Bryan Adams is a great singer-songwriter.  Anyone old enough to remember his passionate love songs in the late 80’s knows this.   But for me- seeing Bryan perform live is also like spending an evening in proximity to one of my heros- Bryan Adams, the photographer.

Many performers have been known to tote a camera when not on stage or filming.  Drew Barrymore and Jason Lee (who is quite good, IMHO) come to mind.   But Bryan Adams has a way with light- a way with the camera and subject that is special.   One of his photographs of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II has been used as the Canadian postage stamp in 2004 and 2005.   The man got to make photographs of The Queen.  How amazing is that?

I am really looking forward to this acoustic performance- it’s so different than his earlier shows.  The McDonald Theater is an amazing old venue.  It’s grand- on a small scale and is set in downtown Eugene, surrounded by funky old buildings and hip eateries and coffee houses.   It’ll be a bigger event than the shows I’ve seen at the WOW Hall, but should still feel intimate and warm- the way an ‘evening with greatness’ should.

Sami and her boyfriend, Max will remain in Springfield with his father and his mom and I will catch the show.  I was so fortunate to win tickets from local radio station, KBVR (Thanks, again guys!).

It’s an hour drive to Springfield to pick up Sandi and then another 15 min or so downtown.  I don’t expect to make it home until close to midnight.  Getting up at 4:30 AM tomorrow won’t be too much fun and I’m sure I’ll be a little worse for the wear tomorrow.  But I napped most of today in an effort to ’store up’ energy and am sure that I’ll survive.

Because an evening like this is worth the effort.

While spending Thankgiving day with my family, I also got to enjoy time with their pets. Laci joined the family three years ago. Prior to coming to live with my parents, she was rescued by a local cat rescue agency. They tell us that she was living in the woods outside Sweet Home, OR. She was skittish at first, but has become so comfortable and so outgoing- she’s pretty much in your face all the time. We don’t mind though- those blue eyes are so gorgeous!

Today likely marked the best Thanksgiving day I have ever experienced. Everything came together perfectly. We had a chance to ‘clean as we went’ so there wasn’t a huge mess to deal with after the meal. It was relaxed and fun.

We also did something new for Thanksgiving dinner- we had a guest join us. My daughter’s friend Sally spent the day with us and shared in the wonderful meal. There was laughter and games and giggling. It was perfect and I am so glad she was there. I really enjoy her company and she fit right in with our weird little family.

My tryptophan addled brain cannot adequately express the joys of the day, so I’ll keep things simple and let these snapshots speak for themselves.

Table set for the big meal.

It is so good to see my mother smiling again.

My trademark mashed potatoes.

The family that plays together- stays together. Mom kids around with Dad as he fixes his plate for dinner.

Sally pauses a moment before heading to the dining table.

Sami’s looking forward to dinner.

Iced sweet tea and candlelight are part of our family tradition.

Homemade pumpkin custard filling in a store bought shell. I’m such a cheater.

No generation gap here… Sami and her grandmother share a moment after the meal.

The only downside would be the smoke damage to the wall above the fireplace and the cracked mirror that were both caused because I didn’t trim the candle wicks when lighting votives set upon the fireplace mantle.  Oops!

It was a great day.    I’ll be back at work tomorrow, but with memories like this to keep me happy- I think it’ll be a piece of cake.  (or more aptly, a piece of pie.)

Hope you all had a great day, too!