Thanksgiving Day Routine

The Thanksgiving Day weather could hardly have been better this year, and it was nice to be able to get out and enjoy it with a group ride on the levee. Although we started with only eight or nine, I think we must have picked up quite a few riders along the way. Even Kenny B. and Realdo were in the paceline by the time we got back. The relatively light winds made for a welcome change from the last few days, and the clear skies and bright sunshine warmed things up pretty fast. After riding, though, it was head-first into the usual Thanksgiving Day Routine as we loaded the car up with lemon meringue and pecan pies and headed over to mom's place on the river.

Although we were missing a few of the klan, it was still pretty busy with The Daugher and her roomate, The Brother and four of his family, and one of The Sisters and two of hers. We quickly went through a turkey, crawfish dressing, potato salad, and various pies, and by 3 p.m. we were mostly sitting around waiting until it was time to eat again. Finally, at around 6:00 or so, a few of us went out to see if we could find a coffee shop that was open. This was mainly just an excuse to get out of the house, of course, and I wasn't holding out a whole lot of hope. Still, I did have one card up my sleeve in case our search proved fruitless. First we checked out Rue on Carrollton, then Starbucks and PJs on Maple, then we made the trip down Magazine - PJ's, CC's, another CC's, Starbucks, Puccino's. All closed up. In fact, Magazine Street was a virtual ghost town tonight. So I finally had to head over to Zotz on Oak St. I figured that if anyplace would be open, it would be Zotz, and I was right. Granted, we were the only people in the place without numerous facial body piercings, but the coffee was good and the prices were low. I like this place, except for the smoke. As one website puts it,

"... In the front room the activity is usually a high energy mix of purple-haired, pierced bohemians; way in the back, rooms are quiet enough to allow for the sound of running water from a nearby Zen garden..."

One thing is for sure. This place is NOT a Starbucks. Anyway, my plans for tomorrow don't extend beyond an early morning training ride. I'll just play it by ear after that.