It has been a busy Thanksgiving weekend here on the East Coast. After the big day, of course, we are followed by the traditional Black Friday sales and shopping. I leave the shopping to others and organize the annual Turkey Bowl Golf Outing at Cream Ridge Golf Club. We select Cream Ridge for its accessibility from New York as we always have some players coming from the Big Apple.

It was a record day for the game. There were three threesomes and one foursome battling on the course. Bill Marine, Cream Ridge’s PGA professional, is a great guy and secures tee times for our reliable group well in advance. He makes Cream Ridge a great place to play. I say reliable because our group shows up no matter what the weather is like — rain, freezing cold and, occasionally, balmy weather as you never know what the last weekend in November will bring.

We had a few cowards pull out days before due to the threat of bad weather, but I have to tell you, Friday was one of the best golf days we have ever had at the Turkey Bowl. It threatened to rain but never did, and the sun even came out for a while halfway through the round. The temperature was in the low 60s, with some wind but, all in all, very bearable weather.

At the end of the day, the big winner was John Ecklund, who played lights out with a gross 74. With handicaps deleted from the scores, there was no one close to John’s game. He played in my threesome, and I can’t recall John ever playing so well. Perhaps it was the turkey dinner the day before, or maybe it was the joy of not shopping on Black Friday, but I really believe he was motivated by the homemade Turkey Bowl trophy, which will sit proudly on his mantle until Black Friday 2010.

The presentation ceremony was held at a townie bar call the Plumbsted Grill, where Chris “Yammi” Ottaunick (the 2008 winner) passed on the trophy to John.

– Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

Each year in Oregon as families gather around the Thanksgiving Day table, there is one subject which should be avoided if a pleasant and peaceful meal is desired. Politics? Religion? Aunt Sue’s new beau? All potentially volatile subjects, certainly, but none of those match the potential for fireworks that a discussion of the annual “Civil War” football game between the Oregon State Beavers and the University of Oregon Ducks possesses. The two teams first met in 1894, and with the contest usually played on the Saturday after Turkey Day, many a heated discussion of the upcoming game has been held as the mashed potatoes and gravy circle the table.

As with most born-and-bred Oregon families, mine features alums from both schools (along with a select few like me who attended smaller state schools and don’t get too worked up about either one of the others). There is always plenty of good-natured (mostly) ribbing going on, and some creative bets have been wagered over the years. One year my Beaver brother Chris had to stand up at Christmas before the entire family after OSU had been defeated by Oregon that year (and he had lost his bet to Duck sister Julie). Decked out in a bright yellow Oregon t-shirt, he had to loudly and convincingly proclaim, ”I wish I’d gone to Oregon instead of Oregon State.” After another Beaver loss, brother Tim, in deference to losing his bet with brother-in-law Dave, had to wear a shirt bearing Oregon’s rabid-looking “Fighting Duck” to the following year’s Thanksgiving dinner. As he took his place at the table, Tim reached over, grabbed some mashed potatoes and liberally smeared them all over the front of the shirt, obscuring his Beavers’ nemesis. He pointed out that although he was required to wear the shirt, the condition of said shirt had not been specified when the bet was placed. 

Most years, there isn’t much on the line for either team beyond bragging rights over defeating the other, but on occasion a win for one team may ensure a trip to the Rose Bowl (or an invitation to one of those “lesser” bowl games) or may confound the chances of the other getting there. Last year, for example, Oregon played the spoiler when the Ducks beat the Beavers and ended their dreams of a trip to Pasadena. This year, for the first time in this long rivalry, both teams go into this so-called Civil War game with a Rose Bowl berth at stake. Let me tell you, the trash talk has reached new heights, and the anticipation and anxiety are palpable whenever the subject comes up. The game will be played this upcoming Thursday night (certainly T.V. revenues were at play with that scheduling decision!), so we’ve all had a few extra days to revel in the seemingly endless coverage from all the regional media outlets.

It really has been an exciting year in the Pac-10 conference, though, and anyone who saw last week’s double-overtime Oregon win over Arizona experienced a good example of that. My husband (OSU class of ‘73) found himself incongruously cheering on the Ducks, as an Arizona loss would ensure the Beavers’ identical top record with Oregon in league play. Unlike many other leagues, each team plays every other one in the conference. As Oregon coach Chip Kelly pointed out, “When you end up getting the chance to call yourself a champion in this league, you’ve actually earned it because you’ve got to play everybody.”

I’ll be cheering for the Beavers come Thursday, hoping this year will be their turn to spend New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. If the Ducks win, life will go on (though my husband may be bummed out for a while), and I’ll root happily for an Oregon team against the Buckeyes on January 1 (even though I attended that other OSU as a graduate student for a year — a long time ago). It will be fun to see what kind of bets my siblings have come up with this year, though, and observe the pay-offs in the near future! No matter the outcome, it’s sure to be a great game!

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

This past week I discovered a wonderful event which I’ve already decided will become the kick-off activity of the holiday season for me every year from now on. One of the pluses of moving to a new community is being exposed to its unique festivals,celebrations and institutions. Here in the Rogue Valley (and, specifically, the city of Medford) is a lovely performing arts center, the Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater. Opened in 1924 as a venue for both live traveling performances and popular movies of the day, it was transformed in 1997 into a community performing arts center after languishing unused for several years. The famed dancer/actress purchased a ranch here on the Rogue River in the ’40s and was a quiet but active member of  the community until her death in 1995. She supported fundraisers focused on the remodeling of the old Craterian; hence, the addition of her name to the site.

The theater hosts an ecletic assortment of national concert, dance and theatrical tours each year in addition to several local and regional dance and musical entities and is operated by a non-profit organization. For several years now, the largest fundraiser for that group has been the annual Gingerbread Jubilee. On Tuesday I trekked downtown, plunked down a measly three dollars and spent the next 90 minutes thoroughly amazed and impressed with the ingenuity, skill and artistry of those who submitted the 48 entries on display. There were a few different divisions – student, adult, individual and group — and very few rules. The only one that really seemed to matter is that everything used in each creation had to be an edible item (not just gingerbread). The more I looked, the more I spotted some really amazing adaptations of cereal, various kinds of pasta and even dried seaweed as building materials!

This being the 150th anniversary of Oregon’s statehood, several displays depicted well-known historical sites and events from the past. There was a lovely recreation of the Chateau at the Oregon Caves National Monument, a 1934 rustic wooden hotel; a covered bridge complete with goldfish-cracker residents ”swimming” in the “river” below; a log homestead with a rock-candy chimney. Most impressive for its intricate detailing inside and out as well as the age of its creators was a beautiful rendition of a one-room schoolhouse. Tiny fondant-molded coats, hats, gloves and lunch boxes cluttered the cloak room; desks contained books and were covered with crayons, calculators and papers with homework problems sketched on them; outside, a lizard sunned itself on a bench next to a basketball hoop. All of this was created by a team of students aged 5 through 11 who attend a charter school in the area.

Other entrants were inspired by the holiday season (creche scenes and the North Pole), the environment (”Save the Penguins” and salmon streams) and popular culture. Where the Wild Things Are was represented by Max’s room growing out of one of the pages in the book, with some of the wild things — perfect replicas — romping nearby. One of my favorites was the house from the movie Up invented by a 17-year-old girl who created the three-story structure in amazing detail inside and out (rabbit-eared T.V. and gramophone included). Garnering “Best of Show” was Saurusville, designed by a woman who has entered the Jubilee several years in a row and is truly an artist. Inspired by her 5-year-old son’s infatuation with the PBS kids’ show Dinosaur Train (for which she and he created a separate entry depicting the train winding its way through a tunnel and around some mountains on its way to the town), she dreamed up an entire community including a four-story hotel, cinema, bakery shop and apartments with dinosaur denizens included. How does anyone, let alone someone with a 5-year-old, have the time and patience to create such wonders?!

I left the exhibit utterly charmed and amazed. My past meager attempts at very simple gingerbread houses taught me just enough to realize that the individuals who made these elaborate creations possess an unbelievable amount of imagination, stamina and patience (and steady hands!). They even inspired me to consider taking another stab at a gingerbread creation in the future. In the meantime, though, I will be more than happy to look forward to attending this annual event to begin each Christmas season with healthy doses of whimsy, wonder and awe.

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

I can’t believe Thanksgiving has come and gone already. The remainder of the holiday season is in full swing and 2009 is quickly wrapping up. Wow! And as the temperatures continue to drop, I am reminded of a mid-October jaunt to Houston, where the weather was unseasonably hot.

My colleague and I were shocked when we stepped out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Heat hit us in the face like a ton of bricks. Temperatures were reaching the mid-90s while our friends and family at home in PA were experiencing chillier than normal, wet weather. I had attempted to pack for the heat and have warm clothes for the return, but I just ended up getting it all wrong.

Houston, in my opinion, is an odd city. It does not have a very city-like feel because of its widespread area. The downtown is far less populated than in other cities, and it seems more city action takes place outside of the city’s center. Our trip started with a visit to the downtown area, where the convention center, baseball stadium and several hotels and restaurants reside.

A trip down the highway took us to the Galleria section, where high-end shopping reigns supreme. The area is full of hotels, stores, restaurants and shopping centers. It seems to me this is also a more popular residential area than downtown. To be honest, downtown seemed dead. No one was wandering around, but we later learned this is because of an underground tunnel system that allows people to move around the area and avoid the oppressive heat. Apparently, underground is quite abuzz with activity.

Our hotel, the brand-new Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE, took us to the newest up-and-coming area of the Texas city, located across from the Energy Corridor. The area is full of restaurants, business, condos and activities. People from all over the city flock to the new sushi place, high-profile chefs are moving restaurants into the area, and I suspect that on my next visit, the CITYCENTRE will be packed with people.

Having sampled each of these three areas, I see the appeal of each and I understand why people rave about Houston, but I think the city’s layout would definitely take some adjustment. One thing that takes no getting used to is the hospitality and kindness of the Houstonians. Everyone I met was so friendly and more than willing to help or chat. I will return to Houston in August for the annual NBTA Convention. I look forward to learning more about the city. However, I have to admit, I am not looking forward to the summer temperatures!

 – Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

As an avid user of take-out menus, delivery and the occasional fancy sit-down restaurant, Thanksgiving is a time of year when I feel most, well, inadequate. My mom always puts together a very classy, tasty Thanksgiving meal — from the delicious turkey to the polished silverware. And with my sister attending the French Culinary Institute in New York City, I don’t feel involved in the holiday operations until it comes time to eat. Because I happen to love my dogs and am very good at cleaning, I have somehow acquired the tasks of dog walker, dog washer and dishwasher. I’m okay with this — because I have done the math!

The average Thanksgiving dinner, including wine, appetizers and desserts (I like to sample each pie), contains about 3,500 calories, roughly. It also happens that manning all the holiday chores that no one wants to take on burns the most calories!

Because the dogs have to be washed before guests arrive, I consider this my “pre-workout,” when I get my metabolism prepared for continuous servings of turkey, stuffing and green bean casserole. Bathing a dog for 15 minutes burns about 56 calories. Luckily, I have two dogs, amounting to 112 calories.

Walking the dogs is a must. They get very excited when guests arrive, so a hardy walk before dinner is necessary to tire them out, and one after dinner rewards them for being good. Walking two dogs for 40 minutes burns about 200 calories. Doing this twice doubles my score to  400 calories burned.

Finally, the dishes. Eleven guests, a three-course meal, wine glasses, coffee mugs and silverware equates to a lot of washing. Thirty minutes of dishwashing burns about 74 calories.

For those of you in charge of chatting up Grandpa, I suggest standing while you listen to his stories. Standing and socializing for one hour burns about 120 calories. Taking out the trash only burns five calories, so I wouldn’t jump the gun on that one.

So, my Thanksgiving workout burns 706 calories. Although I haven’t considered the calories my mom and sister will burn while preparing an entire Thanksgiving dinner, I am quite confident I will be ahead in the calorie-burning game — and well on my way to fitting into that Christmas cocktail dress!

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from the staff of Global Traveler!