Happy Thanksgiving

Anna and ladies’ man mathius.

Charles M. and Samara, Kenyan natives.

B. with Ellen and Georgie

Tony and Arabella

Marcus B.

Theo and Eddie Yardley

Kristi and Angela


Maya A. and Nathan B.

Kids’ table is alive and well in Beijing.


Maya Alexandri delivers turkey two from next door…we needed an extra oven.

Wyatt and Jacqui Cameron came by for a drink on their way elsewhere.

Very interested observors at our turkey bowl.

Thanksgiving two in Beijing was a lot of fun. It’s strange because it’s just another work day here.. kids go to school. Several people have told me that they find it to be the depressing time, when they feel stranded and lost. I don’t feel that way. Those people don’t host a real Thanksgiving.. they go to the clubhouse here or a few restaurants that serve meals and that does seem bleak. But we had a great day.

We hosted again and brought together a great group of people, including the Yardleys, our more-or-less American friends Kristi and Nathan (he is Ethiopian but they are basically American), our American pal Maya Alaexandri and two couple celebrating their first Thanskgivings – Tony and Georgie from Australia and Charles and Angela, from Kenya.

I stand by Thanksgiving as a great event and it is really nice to share it with people. We got two imported from America birds from Schindler’s German butcher (best meat in town) and cooked up the whole works.

I probably mentioned this last year but being here last year and this are the first times we have hosted Thanskgiving and it really makes me feel like an adult. Usually at such events, you slide back into being a kid, or at least I do. I have become pretty adept at carving a bird though I always think of Popop Rudy when I do. Great food, great company, lots of wine and homemade pumpkin pie to cap it off. Great times.

I cut out in the afternoon to play in a turkey bowl that was surprisingly serious.. 8-8 on a full soccer pitch, with flags. Remarkably, no injuries but I am still wobbly legged two days later. I scurried back to help finish preperations, which were under control thanks to Becky, Maya and Ho ayi. Funniest thing at the game was all the Chinese guys lining up to watch with great curiosity.

Tonight, we had Thanskgiving mach 2 at our friends the Poss.. lots of people here celebrate on Saturday because kids re home, no work, etc. so we got to double dip, as with Halloween. And the big news is tonight on Thanksgiving 10 or 11, Jacob finally tried turkey, under the influence of Lucas Pos – and he loved it. Ate mounds of white meat and kept asking for more.