Flavor #16 "Made With Snickers"

PILE UP!

So a big plus of living in sunny California was visitors.  And the Dudeks were the best!  Every year without fail they would come and spend Thanksgiving weekend with us.  So we got a chance to really get to know these cousins.  We explored San Diego with them and did corny things, like those embarrassing Thanksgiving and Christmas videos every year.

OCEANSIDE PIER

The worst time was the year they brought their dog Snickers down.  She was so old and could barely walk. Truly, it hurt to watch her try. They arrived with her about noon and we were ready to eat, so we put her in the backyard and shut the gate.  Miraculously she entered the side door to the garage and exited to the real world through the open garage door with no one the wiser.  But while we began to set the food out, someone did notice and the panic that ensued was epic.  

We abandoned the house and with so many of us, we fanned out in every direction.  No Snickers!  It was like losing a baby.  We made Lost Dog signs and slapped them up on lightposts for blocks.  We had heavy hearts and tummies that were more sickened than empty, when finally Dad decided to start going downhill.  Not emotionally as we had been, but literally.  Deliberately at every corner.  He just figured to follow the path of least resistance and finally traced her down many, many blocks away.  THANK GOODNESS!  We ate cold turkey, with an extra dose of gratitude,  but not until we were sure all doors were tightly shut.

The best time was the year when the power went out all day, beginning at 9 in the morning.  The turkey was half done so we just left it in the tepid oven the rest of the day to finish while we played hide and seek and goofed off in the semi dark, cold house.  All disasters should be so fun!

MATT  &  JORDAN AT LA JOLLA CLIFFS