November 25, 2004

November 25, 2004

Trout Lodge

DAY 161

 

Happy American Thanksgiving

We thought tonight would be Toby's last evening, but as I type this after 10 P.M., he's still with us. He's very weak. From 7:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. I held him in my arms, wrapped in a blanket, as he slowly and peacefully faded. A few minutes ago I got him to eat a tiny bit of left over Thanksgiving turkey, and a couple of hours ago, I got him to drink a bit, so maybe that will be enough to keep him alive awhile longer.

Today was American Thanksgiving, a very big day here at YMCA Of The Ozarks Trout Lodge. The morning started out very cold, with small patches of yesterday's snow surviving in the shadows. Our water supply hose froze over night, so we had to switch from outside water supply to the internal fresh water tank. When we returned to the trailer tonight after supper, an outside water connector had frozen and burst. The day was sunny, however, and it warmed up quite a bit by afternoon. I had 4 pontoon boat tours scheduled this morning, but every one of them had no takers. This afternoon, I had a fishing trip, followed by 3 archery sessions. Joanne worked a very busy day in the Water Wheel Country Store. Trout Lodge is full of guests. A sell-out weekend. Americans make Thanksgiving into a bigger deal than we do in Canada. It's almost as big a celebration as Christmas. Every family here was served a full turkey, and all the fixings, in the dining room at either 1:00 P.M. or 4:00 P.M.. Afterwards was a small staff Thanksgiving dinner ( again ) with each table being served a full turkey. Joanne and I shared a table with the other Workamper, Julie, and 2 of the cowgirls from Triangle Y Ranch, Mindy and Melanie. Somewhat odd characters, those cowgirls. Maybe it's their spurs.

During the day, a couple of staff were wandering around taking pictures with digital cameras. Tonight, the pictures were presented as a slide show in one of the large meeting rooms, with soft music in the background, as Andy and Jean-Michael read out loud the "what we are thankful for" cards filled out by the guests at each table. This event is a Trout Lodge Thanksgiving tradition, and it was very nicely done.

Three more work shifts to go. Our last day of work will be Sunday, and we'll be leaving here Monday.

DSK