Thanksgiving Thanks from Rosa to all the Babcock family!!!!

[Rosa]

My Dear All,... specially Grandma Judy, Grandpa Russ and Michael...

I had a blessing of a Thanksgiving... the first one in my life, with the love and warm of Your family.... I have not words to express my gratitude...

It was wonderful to finally meet David's family and Jason and Ann.... and get the chance to sing to Rusty from the distance...
I even got to try to wonderfully famous pizza-curry-turkey burgers!!!!... It was all an experience to delight my senses in.... .. every little moment I spent in Salt Lake City was wonderful....

A very warm abrazo-hug to All,
Rosa XX
PS I am pasting here the history and websites of the "caganer"!!! ") je,je...
(literally "the man who is doing a number two"). (the
"caganer" is a figure very common in the Xmas "Nativities" all around Catalonia...
I found some links that I translated about its origin....

Is possible that the incorporation of the caganer and the biological actions that represents had an origin in the barroc period (at the end of the 17th century or at the beginning of the 18th- a movement that was characterized by the extreme realism that brought out, and more than any, of the dead natures and the "costumist" scenes, all of them in relation with the description of life in the village. Is then that the conditions of work and the "home" escenes and the open air were taken into account as an artistic theme. In that way, aspects of the everyday life were dignified, which had been not valued up until then.

Inside the barroc impuls and of a costumist approach to reality, the caganer takes all its meaning, harsh, ironic, and eschatological at the same time, consequent with its human condition and the virtues of its nature.

(from: http://www.familiaforum.net/index.asp?p ... ent&id=102)



Of all the figures, the "caganer" is one of the most known personages, which is its meaning?
The caganer appears in the pessebre (*) precisely in the moment of most popularity of the representation of Jesus being born between the 18 and 19 centuries. There are several interpretations to its symbolism. Joan Amades Amades says that is an "invocation" the fortune, that was attributed to the faculty of adoring the earth-land of the pessebre, that would become fertile and would "assure" the following year.

[rusty]

What an amazing world! I tried poening the web link which I couldn't really understand (need to delete the bracket at the end to get it to work)

Butt I googled this up which was pretty informative.
http://www.angelfire.com/space/france/spain.html

This wasn't inspired by those curried turkey burgers was it?

[Michael]

http://www.pepapessebres.com/caganers.htm GF

[Grampa & Gramma]

We enjoyed our weekend with Mike and Rosa and the folks here in town. We gathered three nights - Big Turkey day, First Leftovers, and then CTPB's on Saturday. Rosa brought her beads and it was Arts and Crafts with Dee and Mick! It snowed, which was great - very traditional. Chris and Jon called and so did Rusty. Rosa called her Mom in Catalonia, and we said hello. We toured Temple Square and Park City with Rosa.

[Katie]

hey everyone
wow it looks like you are having a great time! i wish i could be there!
well next year i will see you all
not sure how my christmas will end up. we are going on christmas eve
im not too excited
were not doing any christmassy house things either so thats a bummer,
its the best part!
well im at work experience at the moment and thats sortof fun
school finishes on monday
love you all,
katie

[Michael]

more photos from thanksgiving