What Do Vegans Eat for Thanksgiving? Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This post is another in my occasional series about, "what do vegans eat?" Specifically, for this Thanksgiving. I don't speak for all vegans but, I eat pretty much the same thing I eat throughout the year - healthful, mostly unprocessed food that doesn't involve the killing or exploiting of animals. Ever notice how pistachios look like little tiny papayas?

Fresh finger foods like pistachios and grapes are good for starters.

Roasted red peppers in olive oil and garlic either spread on bread or dipped with chips make great appetizers.

And the old stand-by, cranberry sauce - for dipping and/or serving with the main course.

The main course requires flatware which also makes a great photographic subject.

This year's main dish began with sauteing all these beans, greens, and veggies, then the dish was covered in a whole wheat biscuit crust and baked. (Thanks as always to chef Amy).

And for dessert, to accompany the obligatory pumpkin pie, this turkey wandered by in the yard.  Of course since he was made of milk chocolate (not vegan) and not made of dark chocolate (possibly vegan), we let him pass unharmed....yeah, sure we did. Happy Thanksgiving to all regardless of whether your culture celebrates this holiday - we all have much for which to be thankful!

White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I like it when my path is sharply in focus - sometimes it isn't.  (Panoramic image, click on it to view in full width).

It is very windy today after the passing of a cold front. The dune grasses are golden in the late afternoon light and I look like just a shadow of my former self. 

This viewing angle creates an illusion that White Horse Beach is on a crescent bay - it isn't. And the wind has really whipped up the surf today. 

Thanksgiving Preparation, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This could be a clever marketing suggestion for canned pumpkin makers.  Unfortunately, it might be difficult to fit in a shipping box and stack on a grocer's shelf.  (Credit: stem-on-the-can idea by pie-maker-extraordinare Amy).

America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Don't you just hate having to wait for a parade to start? What is it about parades that so captivates us anyway? This youngster was just plain tired of waiting patiently for it to start. The location is on Court Street looking towards the distant beginning of the parade route.

Like many parades, this one had a large inflated balloon character - befitting the occasion and location, it was a turkey. The brick building in the background is the old post office building.

This float carried the theme that "America is still the land of plenty."

There were military veterans marching proudly........

....and drum and bugle corps playing loudly......

......and lots of shimmery satin uniforms.......

......and no parade is complete without pirates........arghhhh..........

......I wonder what the proper protocol is when a "high five" is met with a "fist bump?" Is it like rock, paper, scissors?

For the first time this week, I got to see the beautiful Budweiser Clydesdales on a bright sunny day.

This Clydesdale and his wagon drivers must have shared some inside joke!

A drum and bugle corps pauses to play in front of the reviewing stand and hillside filled with parade goers.

Some visitors just enjoyed the warm sun and mom's loving embrace.

Some observers had to watch from inside the window.

There were many unusual hats spotted in the crowd.

I wonder why this man got to wear a cool beret while his bandmate wore a helmet with a furry monster climbing up the back.

A young boy riding on a float approaches the finish line.

This panorama is from atop the hill overlooking the reviewing stand (to the right of the flag) and the final leg of the parade route. The water in the distance is Plymouth Harbor. It was a spectacular day, not too cold, not too windy, a big crowd of happy people - a great day to be thankful for the bounty of life that we enjoy.

Budweiser Clydesdales Come to Town, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Budweiser Clydesdales are in Plymouth this week in advance of America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade. As part of their visit, they send a single ambassador horse to some locations around the area.  This appearance was at Luke's Liquors in "downtown" Manomet.  It's nice to see them in daylight. My post yesterday was a nighttime event and difficult to photograph- at this link.

No matter how cool we think our feet and lower legs are, the Clydesdales' are way cooler. Maybe they were the inspiration for bell-bottoms?

Folks were able to pose with the gentle giant.

I bet the Budweiser handler on the right appears in thousands if not millions of family photo albums around the country.

Although my personal philosophy as a vegan doesn't support using animals for our captive entertainment, these beautiful animals appeared extraordinarily well-loved, well-treated, and thoroughly pampered by their human handlers.

They posed him under a shallow roof overhang on a concrete floor - perhaps either to stay out of the rain, or to be next to the Budweiser ads in the window, or maybe the horse likes the comfort of being beside a wall. In any case, there are consequences...........

..... when you consume 25 quarts of grains, 60 pounds of hay, and 30 gallons of water a day, it has to go somewhere.

Budweiser Clydesdales Come to Town, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

If ever there is a signature look, it must be the feet of the Budweiser Clydesdales.  Budweiser brought one of their traveling horse teams to Plymouth this week in advance of  America's Hometown Thanksgiving Day Parade.   

Budweiser says on their website about the Clydesdales that: "Farmers living in the 19th century along the banks of the River Clyde in Lanarkshire, Scotland, bred the Great Flemish Horse, the forerunner of the Clydesdale. These first draft horses pulled loads of more than 1 ton at a walking speed of five miles per hour. Soon their reputation spread beyond the Scottish borders. In the mid-1800s, Canadians of Scottish descent brought the first Clydesdales to the United States where the draft horses resumed their existence on farms. Today, the Clydesdales are used primarily for breeding and show.  To qualify for one of the traveling hitches, a Budweiser Clydesdale must be a gelding at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat, four white legs, a white blaze, and a black mane and tail. Each hitch horse will consume as much as 20 to 25 quarts of whole grains, minerals and vitamins, 50 to 60 pounds of hay, and 30 gallons of water per day."

On this evening stroll through town the team delivered cases of beer to bars and restaurants. A good crowd turned out to watch as the horses were suited up and hitched to the wagon.

Part of the team is standing calmly waiting for the gig to begin - another show, another town, more happy people.

Even non-human species seemed to enjoy the activity.

Seated high atop the wagon, this dalmatian gets to ride through town in the driver's seat alongside two of the handlers.

Note:  My point-and-shoot photos of this event were of such poor quality that even the magic of post-processing couldn't save them. Taking out all the color at least made them usable for this blog post. 

Japanese Red Maple, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Japanese Red Maples have a special place in my life. When my son was 5 years old, his grandfather gave us a tiny Japanese Red Maple seedling to plant.  When we moved away 15 years later, that tree had become a magnificent sight that arched over part of our driveway.  It's red crown and red carpet of leaves an annual reminder of another year of  life and growth. Forever into the future, I will regard a Japanese Red Maple with the special memory of watching my son grow into young adulthood with this beautiful living thing pacing him year for year.

I have not returned to that home since we left - party out of fear that the new owners may have cut it down - I'd rather not know. 

Here is grandpa's tree in late summer plumage, shortly before we moved away.

Electricity

I am having some electrical work done at my home right now and it got me thinking.

I live in a society which offers essentially unlimited quantities of electricity.  At the same time, in many other parts of the world, more than a billion people have no electricity in their homes.

It is rare to see folks in this country (of almost any age) not carrying some sort of electrically powered device (battery or plug-in).  Whether a phone, camera, ipad, ipod, bluetooth earplug, music headphones, etc.

One of the consequences of using electrical power is the annoying sound of all our machines: music, mowers, mulchers, chain saws, weed whackers, boats, airplanes, grinders, compressors, radios, etc. - they all use electricity in varying ways.

Sure would be quieter without all those devices. On the other hand, without electricity all we could hear would be the barking dogs and screaming people. I'm not sure which option is better..................

Beach Walk, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

While flying around the world the other day in my spaceship, I looked down and saw these long parallel mountains of sand across the deserts of northern Africa. 

Or maybe I was actually on foot at White Horse Beach.........

....enjoying the late afternoon light with long shadows, a deserted beach, and a cool breeze.

Dawn, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

There is something special about getting up before the sun. I am one of those people who does that. Must be the years of practice as a  workingman that have made it the "normal" for my senses. 

And sometimes on those early mornings, I am rewarded with a color and light and beauty show that is worthy of note. Like this morning.

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  I disagree - beauty is there regardless of the eye of the beholder. Like the old saw about, "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there, does it make a sound?" Yes, it does.