dankbar

this thanksgiving, i am thankful that we had the foresight to make reservations early for thanksgiving dinner at the essen haus*. it appears that we are not the only madisonians without travel plans who didn't want to make their own turkey dinner. that place was PACKED and so super wonderful. plus, the four of us (two of whom are barely human, certainly not considered even adult-approximate, and can't stay at a table much past the drink order) received a 1/2 turkey (!) and sides to feed a small nation. we were stuffed, and that turkey isn't gone yet.

the crowd, seething with turkey sweat and great thanksgiving joy, waits for tables, drinks beer, and eats eats eats.

david and james, who has opted to pose with the salt and pepper shakers,

and me and ray, who has opted to pose with some silverware. 

* the essen haus is a german bar and restaurant just off the capitol square, known to adults and other normal people as good restaurant for pilsner beer and schnitzel, and known to binge drinking 20-something party people as the place to go to drink of a massive communal boot until you can't see straight. it's never been a restaurant destination for us, but has in the past been a drinking destination. i'm not proud, just honest.

photo documentation of boot drinking, featuring my little sister, 2006. interestingly, no photos of me drinking from a boot at the essen haus exist in my digital photo library, because i was in my early 20s sooooo long ago, back when pictures were exclusively printed on film.

isn't she cute? even with boot in hand and beer in belly, she is capable of emphatic conversational expression.