Yesterday, the unseasonable temperatures allowed me to take a bike ride up to Rock Creek Park. This was the second best activity I have ever done on the day after Thanksgiving. The first was going in the Atlantic Ocean with my brother Christopher and cousin Frank somewhere in Palm Beach County, Fla. in 1994 (I think). Of course, we had to drive 2,000 miles roundtrip for that privilege, so there was a downside too.

Another great outdoor activity on post-Thanksgiving: playing football in the snow with my cousins Tom and Jeff in Little Silver, N.J. It was the only white Thanksgiving I can remember, though I do not recall the year.