A Very SF Thanksgiving
This year, I realized that Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays. Since my family is far away, and Thanksgiving is so close to Christmas, I usually spend it with the families of friends. Like so many of my favorite arts experiences, the holiday has become a chance to participate in and gain a deeper understanding of the lives of others.
Last year, Dan and I spent Thanksgiving in Paris with our friends Dave and Mila. The year before that, we were with the very large, very Italian Catuogno family (Dan’s mother’s side) in New Hampshire. The year before that, we had turkey and target practice around a bonfire in the Adirondack Mountains with my Uncle Chris and Aunt Diane.
Having been in San Francisco only five weeks, I did not expect to have much of a Thanksgiving this year. So I was very happy when the Tech Services crew from SOMArts invited me to attend unThanksgiving with them. Each year, Ernie and the crew wake up at 4:00 am and donate their time to provide a PA system for the annual ceremony, which honors American Indians and comemmorates the occupation of Alcatraz in 1969.
The community leaders asked bystanders to turn off video recorders once the ceremony began, but in this video you can hear the singing and see the sound crew rushing off the first boat to set up the system before the procession arrived at the bonfire.
Later in the day, it was off to a Castro family Thanksgiving … where the conversation was witty, the food was amazing, and the award for best holiday attire (bronze/cheetah trench, black leather pants) was a refreshing change. Not to mention one of the most happy and stress-free Thanksgiving dinners I’ve ever experienced.
Today Dan arrives from Massachusetts, so I’ll get to do a little SF hosting of my own. Can’t wait!
Tags: American Indian, Native American, Thanksgiving, unThanksgiving