Thanksgiving 2010

Well, another year gone, and another Thanksgiving. The Lewyckyj family of Montreal and many friends gathered at Baturyn in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada, to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, like we have for many years before. The weather was cool but dry and sunny. We had a great many kids this year. We went through 3 turkeys and we could have used a fourth! The weekend had a bit of everything. A bit of nostalgia, a camp fire Sunday night, a soccer game (not for the meek), lots of conversations, a wee bit of revelry, some great star gazing, apple picking at the St-Benoit-du-Lac monastery. The pictures below, in no particular order, chronicle the weekend.

We found some interesting angel mushrooms in the forest......

A family shot behind the Motria

Peter looking over the pond

The pond at the end of the season

Peter looking over our new foundations

Singing at the campfire

Katrusia was in a glorious mood

We sang well into the night

Memories of past summers

While at the Motria, fun was being had

Tim relaxing during the soccer game

Adrian getting lots of attention

Alex and Marika

Club sandwich

Anhelyna and the hat

Alex making the hat speak

Eva coaxed to smile

Marika never needing to be coaxed.....

Laryssa watching on

Cousins......

Soccer game for the challenged

Kathy was rooting the team on

Olesia was trying to find some balance......

Oksana watching on

Greg deciding if he should join in

Old men should not play soccer. Just doesn't look right.

Somehow the weekend brings people together

The svinyj had a scaled back presence

Old friends. Sat on a park bench like bookends......

I don't think that desert will agree with you, plus you simply mustn't!!!

Uliana.......

and Mychajlo

Manhandling Elsa......

Sisters hamming it up

The Thanksgiving lunch buffet!

Lida and Uliana

Sandra

Michael was enjoying some of his turkey stuffing. Its always so good!

Jane and Lida

Tomas and Julia

Tony and Madeleine joined us with Thomas and Julia for the first time this year. It was great to have them out.

Trying to carve one of the three birds

Even Jack was there. At almost 13 years of age, he is no puppy anymore, but he was still getting lots of attention.

Wasyl, Lida, Bohdan, Gaetan. As usual. the weekend is about catching up, and making new memories.

The beginning of the campfire.

Rudy, Roman, Zenon, Mychajlo. People came from Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto.

What makes the meal great is everyone brings stuff and everyone helps out in the kitchen. Nina had some great stuffing.

The pidpenjky was quite plentiful this year, a little bit late into the season

We had a very clear night so we went to star gaze at the pond. I brought my Nikon D3S with my 14mm lens and a tripod, and had some fun. I really like the stars reflecting in the water.

The wispy strand of the Milky Way

The sensitivity of the D3S camera is awesome, allowing you to take pictures of things your eye does not even see

Not only do you see the ghostly trail of the Milky Way, but of satellites as well, moving across the sky

Many people wanted to visit the site of our future house, gazing at the grey foundation walls. The house was to arrive in a couple of weeks. Katrusia gave a lot of tours.

It was a little but chilly that weekend and I was dressed for it in layers and with my down vest. Peter, like always, was able to get by with much less clothing