Thanksgiving and a Postscript

Whee-ooo! Thanksgiving was two weeks ago, wasn’t it? And with my usual promptness, I’m finally assembling a few snapshots from that weekend. Not from our actual Thanksgiving meal, of course. That would suggest an uncharacteristic presence of mind on my part. No, the best I can provide from the Big Day itself is this shot of our new roommate and household matriarch Evelyn Sedarbaum presiding over some culinary preparations before the excitement had really begun.

			Once our friends Richard and Tony arrived to share the holiday with us, all bets were off. In other words, despite the exquisite forethought Eddie exhibited before our pals arrived by placing our camera right in the middle of the table as a reminder, my ever-reliable absent-mindedness nevertheless ruled the day.
	Only after the meal was over and Richard and Tony had departed did my eyes fall on the camera my hubby had placed so strategically. Naturally, it had gone untouched the whole time. How to convey to you the fun we had with our longtime friends from New York? The best I can do is show you a 26-year-old cartoon showing Richard and Tony on one of their camping trips that I drew to illustrate one of Richard’s essays in days of yore. (Just imagine them made of flesh and blood and munching turkey and turnips at our dining table instead of snuggling in some wilderness locale under the scrutiny of Pogo and Lord Baden-Powell).

Chastened by my Thanksgiving failure as a photojournalist, I performed better the following Saturday when assorted relatives converged on our North Adams home for a most enjoyable banquet made up largely of leftovers from the previous Thursday’s banquet. Shall I prodide a play-by-play account of their arrival on our metaphorical red carpet? OK, here goes. From the west (meaning Schenectady, Albany, and Minneapolis) came Jen the Niece, Cousin Betty, and Second-cousin Faith…

	…and from the east (meaning Boston) and south (meaning Florida, from whence Aunt Sony had traveled to Boston for a visit with the young’uns) come Cousin Jessica, Cousin-in-law Harry, and the aforementioned Sony.

	After a little chatter, we all dove into the eats.



	Our convivial Saturday munch-a-thon couldn’t technically be called a true "Thanksgiving dinner," since by law those must take place on Designated Thursdays. Nevertheless, the vibes were so cheery that Norman Rockwell himself (whose *"Freedom From Want" Saturday Evening Post* cover painting has made him patron saint of the holiday forever) would surely have given us his blessing. And speaking of Norman Rockwell… I also dutifully took my camera along with me to the recent opening of the Lit Graphic** exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, determined ro break my pattern and come away with some snapshots of the event. Sadly, my pattern remained intact. Only as I was driving home did I realize that I had forgotten to take a single picture. Fortunately, a couple of my cartooning colleague have come to the rescue by allowing me to show you snapshots that they took.


		Above: *My colleague, the inspiring Peter Kuper, supplied this shot of me fielding reporters’ questions about the pages of Stuck Rubber Baby* that are included in the show.** At left: Cartoonist and educator Marek Bennett sent me this shot, taken with his camera, of the two of us, (Notice the strap across my shoulder from which my own camera dangles forgotten and unused. Am I a hopeless case or what?!!) Below: *Marek also snapped me standing longside Dave Sim, the legendary and indefatigable creator of Cerebus.*