a thanksgiving in the style of the first

We spent Thanksgiving this year not only in the good company of family, but also with a sampling of Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A buffet dinner was served in a dining hall at Plimoth Plantation. The food was modern (turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, as opposed to lobster, ducks, and clams), but that didn't make it any less delicious. I would have eaten more if Garrett hadn't been an overstimulated pill.

clockwise from top left: Lindsay and Blake; Joel, Colleen and Garrett; Zac and Jessica; Sam and Leisa

After dinner we explored the living history portion of the plantation. First stop was a visit to the Wampanoag Indian settlement. There we toured a long house and learned how to hollow out a tree trunk by burning it to make a canoe.

Connecting the Wampanoag settlement with the colonist village of Plymouth was a boardwalk along the scenic Eel River.

At Plymouth village, we entered the year 1627 and learned about the daily activities of the colonists from actors portraying life in that year. The village was comprised of small wooden homes with roofs thatched with cattail reeds. Livestock roamed the streets, and, in the case of a certain pig's head*, sat in a bowl on a kitchen table. The weather was beautiful -- especially for late November in Massachusetts -- and we enjoyed walking around, soaking in the New World of the early 17th century. The view of Plymouth Bay from the top of the village was especially spectacular.

Once we wrapped things up at the plantation, we drove a few miles up the road to where the Mayflower II was docked. Just on shore was the famous Plymouth Rock, where the colonists are said to have first set foot in the New World. Mayflower II is, with the exception of a few small updates, an exact replica of the original ship sailed by the Pilgrims. In 1957 she made the same voyage as the Pilgrims, setting sail from Plymouth, England. The ship made the voyage alone, without incident or any assistance of an escort, and entirely by sail power. Modern regulations dictated the use of a wheel instead of a whipstaff, but aside from that, the trip was almost identical to that of the Pilgrims. Just like the one that sailed in 1620, the trip was not a comfortable one. I honestly can't imagine how 102 Pilgrims plus a sailing crew of 25-35 managed to keep their wits about them during their time at sea. Blake and I won the prize for making the closest connection away from home: as we were headed off the Mayflower, some good friends from our ward were going aboard.

After our tour of the Mayflower II we made the 3-hour journey back to the western border of the state where we spent the remainder of the holiday weekend raking leaves, playing dominoes, amd enjoying each other's company. This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so grateful we were invited along to participate. Seriously, if you ever get the chance to spend your Thanksgiving at the site of the first one, do it. You won't regret it.


*If you believe your stomach to be strong enough to look at a photo of that sorry looking pig's head, click here to view it, along with the rest of our Thanksgiving photos.