Space Coast Lightfest

So this was our Thanksgiving this year, quite a different view than we're accustomed to on this day - and yet one the Pilgrims were probably familiar with.  It's the Atlantic Ocean, and the sunrise was just perfect this morning.

We were a little slow to rise, but that's just fine, right?  It's a holiday, and nobody was in a rush to do much today.  Food would be prepared later, and the big thing on the schedule for the morning was the Thanksgiving Day Parade.  All of us sat together, talking, and watching the bands and parade floats go by, a tradition now for us that's nearly as important as the turkey!

After the parade, we decided to walk along the shore, which is such a treat any time you can do such a thing.  The sun was shining, and the wind calmed down quite a bit, and the six of us made our way along the beach looking for shells, or in Madison's case, playing in the waves a bit.

We had our decorations for Thanksgiving up in the condo, including our new pumpkin turkey and some of the ones we use back at the house.  And all the while, Nana was working on the turkey and other items for the big meal itself.  The condo smelled so good, that familiar smell that permeates all houses this time of year.  Coming in from the balcony there, that smell of cooking turkey just washes over you, just perfect.  So the time for dinner arrived, and it was very nice indeed.  We were treated to a special meal, a Thanksgiving dinner at the beach, and all was well with the world.

Afterwards, we made our way to yet another light show that Daddy saw was nearby.  Yesterday at Friendly's we saw a piece of paper advertising for a Space Coast Lightfest.  It was put together by volunteers, and supposedly featured 2.7 million lights, with all proceeds going to the local Boy Scouts.  Why not check it out?

It was actually really good!  It wasn't anywhere near as good as Callaway Gardens, mind you.  But the five of us hopped in the car, and this place wasn't that far away.  Daddy popped in a Dean Martin Christmas CD, and we drove through the 1.1 mile long road, checking out all the different lights and themes.

This one above was one of our favorites - a seaside light display with surfers, dolphins, and yes, a big shark as well.  It was a nice thing to do to close out the special day, to get everyone in the spirit of Christmas, and it wasn't that much on our wallets or time.  In other words, everyone was really glad they went!

And so Thanksgiving drew to a close, but as you can tell it was a great day.  It was a pretty unique Thanksgiving, and one we'll always look back upon with fond memories.