It has been awhile since I have made an entry. I needed a break of sorts but I wanted to post a Happy Thanksgiving note. So I am sitting here in the barn with a bit of time to kill. I have a turkey in the smoker in preparation for tomorrow festivities. Our family tradition of a smoked turkey goes back several decades. Once I introduced smoked turkey to the family feast there was nothing else acceptable. The family is gathering together tomorrow and even though it shouldn’t be required, I get at least two offspring that pop the question, “Are you smoking the turkey?†My older brother Frank got my dad a little chief smoker nearly thirty years ago, and Dad never used it. So I borrowed it, as it turns out permanently. My first ventures in to this culinary realm began with making venison jerky, then smoked fish and then the thanksgiving turkey. I moved on to things like goose jerky, smoked duck, steelhead and pheasant. All of which have been met with rousing approval. So much so that just this week, Unit A, as I called Stephanie when she was little, started lobbing for jerky. You should understand that Stephanie is sort of a “cool hunter†always on the make for the next hip a trendy thing. (You can read all about her on going search on her blog Even Cleveland.) So I guess that is some sort of vote of continued significant approval. She was telling me that I could probably fulfill all of my Christmas obligations with jerky. Not Smoking T’s jerky or Trumbull Locker Jerky, but Steve Jerky. I nomore than hung up the phone when Unit B, code name for Rachel, called putting in a request for a couple smoked steelhead trout. So tomorrow, before Thanksgiving, Stephanie’s husband Sean, Phil and I will be slicing up some of the deer that we were fortunate enough to harvest into little strips in preparation for marinating and subsequent smoking. The steelhead might have to wait a bit but I can’t think of a better way for the “men folk†to spend some time together. Making a simple gift provided by the richness of the world around us. Of course while we are involved with our task, Mj and the girls will be assembling a killer dinner for early afternoon and yet another moment of thankfulness. When Sean, Phil and I take any breaks we will be upstairs in the barn going over our gear for the up coming deer gun season which begins next Monday. Deer Camp takes place at the Conneaut Creek Club, and will be a two and half day gathering of a host of family and friends. My nephew Franklin comes up from Tenn. and stops in Dayton and picks up dad. Pop is 84. And he is always excited to spend some time in the woods with his grand kids. One of the coolest things is also going to occur this year. Rachel tracked down one of his Army Air Corp buddies from the China Burma India portion of WW II. He lives about 15 miles down the road and he and Dad haven’t seen each other in over 60 years. Franklin and Dad plan to stop in a visit with him on the way up. At Deer Camp, I am like the old camp counselor, making sure everyone’s guns get properly sited in and directing who cooks what meals and does what clean up, keeping track of who goes where and who will be near by to help pop out if he gets a deer. It has been a wonderful life progression. When Dad and I started hunting deer together I was 13 and he was always looking out for and slowing down to wait for me. Now it is my turn to do the same for him. It is one of the things that I look forward to each and every year and one of the greatest things that I am truly thankful for. The creation of rich memories for many of the people I care so deeply for. Happy Thanksgiving.