Thanksgiving on the Islands

Grady223 · 11-11-2008, 02:55 PM

We have friends who have had Thanksgiving Dinner with their family in their island house. The year they did it, got up Thanksgiving morning to 6 inches of snow - beautiful!

We have talked about doing the same thing one day.

I was wondering if anyone else has done it and if so what have been your experiences. Any tips you can give to first timers?

VitaBene · 11-12-2008, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grady223

We have friends who have had Thanksgiving Dinner with their family in their island house. The year they did it, got up Thanksgiving morning to 6 inches of snow - beautiful!

We have talked about doing the same thing one day.

I was wondering if anyone else has done it and if so what have been your experiences. Any tips you can give to first timers?

It sounds great- go for it! that Grady can double as an ice breaker if needed. I like to cook my birds on a Weber.

Sorry no real advice, just wanted to offer encouragement.

Pine Island Guy · 11-12-2008, 01:07 PM

we have talked about it for years, but haven't done it yet. the logistics of getting 20 people back and forth in potentially bad weather has always loomed over the plan... i say give it a go and report back!!

cheers PIG

Grady223 · 11-13-2008, 09:25 AM

We won't do it this year, due to logistics of getting everyone up to NH from PA and the fact that the boat is pulled and both it and the Island house are winterized.

I was inquiring for some year in the future - want to bring it up with sort of a plan this year and see if it will fly. I say, "Hey it would be a neat thing to do." Wife says, "I don't know." Kids say, "Dad, you're nuts."

I want to have some arguing points, come on folks, help me out here.

Misty Blue · 11-13-2008, 11:43 AM

Grady:

'Never did it ourselves, we are on Braun Bay. Some late season boating thoughts...

The water will be low. Watch out for rocks!

Fuel will be hard to find. Most of the gas docks will be closed.

The NHMP will have removed the lighted bouys. Night navigation will be tricky.

The Lake freezing should not be a problem. I have never worried about frozen pipes till after Thanksgiving.

If you can, leave the heat on low. It is easier to heat up a 50 degree place than a 35 degree place.

Take that crisp boat ride. On turkey day take a look around you from your dock. Enter the cottage, warmed by a cozy fire. Sit at the table. Look at the family and say...

Bless us o Lord, for these, thy gifts.....

Misty Blue.

murph · 11-13-2008, 02:36 PM

In response to Misty about the gas issue, I work at Y-landing Marina in Meredith and the owner tells me he had customers until december last year so I know he stays open as long as he is there.

Webbsatwinni · 11-13-2008, 04:01 PM

I tried to talk my wife into it and she was not as enthused as I was. The biggest issue is the boat is away. I do have access to a pontoon boat with an outboard, but i would have to re winterize it when we were done.

We should start a thanksgiving island car(boat)pool, I'll buy the gas! If anyone does pull this off, please let us know how it goes.

Bring on ice in!

kthy66 · 11-14-2008, 09:45 AM

Thanksgiving on the islands sounded so nice we decided to do just that. Leaving for Aruba next Saturday for 3 weeks!

Ok,, so thats not quite the same but at least it will be warm!

codeman671 · 11-14-2008, 10:12 AM

I still have a boat in the water (pontoons are great!) but our water is off. Last weekend when it was 60 degrees I was draining the hot tub I was tempted to turn it all back on and stay the night.

I have 1 more trip to make next week and then I am done. I always wanted to do the holidays on the island but with small kids and a water system that is not set up for cold weather it has not been in the cards.

If anyone needs to get out to Mark/Mink in the next week or two I'd be glad to help.

jkjoshuatree · 11-17-2008, 09:13 AM

We have a place on Bear and although the water had already been pulled for the season, I'll never forget it.

Our "big" boat was also put away for the season so we had to take two or three trips from Y Landing in our little twelve foot MFG with a 7.5 Merc Hp.

We all shared in the cooking (turkey, squash, peas, carrots, turnip, sweet potatoes, etc.) and we used all disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Granted, that caused us to have some trash when we left, but it seemed like a better idea than having to trek down to the water with a five gallon bucket (not to mention having to heat the water on the stove) to wash dishes.

With the fire crackling, the scotch on ice, and the turkey cooking, it was great.

But the best part was after dinner, the entire family went for a long walk...very crisp and clear, a ton of leaves (basically all of them at that time of year) on the ground, and the best part...no noise what so ever! No boat noise, no neighbors, nothing.

Like I said, we only did it once (a ton of work) but it was definitely worth it.

Island life really is a little different. Thanks for the thread. Especially at this time of year it makes me want to do it all over again, regardles of all the work involved.

Grady223 · 11-17-2008, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkjoshuatree

We have a place on Bear and although the water had already been pulled for the season, I'll never forget it.

Our "big" boat was also put away for the season so we had to take two or three trips from Y Landing in our little twelve foot MFG with a 7.5 Merc Hp.

We all shared in the cooking (turkey, squash, peas, carrots, turnip, sweet potatoes, etc.) and we used all disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Granted, that caused us to have some trash when we left, but it seemed like a better idea than having to trek down to the water with a five gallon bucket (not to mention having to heat the water on the stove) to wash dishes.

With the fire crackling, the scotch on ice, and the turkey cooking, it was great.

But the best part was after dinner, the entire family went for a long walk...very crisp and clear, a ton of leaves (basically all of them at that time of year) on the ground, and the best part...no noise what so ever! No boat noise, no neighbors, nothing.

Like I said, we only did it once (a ton of work) but it was definitely worth it.

Island life really is a little different. Thanks for the thread. Especially at this time of year it makes me want to do it all over again, regardles of all the work involved.

Thanks jkjoshuatree - this is what I'm talking about - good stuff. You convinced me its a great idea - now for the family.

jkjoshuatree · 11-19-2008, 08:44 AM

Regardless of what happens (and I'm sure it will be great, even if it is a lot of work), you'll always have the memory of being out there for Turkey Day!!

And it's a pretty cool story that not many island dwellers share. You'll be in a unique "club"...lol.

By the way, without getting too personal, what island are you on? You may have mentioned it in your first post, but I'm not sure.

Be prepared for windy, cold weather too. We only had a little over a mile to go from the marina so it wasn't bad for us.

Grady223 · 11-21-2008, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkjoshuatree

By the way, without getting too personal, what island are you on? You may have mentioned it in your first post, but I'm not sure.

We are on Barndoor Island.

11-11-2008, 02:55 PM	#1
Grady223 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New Hope, PA & Barndoor Island Posts: 464 Thanks: 93 Thanked 24 Times in 18 Posts	Thanksgiving on the Islands We have friends who have had Thanksgiving Dinner with their family in their island house. The year they did it, got up Thanksgiving morning to 6 inches of snow - beautiful! We have talked about doing the same thing one day. I was wondering if anyone else has done it and if so what have been your experiences. Any tips you can give to first timers? Last edited by Grady223; 11-11-2008 at 02:56 PM. Reason: spelling

11-12-2008, 01:07 PM	#3
Pine Island Guy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: pine island of course! Posts: 406 Thanks: 237 Thanked 246 Times in 112 Posts	do it! we have talked about it for years, but haven't done it yet. the logistics of getting 20 people back and forth in potentially bad weather has always loomed over the plan... i say give it a go and report back!! cheers PIG

11-13-2008, 11:43 AM	#5
Misty Blue Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 658 Thanks: 121 Thanked 283 Times in 98 Posts	Island Holidays! Grady: 'Never did it ourselves, we are on Braun Bay. Some late season boating thoughts... The water will be low. Watch out for rocks! Fuel will be hard to find. Most of the gas docks will be closed. The NHMP will have removed the lighted bouys. Night navigation will be tricky. The Lake freezing should not be a problem. I have never worried about frozen pipes till after Thanksgiving. If you can, leave the heat on low. It is easier to heat up a 50 degree place than a 35 degree place. Take that crisp boat ride. On turkey day take a look around you from your dock. Enter the cottage, warmed by a cozy fire. Sit at the table. Look at the family and say... Bless us o Lord, for these, thy gifts..... Misty Blue.

11-13-2008, 04:01 PM	#7
Webbsatwinni Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Lebanon Ct and Rattlesnake Island Since 2007 Posts: 610 Thanks: 180 Thanked 137 Times in 72 Posts	I tried to talk my wife into it and she was not as enthused as I was. The biggest issue is the boat is away. I do have access to a pontoon boat with an outboard, but i would have to re winterize it when we were done. We should start a thanksgiving island car(boat)pool, I'll buy the gas! If anyone does pull this off, please let us know how it goes. Bring on ice in! Last edited by Webbsatwinni; 11-13-2008 at 05:58 PM. Reason: Ice in / Ice Out

11-17-2008, 09:13 AM	#10
jkjoshuatree Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bear Island Posts: 642 Thanks: 349 Thanked 145 Times in 77 Posts	My Family Did It One Year We have a place on Bear and although the water had already been pulled for the season, I'll never forget it. Our "big" boat was also put away for the season so we had to take two or three trips from Y Landing in our little twelve foot MFG with a 7.5 Merc Hp. We all shared in the cooking (turkey, squash, peas, carrots, turnip, sweet potatoes, etc.) and we used all disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Granted, that caused us to have some trash when we left, but it seemed like a better idea than having to trek down to the water with a five gallon bucket (not to mention having to heat the water on the stove) to wash dishes. With the fire crackling, the scotch on ice, and the turkey cooking, it was great. But the best part was after dinner, the entire family went for a long walk...very crisp and clear, a ton of leaves (basically all of them at that time of year) on the ground, and the best part...no noise what so ever! No boat noise, no neighbors, nothing. Like I said, we only did it once (a ton of work) but it was definitely worth it. Island life really is a little different. Thanks for the thread. Especially at this time of year it makes me want to do it all over again, regardles of all the work involved. __________________ Dream out loud.

11-13-2008, 09:25 AM	#4
Grady223 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: New Hope, PA & Barndoor Island Posts: 464 Thanks: 93 Thanked 24 Times in 18 Posts	We won't do it this year, due to logistics of getting everyone up to NH from PA and the fact that the boat is pulled and both it and the Island house are winterized. I was inquiring for some year in the future - want to bring it up with sort of a plan this year and see if it will fly. I say, "Hey it would be a neat thing to do." Wife says, "I don't know." Kids say, "Dad, you're nuts." I want to have some arguing points, come on folks, help me out here.

11-13-2008, 02:36 PM	#6
murph Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Westford/Meredith Posts: 66 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	In response to Misty about the gas issue, I work at Y-landing Marina in Meredith and the owner tells me he had customers until december last year so I know he stays open as long as he is there.

11-14-2008, 09:45 AM	#8
kthy66 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 60 Thanks: 7 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts	Thanksgiving on the islands sounded so nice we decided to do just that. Leaving for Aruba next Saturday for 3 weeks! Ok,, so thats not quite the same but at least it will be warm!

11-14-2008, 10:12 AM	#9
codeman671 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 3,365 Thanks: 210 Thanked 764 Times in 448 Posts	I still have a boat in the water (pontoons are great!) but our water is off. Last weekend when it was 60 degrees I was draining the hot tub I was tempted to turn it all back on and stay the night. I have 1 more trip to make next week and then I am done. I always wanted to do the holidays on the island but with small kids and a water system that is not set up for cold weather it has not been in the cards. If anyone needs to get out to Mark/Mink in the next week or two I'd be glad to help.

11-19-2008, 08:44 AM	#12
jkjoshuatree Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bear Island Posts: 642 Thanks: 349 Thanked 145 Times in 77 Posts	Go For It Grady!!! Regardless of what happens (and I'm sure it will be great, even if it is a lot of work), you'll always have the memory of being out there for Turkey Day!! And it's a pretty cool story that not many island dwellers share. You'll be in a unique "club"...lol. By the way, without getting too personal, what island are you on? You may have mentioned it in your first post, but I'm not sure. Be prepared for windy, cold weather too. We only had a little over a mile to go from the marina so it wasn't bad for us. __________________ Dream out loud.