Nomad Life - Day 99

Happy Turkey Day!  Because of my late bedtime, I'd turned off my alarm and ended up sleeping until 0630.  That wasn't as much as I'd hoped but I still felt rested.  Before heading down to breakfast in the Best Western Plus Delta (Oakley), I read and relaxed.  The buffet I found when I arrived (0800) was legendary - they had almost anything I could have imagined I'd ever want for a morning meal!  Back in my room, I again talked to Brenna and did a bit of puzzles and Duolingo.  I also sent a LOT of Thanksgiving greetings (including to my daughters) and thanked my entire Nomad Life Pit Crew (social media posts).  After that, I got ready for Thanksgiving with my mom's family.  It was overcast and cool (high 40s) but I wore a short sleeved dress shirt...  (Note - meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, there was an Earthquake recorded by seismologists to the north of my hotel (0815.)  At 1045, I departed my hotel (used CA-160 and CA-4) and drove to Brentwood.  I arrived at Aunt Judy and Uncle Jim's home by 1100 and, after searching through my car, located an ND sweatshirt (for the Saturday game) and a "formal" sweater that I hoped might come in handy during an evening in the Oakland area (Note - it did).  Once my aunt and uncle were ready, we departed to make the drive to San Leandro (1120).  They'd asked me to drive their car and it took a bit to get used to it.  Our route took us on some back streets to Vasco Road, which we used to drive south from Contra Costa County to Alameda County.  Along the way, it was VERY foggy and the roads were very curvy and narrow.  At the time, I was glad it was daylight because I couldn't imagine using the same roads in the dark (spoiler alert...).  We next got on I-580 and headed west through Castro Valley, where my aunt's family had lived for many years (including during my 2002 visit).  Before long, we reached the intersection of I-238 (3Crosses Church) and then followed I-580 to the north.  We exited the Freeway in San Leandro and used back roads to reach Barbara's (my cousin's) home).  We arrived at 1220 (a bit earlier than planned) and, by then, the weather had become sunny and warmer (high 50s).  I got to meet Barbara's husband, Matt, and several of her children.  During the next hour, more family arrived until there were probably about 20 people (almost all of which were related to me but I hadn't met).  It was a very young group and I was introduced by Aunt Judy with reverence ("this is Jimmy, my sister Mary's son").  I found Barbara and Matt's children to be really interesting: her sons were firemen, drone manufacturers, divinity students and her daughter was a sweetheart.  Almost everyone had brought a significant other but I don't think any of them were married.  It was great to talk to everyone!  We watched a bit of football (most of two different NFL games) until, at 1400, we sat down to a delicious dinner.  Much of the food had been prepared by Barbara but some was "potluck" - there was a lot of talk about traditions and I felt very good knowing that this whole group of my relatives had some memories like my own from my mom's family.  Many of the guests had questions for me (of all kinds) and it was amazing to share over 20 years of news with each other.  We were eating until (at least) 1530 and took a huge group photo at 1550.  After that, people started to scatter.  As the outside air was seeping into the room, I put on my "formal" sweater and felt a bit better.  A few diehards stayed until 1700 but, by then, it was dark and the food was almost all gone.  I helped to clean up and then watched a bit more football (the third NFL game of the afternoon).  Ultimately, it was a wonderfully peaceful, calm and loving Thanksgiving Dinner - the entire event was very relaxed and drama free, with lots of love (hugs and words of affirmation).  At 1800. I departed (driving Aunt Judy's car again) and followed Matt and Barbara all the way to the town of Newark (used CA-112, I-880, CA-84 and Newark Boulevard), where we stopped at Firehouse #29.  Barbara's son worked there and was on duty for the holiday.  My family dropped off food, wished all the firemen (and their own families) well and we took a tour of the firehouse.  While the family centered all their attention around the fireman son, I spoke for a while with his Captain.  I even learned about their truck and how the Fire Department worked within the neighborhood and other parts of Alameda County.  We stayed until nearly 1900 and then departed.  Our return drive to Brentwood followed CA-84, I-880, I-238, I-580 and Vasco Road.  By the time we reached the latter road, the fog seemed even worse than the morning - as I'd feared, that part of the drive was treacherous in the dark.  To reach my aunt and uncle's neighborhood, I used CA-4 and some familiar surface streets.  By 2000, we'd arrived in the retirement community.  After a short time of visiting and thank-you comments (all around), I said goodbye and drove back to Oakley.   I was at my hotel before 2030 and spent the rest of the evening decompressing and getting ready for the final day of my work week.  As a result, I never ended up getting anywhere near my step goal (streak ended).  Instead, I watched movies before turning out the light at 2245.  What a wonderful day with my mom's family!