Thanksgiving, Before the Turkey

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I have a scheme for Thanksgiving Day: Maybe I can slip out of the house for a quick ride early in the morning before the turkey gets to cooking, and before the sweet potatoes are peeled. There'll be nobody out on the roads, so I should be able to ride unimpeded. 

We’ll see.  I'll let you know what happens. 

See report below.

Meanwhile, it is good at this time of year to stop and give thanks to God for our country, for the bounteous blessings we have been given, and, in particular, for our freedom.  

Freedom from Want
Norman Rockwell, 1943

The documents that set down these freedoms were brilliantly written by true scholars and patriots. 

Take a minute and refresh your memory by reading these excerpts:  

The Declaration of Independence

July 4, 1776.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

The Constitution of the United States

September 17, 1787

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Enjoy your day on the bike and with the family, but remember the reasons why we can do what we do so freely.



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Ride Report:
 
Well, the day dawned cold, but clear, so I went out for a quick ride of about 97 miles before the preparation for the feast of Thanksgiving began.  [Yes, I did help my wife get the house ready, and she didn't even have to ask me!]   

There was almost no traffic, because most of the retail stores were closed.  

Way back there in the distance, the parking lot for Wal-Mart was full, however.  They were the only major retailer open.  Seems to me that they could have let their employees have the day off to be with their families.  

The ride I took went up to the foot of the mountains, but not into them.  There were constantly-changing views of the sky and the mountains like these during almost the entire ride: 

I truly give thanks for the beauty of creation I was able to see. 
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