We had another wonderful Thanksgiving in Montana with the kids/grandkids, all except Tammy and her family (she has FOUR grandchildren now) and Marty's three older children. (This year it was sixteen people.) It's such a joy to see the genuine affection these people have for each other. Even the cousins, who only see each other once a year or so, get along so well. The grandkids in attendance ranged in age from Chuck's oldest boy Reid, age sixteen, to Barry's youngest daughter, age two. The weather was much too warm for successful hunting, but the men bagged one deer and a squadron of ducks, and had the usual bonding. The Thanksgiving turkey was placed in jeopardy by Barry's little girl, who loves to play with electronic buttons. She shut the oven off, and I didn't discover it for about two hours. The turkey was still cold just after noon. It was a good thing the men were bent on hunting, and didn't need dinner until about seven o'clock. She's so adorable, no-one was upset with her, and we had lots of other food.

On Friday night we had our fishfry/crab feed. Jim and I brought a cooler full of Dungeness crab we had caught over the summer, and Chuck brought halibut, ling cod, sea bass and salmon from his and Reid's fishing trip to Alaska. After the meal, the kids, women and grandparents (Jim and I) went to bed and the four brothers sat around the table drinking beer, bonding and reminiscing till the wee hours. Everyone left on Saturday, (some of us with coolers full of left-overs.) Some of the kids expressed concern that the bad economy might keep us from gathering next year. On the bright side, it appears that gas will be cheap for those traveling by car. We'll keep our hopes up.

I've been notified by my publisher not to expect a proof copy of "Chasing Ghosts" until December 30. I hope they get it done sooner. It's in their hands now.