MORE REFLECTIONS ON THANKSGIVING As I was reflecting on the meaning of Thanksgiving, I caught myself today thinking about my friend, Ken Pompei and his wife Julie. We used to get together for Thanksgivings at their house in the mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico. I love New Mexico. I love the smell of the smoke from pinon wood burning in the fireplace, the crisp and very fresh mountain air, and the night skies where in the mountains you can see every star. Ken is a tough, former New Yorker who built his own adobe house complete with round log viga beamed ceilings and paver tile floors. The house was nestled on 60 acres of small pine or pinon tree forest. It wasn’t exactly wilderness but the homesteads were far apart. Ken was a lawyer. He got tired of the practice of law and retired early. Julie is an RN and a fantastic cook. She makes everything fresh. I will never forget her pumpkin pie that she made from fresh pumpkin that she had carved out in the early fall and froze. It was absolutely the best pumpkin pie I have ever had. And in 68 years, I have had a lot of pumpkin pie. The dinners were superb The two wood stoves kept the house cozy and we ate and drank wine with beautiful classical music in the background. Ken always had good sound playing from speakers around the house and his taste in music was special. My favorite part was sitting around the fire outdoors after dinner. Ken had a large fire pit just outside the house and he would build huge raging fires. It was cold enough, even with the fire, to need a warm parka, ski hat, and winter gloves. Ken, his neighbor Rich, and myself, would sit and talk until late at night. These were two smart and two well read guys. Ourr discussions were always stimulating. Ken and I worked together at the District Attorney’s office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ken was a mentor and I sat through the first murder trial I had ever seen watching he and another colleague try the case. I still see Ken and Julie today. In fact, just last year I visited them and sat with Ken and Rich at that same old fire pit. We probably discussed the same topics we did 30 some years ago.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:13:11 +0000
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