Welcome to our Thanksgiving page Thanksgiving in the San Francisco Bay Area is an especially wonderful time of year.  In many countries Thanksgiving is regarded as an American holiday.  It is a time when we gather with our family and friends to give thanks.  It is a time our benevolence toward one another becomes heightened, especially towards those who are less fortunate.  The American spirit of Thanksgiving stems from the human need to express one's gratitude through prayer, contributions, gift-giving and celebrations, which is practiced throughout the world.  Here in the United States we who hold the Thanksgiving traditions dear share a special bond as millions upon millions of us gather around our Thanksgiving turkeys with all the trimmings.  It is a time like this that reminds me how great America is and how good Americans are.   Survey shows Thanksgiving dinner will cost a bit less Excerpt from an article BY KEILANI BEST - FLORIDA TODAY November 15, 2009 - A reason to be thankful: The cost of a Thanksgiving meal dropped by 4 percent this year compared with last year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. The average cost this year for a feast for 10 is $42.91, a $1.70 decrease from last year. The meal includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk to drink. This 2009 price is consistent with retail food price declines seen throughout the year, said Jim Sartwelle, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, which has conducted the survey for 24 years. Not all Thanksgiving meal items decreased in price, according to the farm bureau survey. The average cost of a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing was $2.65, two 9-inch pie shells, $2.34 and a 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix is $2.45. All of these items rose slightly from last year by a little less than 5 percent each, the survey found. Two items, green peas and sweet potatoes, stayed at the same price, $1.58 per pound and $3.12 for three pounds, respectively. And the star of the meal, turkey showed a decrease of three cents per pound. The cost of a 16-pound turkey this year averaged $18.65 or about $1.16 per pound. ~ Meaning of Thanksgiving ~ The First Thanksgiving Day Proclamation.   At the core of the Thanksgiving celebration are the Thanksgiving Psalms from the Dead Sea scrolls and being thankful to God. The Plymouth Thanksgiving site is a very interesting collection of information, including some challenging observations from a Native American viewpoint.  Jamestown Rediscovery Learn about the settlement with impressive photographs and historical information.   Stormfax Weather Almanac The Winter of 1620-1621, a Thanksgiving story   ~ The beginning of the Thanksgiving celebration in America ~ In 1623 the Proclamation of  William Bradford, First Governor of the Jamestown Colony, 1623 said in part: "Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, squashes and garden vegetables, and made the forest to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams…I, your magistrate do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill…there to…render Thanksgiving."    William Bradford and The Pilgrim Story is an extensive compilation of interesting history on the voyage to America, the Mayflower, the first American Thanksgiving and so much more.    ~ For Your Thanksgiving Feast ~ Thanksgiving's fabulous foods and tips are at Butterball online, the authority in guaranteeing a properly roasted turkey.  Bring on the Turkey! The National Turkey Federation offers holiday cooking tips and a turkey recipe database. Let's Talk Turkey! You will find turkey recipes galore at the Plainville Farms website. Turkey Trivia: Q:  How many feathers does a turkey have? A:  At maturity, turkeys have (on average) 3500 feathers Kraft's Thanksgiving Center offers recipes, tips and The Countdown guide for a perfect feast . Safe food handling tips will keep everyone feeling good after the dinner.   Be sure to browse our miss the mouth-watering recipes on our  Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes page and at our Cyber Kitchen and Recipe Index. The "How To" Videos at Food TV for a fabulous feast of tasty trimmings.  The University of Illinois has a collection of pumpkin facts and recipes: Pumpkins, Pumpkin Recipes and so much more  Turkey Trivia: Q:  How many farmers in the United States raise turkeys? A:  Over 7000 farmers raise turkeys in the United States. Of these, 4000 are small, seasonal farmers. Only 3000 farms sell over 2000 turkeys each year. ~ Special Diet Concerns ~ Vegetarians will find these sites helpful:  Vegetarian Cuisine or Vegan Thanksgiving Feast or A Turkeyless Feast  or No Turkey? No Problem!   The Diabetic Lifestyle web site has a Traditional Thanksgiving Menu and Recipes for diabetic entertaining.  Tips on managing diabetes during the Thanksgiving holiday ~ Turkey Facts~ Test your turkey knowledge with this fun trivia quiz! Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz Then read our collection of fun turkey facts. Here turkey, turkey, turkey Turkeys are able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. However, most turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy areas. The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day or in a light rain. They what? Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead. Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining. Eat, sleep, gobble Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset. Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon. Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning. Eyes in the backs of their heads? A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters. And they're fast, too! A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds. So close, yet so far Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey. ~ The Traditional Thanksgiving Day Football Games ~  Thanksgiving and Football go together like turkey and cranberries.  If you will be watching football on Thanksgiving day, the teams playing are: Green Bay Packers  and Detroit Lions at Ford Field at 12:30 p.m ET on FOX Network Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium at 4:15 p.m. ET on CBS Network  New York Giants and Denver Broncos at Denver's Mile High Stadium  at 8:20 p.m. on NFL Network Here is the NFL schedule.and for the weekend the college football schedule       Thank you for visiting.  Before you leave, I have A Thanksgiving Greeting just for you.  Be sure to turn up your volume. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.  Joanne P.S. For information on buying or selling east bay homes, please contact me at 510-429-4800 or send me a note on the Contact Joanne form. Joanne L. Gardiner, Broker, e-PRO Realtor Advantage Realty Advantage Mortgage Associates 3205 Whipple Road - Union City, California 94587 (510) 429-4800 San Francisco Bay Area  ~ San Francisco East Bay Real Estate Our primary realty service areas in the San Francisco Bay Area: Hayward, Castro Valley, Fremont, Newark, Niles, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Sunol, Oakland, Foster City, Burlingame, and San Mateo. The types of real estate in which we specialize are:  single family homes, detached homes, attached homes, duets, condominiums, townhomes, garden homes, PUDs, manufactured homes, mobile homes,  income property, investment property, tri-plexes, four-plexes, apartment property, and special use properties such as churches for sale.  ~~~

2009 Thanksgiving Day Parade Since 1924, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® has kicked off the holiday season with glorious bands, balloons and floats. It is wonderful to watch as your turkey roasts in the oven. This November 26th will be the 83rd Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade  Visit their web site for the history of the parade, games and a peek behind the scene of this great American tradition.  The Parade will be televised on Thanksgiving Day - November 26nd from 9AM to 12 Noon on NBC.  Thanksgiving with CNN What's the buzz this Thanksgiving? Parades, Football, and Food!    Our Thanksgiving poll Check all that apply Thanksgiving 2009 I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner Will go to friends or family Will eat in a restaurant Love turkey Turkey is o.k. Don't eat turkey Don't celebrate Thanksgiving Plan to shop on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving Will watch Macy's Parade on Thanksgiving Day. Plan to watch football games on TV. View Results Free poll from Free Website Polls   Presidents and Thanksgiving President Washington proclaims Thanksgiving a holiday in 1789 Shortly after the Thanksgiving Proclamation was written it was lost for over a hundred years.  It was apparently misplaced or attached to some private papers in the process of moving official records from one city to another when the capital was changed.  However, it happened the original manuscript was not in the official archives until 1921 when Dr. J. C. Fitzpatrick, then assistant chief of the manuscripts division of the Library of Congress "found" the proclamation.  It was at an auction sale being held at an art gallery in New York. It was written in long hand by Wm. Jackson, secretary to President Washington and was signed by George Washington. Dr Fitzpatrick purchased the document for $300.00 for the Library of Congress, where it now resides. -- This background information was created by Wayne Winters of Pocatello, Idaho. Learn more about President Washington   President Lincoln's proclamation President Lincoln proclaimed all government offices to be closed in honor of the Thanksgiving Holiday, which was recommended by Sarah Josepha Hale.   Thanksgiving Merriment To the American Eagle- To the Thanksgiving Turkey- May one bring peace in the world, And may the other bring delight to our stomachs. -- unknown   Time for a game of Sudoku? Have some fun with these...  word search puzzle  John's word search puzzle or Thanksgiving crossword puzzle Jokes, jokes and more jokes at Thanksgiving Jokes and the Laffatorium.     Try your hand at Thanksgiving Trivia Who Said That? Check out this famous turkey quote, "Gobble, gobble!" Here are some fun flash games: The Pilgrim Puzzle,  Where's the Turkey? and  Drag and Drop Tic Tac Toe. More Thanksgiving Fun Lil-fingers Illustrated stories, games, and other fun stuff for the kids! Billybear4kids Games, screensavers, and storybooks - Everything you need to keep the kids entertained this Thanksgiving! Turkey Poetry This Thanksgiving poetry can be great fun for the whole family! You'll find history and poetry at Marvelicious worth the visit. Send electronic greetings... Warner Brothers online funny animated flash cards 123 Greetings  The best cards on the web are Jacquie Lawson's cards.  Some are free and nominal membership fee for others.   ~~~

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