Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving from Sorta Sunny Socal.

Here are some 360 Panoramas we shot today. On a computer you can use your mouse to turn the image in a circle, which is pretty cool. However, if you view one of these links on a smartphone or tablet (iPhone/iPad/Android), it will give you a 'gyroscope' option that lets you look more fully around the environment, from sky to dirt, just by turning your device. The effect is like a magic window into the place the panaroma was taken, a form of Virtual Reality...

http://360.io/hpaLnH

http://360.io/QwKdrj

http://360.io/VKsD5N

http://360.io/KMfZPw

Wow that's awesome. Can I move in with you please ?
Thanks for sharing awesome pics. What did it take to make them ?

ohzee said:

Wow that's awesome. Can I move in with you please ?
Thanks for sharing awesome pics. What did it take to make them ?

Click to expand...

A $1 IPhone app called 'Occipital 360 Panorama', think it is out on android soon. Instead of stitching together still photographs, it uses the accelerometer and live video feed to build up a 'persistence of vision' view. Simple, elegant, effective, right up my design alley, and the Best iBuck I ever spent.

-JD

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the USA. Being an ol' guy, I was brought up with this day always being a gathering of family and friends around the table to celebrate making it through another productive summer. We would give thanks to God, each individual would say a word or two, we would toast the year, and ask God's blessings for our family upon the year to come...

• This year has been gracious to the ol' guy...and for this I am deeply thankful.
• The test that might be cancer turned out to be wrong, and the problem appears cured
• The hurricane didn't take the house down, it only brought water inside. The weather since has been in the 40's and 50's and has allowed me to repair 90% of the damage and problems outside. The drywall will be repaired when I am driven inside to work.
• I have gotten to know my new son and his family more as we get ready for my oldest daughters wedding at the end of this year. They are good people, and I am proud to call them family.
• Work has continued, and they are no longer hunting me down with a spear for my pointed opinions and recommendations, but actually implementing some.
• I was the "chicken man" Monday, that went to the restaurant to pick up the "shelf life" expired food to hand out in the inner part of the "big city" that is down the road. I went with the young 33 year old pastor of that small church gathering of which our church lends a hand... I saw a man giving his heart, treasure, time and toil to a people in a heap of hurt. This is only my second trip there and I still ponder the situation there. I have no clue how to fix it. Jeff, the pastor, just helps a person at a time. A coat here, a ride to rehab there, a meal here and there... I wish I knew how to fix it for some of the people there...

My wish is to see you all prosper and happy. To have good relationships with family and friends. To search for truth and love in this world and to enjoy the journey... for the joy is in the journey not in the ...

PS: Am thankful I was not born a turkey!

Happy thanksgiving !

Thanks for the thoughts Bigmoose. Heartfelt and moving.

I've only been in the US once over Thanksgiving, but was mightily impressed by the whole deep fried turkey! The whole thing seemed somehow typically American to me, a mix of good food spiced with the not inconsiderable amount of danger in immersing a whole turkey in a massive pot of boiling oil (outside in the yard, it has to be said). I've always been tempted to have a go and do it here over Christmas, but have never found a big enough pot in any local store.

Ya, those deep fried turkeys are EXCELLENT, There so moist you can't believe it. Never cook it inside though, ALWAYS OUTSIDE, if something goes wrong there will be a huge fire. Gonna have one at 2.00 pm

Greetings and good tidings to ye kindred ES gobblers this day!
I am thankful that I am in good health, my ebike runs, and that tomorrow awaits with new opportunity.

Jeremy, look for brewing kettles or crab pots: Homebrew and Restaurant Supply will have larger sizes. The burners I have are 100k BTU and can bring ½ bbl of cold tap water to rolling boil in 25 minutes. Having brewed frequently outside in the rain is no fun. However the edge of the garage with door open is ok cos you can still get adequate ventilation and be under cover. With boiling oil, I’d have dry fire extinguishers ready.

For the three of us (Id, Ego & Superego), couldn’t source a turkey small enough. Looked at Duck (too oily) and Goose (no experience), and Game Hen (itty bitty; a chicken is larger)… decided on a 6 lb. Ham-in-bone instead. At least this way I can turn it into sloup later. To complement the meal, the baked Ham - saddled alongside carrots will be topped with a Tangerine-Honey glaze, and served with southern style Green Beans w/ Bacon, lightly-buttered steamed Yellar & Zook Squarsh, Black-Eyes & Rice, and Sweet Potato Pie for dessert. It’s not very Pacific-Northwestern, but man does it make for great comfort food during the transition to freezing weather.

Happy Turkeygobble to one and all! KF

Bok bok - hope you all spend some quality time with the family today.

No Thanksgiving is complete without Arlo... (even non-USA residents can enjoy)


http://vimeo.com/17182181

TylerDurden said:

No Thanksgiving is complete without Arlo... (even non-USA residents can enjoy)

Click to expand...

Thanks TD, brings back memories of Woodstock. My life pretty much changed around that time, after going to the Isle of Wight Festivals in 69 and 70, then seeing that film and getting well and truly into the whole peace movement thing...................

Happy Thanksgiving ( A belated cheer to our Canadian brothers ). We just got this cinnamon "wreath" perfected after only two tries. Saw it on the 'net and my wife is quite the baker- who also loves cinnamon- have a great addition added to our arsenal of holiday snacks and delicacies! So me and the wife wolfed down this puppy whilst drinking coffee and reading a 16 pound newspaper full of Black Friday deals. I of course, am more of a "cyber Monday" type and will simply avoid the melee that will soon ensue in the B&M retail markets.

cassschr1 said:

Ya, those deep fried turkeys are EXCELLENT, There so moist you can't believe it. Never cook it inside though, ALWAYS OUTSIDE, if something goes wrong there will be a huge fire. Gonna have one at 2.00 pm

Click to expand...

They make an electric indoor turkey fryer now, they sell them at Sam's Club. The medium cajun flavor injected one is my personal favorite. In memory of Sam the Turky Man who deep fried hundreds of turkeys every year and died several years ago the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we're blessed this year with a homeless family to share Thanksgiving with. Joy to all this holiday season!

That is just fantastic. What a memory... 8)

The fingers said:

They make an electric indoor turkey fryer now, they sell them at Sam's Club. The medium cajun flavor injected one is my personal favorite.

Click to expand...

Sounds a heck of a lot safer than boiling gallons of oil on top of a gas burner out in the yard...................

The fingers said:

In memory of Sam the Turky Man who deep fried hundreds of turkeys every year and died several years ago the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we're blessed this year with a homeless family to share Thanksgiving with. Joy to all this holiday season!

Click to expand...

Brilliant! Truly inspirational.

Have a great day

Thank you, Bigmoose, for reminding us of the true meaning and spirit of Thanksgiving. We are truely blessed to be living in a land of abundance when so much of the world is needy...

And to remember to give as well as receive.

Kent said:

Thank you, Bigmoose, for reminding us of the true meaning and spirit of Thanksgiving. We are truely blessed to be living in a land of abundance when so much of the world is needy...

And to remember to give as well as receive.

Click to expand...

+1, well said Kent and thanks Bigmoose for reminding me why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (and yes, I do have in-laws).

Just back from the beach, where a couple buddies and I roasted a turkey on an electric rotisserie powered by two badly overtaxed D-Cells. Was nervous as hell, because the wives were sure we'd screw it up. I thought so too for a while, but the end result was the best turkey I've ever cooked (sample size is 6).

Beach roasting a bird is about as close as culinary pursuits get to e-biking. I used the Doctor Bass style meat thermometer to monitor temps, which worked great until the sensor cord burned up in a butter-fueled inferno. That little rotisserie motor was at its limit for four hours, and the whole time I was trying to figure out how I can replace it with a more robust motor, and run off lipo or my old SLA ebike pack.

Of coarse We Americans are inventive/dumb enough to say "turkey is too healthy.....lets deep fry it!" and then cover starch potatoes in gravy and drink gallons of alcohol :?

mikebikerad said:

Of coarse We Americans are inventive/dumb enough to say "turkey is too healthy.....lets deep fry it!" and then cover starch potatoes in gravy and drink gallons of alcohol :?

Click to expand...

Yeah well considering our diet as a whole, it takes a lot to 'go over the top' :lol:

Carnival food is the worst though.

Zoot Katz said:

Thanksgiving Day in 1637

Click to expand...

That article presents a very narrow point of view and ignores the larger context of events that occurred in several distinctive parts of North America by Spaniards, by British, and by Colonists landed here from across the globe. Thanksgiving can be tied to two massacres (instigated by Europeans) - though many others are peaceful, or related to National holiday when proclaimed by Lincoln in 1863. I would call that article misleading against the larger documented facts running concurrent, and I think the author is confusing Pilgrims with Puritans, both of which had colonies in Massachusetts at the same time. Pilgrims were peaceful. Puritans persecuted Quakers (who were also peaceful) and they also instigated witch-burning. If you want to know more about how Religion has been entwined into American Politics, look no further than duplicitous Puritans as the source, though certainly there were other contributors.

As a direct descendant of Patriots that arrived about the same time as the Pilgrims, I take my history serious.

BTW - can you name one of the very first buildings built by the Pilgrims when they landed?
~KF,

It's Friday!

I MADE IT!!!!

Wasn't sure after all that turkey, ham, potatoes stuffing more potatoes more turkey&gravy and don't forget the booze.

Not feeling too bad on 2 hours sleep.

On to Christnmas. Hope we make it.

Dan

Sorry – I’m jetlagged after being overseas for weeks, and I am now fully awake on the Left Coast. When in China, my team was surprised when I announced that I was leaving to be with family back in the United States. They asked why, so I explained to them about Thanksgiving, or “Turkeygobble” as we humorously say in my family. “What is turkey?” they asked, and I said “Well, it tastes like chicken!” which even the Chinese get as a joke.

Continuing, I explained that it’s a large bird relative to the size of chicken, and having both light-colored breast meat and richly flavored dark meat around the legs. The animal has a large cavity which when cleaned out proper, can be filled with “stuffing”. It is this stuffing that is the genesis of many creations – the best of which I ever had was filled with apples, craisins, walnuts, sautéed mushrooms, and long-grained + wild rice… The whole bird is placed in an oven bag that helps keep the body moist through the long slow cook. The next best dish to Turkey is mashed potatoes and gravy; I prefer white gravy with giblets. Then there is pumpkin pie; a cinnamon-spicy custard made from large orangey-colored squash. I’ve had pumpkin pie made from scratch and that was the best ever. Same with cranberry sauce if you have the time and access to the fresh berries. We also do a Southern-style baked Green Beans with Bacon dish that’s just basic food for the soul. In addition my Sister-in-Law who is half Italian, will create Manicotti so that we have it too along with everything else.

When I finished the history and explanation, there in the silence were my group, eyes wide, smiling, and perhaps savoring in the imagination of a make-believe feast of unknown proportions. It would be fun I think to have a long table where my team could sit down together and break bread in thanks for the fraternity and for the fellowship that binds us as one in common – solving an engineering challenge.

So as I eat my Turkey today, I shall raise a glass of goodly hand-crafted beer and toast those to which I am thankful for their help, education, and to their welfare.

Thank you ES Peoples for helping me in my endeavors. I wish you the best!
Cheers, KF