Clemson University Experimental Forest, created by a federal program during the Great Depression to purchase farming land worn-out from the demands of cotton and corn on hilly slopes.

It's now an excellent forest, a mix of ~ 75 year-old oak-hickory forests, planted pines, and lots in between, thanks to succession and forestry rotations.

The area around Lake Issaqueena is especially nice, as it's an unofficial natural area - a great place for a morning walk.

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