Turkey Day at the Zaragoza Residence

No warm memories of a hot, golden turkey right out of the oven. Or of warm, fluffy stuffing. Or of tangy sweet jiggly cranberry sauce. Nope. My fondest memories of Turkey Day will be of my dad hammering and sawing away while we're dressed in our Thursday finest.

Take, for example, this picture taken on Turkey Day 2008. While our dining room table is set, brimming with delicious food, my brother and uncle are busy helping my dad put up a ceiling. This is normal in the Casa Zaragoza. Just another day in Boyle Heights. Never mind that it's Turkey Day and the family is gathered to spend an hour together gorging ourselves while watching Dallas play on the big screen. Never mind that we're all waiting to dive right in. Never mind that this is the only day out of the whole year we actually eat together at the table. Nope. We have to wait until the construction zone is closed for the day.

It's typical. It's funny. And, for better or worse, it's my family.