Thankful for the open road

Today is Thanksgiving in the US – all over the country, family and friends are getting together to enjoy a big feast and each other's company. It's one of my favourite holidays – it's what I sometimes wish Christmas was. It's about being with people we love, being thankful and really yummy food. Oh, and as long as you don't go shopping on Black Friday, it has nothing to do with presents.

After living in Germany for many years, I've gotten used to missing my family's Thanksgiving celebration. But then I saw this little video – about a toy robot that dreams of driving across the United States to the Pacific Ocean. 

Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.

I know – it has nothing to do with Thanksgiving, but it made me miss home – and it made me remember some of the things that I am thankful for. Like the robot in the video, I've been dreaming for a while now about driving across the United States – from the East Coast all the way to the West Coast.

While I still haven't done that, I realized I did get to travel to the US a lot this year. I got to drive around, and I saw lots of new places. From Las Vegas (meh) and Hoover Dam (cool!) in Nevada on one trip, to the winding, forest-lined highways in Pennsylvania (which look a lot like the Autobahn in southern Germany) on another trip. Then I got to drive from Tucson, Arizona, west through the desert and mountains to San Diego and Los Angeles in California, and then back to Arizona through more desert. I love the desert.  

So, while I'll miss being home for Turkey Day, that doesn't mean I'm not celebrating in my own little way, counting my blessings and thankful for my photos of the hot, sunny desert on these foggy grey days.