officer of the United States Naval Air Station, and a host of memories come flooding back -- of outsize turkeys in her childhood stuffed with oysters from nearby Chesapeake Bay, busy days in Iceland, and a nearly-forgotten celebration in sunny Spain.

Now, for the first time, she looks forward to an official celebration in Bermuda.

As the wife of a naval officer, Mrs. Bryan is used to variations on the Thanksgiving theme, and takes it in stride that she cannot spend America's favourite family holiday with her parents and sister.

Instead, she simply focuses on the positive wherever she is.

Already, Mrs. Bryan is looking forward to her busy schedule next Thursday, which will find her, along with her husband and other dignitaries, attending a Thanksgiving service at St. Theresa's Cathedral, followed by a reception at the US Consul-General's residence in Paget.

Later, she will join Captain Bryan in the Base galley.

"It's a Navy tradition for the CO to go to the galley,'' she said. "We will actually roll up our sleeves and serve a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings. In that way we give the people whose job it normally is a few hours off.'' Into the bargain, however, Mrs. Bryan has issued her own "command'': the family galley at Longbird House, their official residence, will be closed.

"With that kind of busy day I have decided we will eat with the staff,'' she smiled. "Of course, the only trouble with that is -- no turkey sandwiches with stuffing and cranberry sauce the next day!'' Mention of leftovers leads her to recall the Thanksgivings of her childhood.

"I don't know why, since we were only a family of seven, including grandparents, but my mother always had to buy the biggest turkey she could find -- a 25- to 30-pounder. Just getting it out of the car was a feat! We would be eating turkey for weeks afterwards.'' In addition to the outsize turkey, the traditional dinner included mashed potatoes and gravy, Fordhook lima beans, and homemade cranberry sauce, whose redolent smell as it cooked Mrs. Bryan still fondly remembers.

"For some reason there would also be sauerkraut -- not a lot, but just enough to make a presence at our table -- as well some kind of yeast bread or rolls, '' she said.

And since the Zentz family lived on the Magothy River near Chesapeake Bay, Thanksgiving was always a special time in nature.

Flocks of Canadian geese, heading south for the winter, would sojourn on the family lawns, providing endless entertainment as they squabbled and squawked amongst themselves.

As a married couple, the Bryans more or less follow the family traditions they grew up with -- except when it comes to dessert, when the Navy wife uses her characteristic diplomacy.

"Tim likes mince and I like pumpkin pie, so I make both. Of course, my pumpkin pie goes like this,'' she said with a snap of her fingers, "because I like to eat it any time, even for breakfast!'' Cranberry relish is another "must'', made to Mrs. Bryan's special recipe (see below) and used, not as one would expect, on turkey ("It's a little too sweet for my liking'') but as a festive topping for ice cream or cake.

"It is such a glorious colour, and just delicious,'' she assured.

Although she says she doesn't particularly like cooking, Mrs. Bryan understands the importance of food-in-abundance on special occasions.

"Food is love,'' she explained. "Life is better if you have more food on the table.'' Since marrying her husband 22 years ago last week, Mrs. Bryan has set up home in many lands, including Japan, Spain and Iceland, and savoured a diversity of cultures.

"The Navy has been so good to us. You ask for something and you get it,'' she enthused.

Naturally, she has some favourite postings, with Monterey, California seeming to top the list -- thus far.

"It is a marvellous place ... just incredible ... wonderful. In fact, the rocks and water here remind me of Monterey. There were lots of birds and sea otters there, and sea lions on the jetties.

"As you look around in life you think about where you are going to retire, and I must say Monterey holds lots of appeal.'' Stamford, in northern California, was another "incredible'' experience, while Iceland holds special memories because the couple's only child, Franklin (14), was born there.

"It was a small station, like Bermuda, so you became actively involved in everything, and whatever talent or ability you had was used to the fullest. I was teaching aerobics in my ninth month of pregnancy because there was no-one else to do it!'' she said.

As a P3 pilot, Captain Bryan was also given many six-month deploys to such places as the Philippines and Japan, which pleased his wife immensely.

"The wonderful thing about P3s for families is that they don't land on aircraft carriers, so you can just take the children out of school and start up a new life for six months somewhere else.

"This means you are not a visitor, but get to know the country and its people. It's been a marvellous life and personally incredible. You are called upon to do things you would not normally get to do.'' (The children, incidentally, resume their studies wherever they go).

With just three months of local life under her belt, the charming Base commander's wife still can't believe her luck.

Personal friends of the former commanding officer, Captain Jim Arnold, the Bryans visited the Island two years ago as their guests on a "second honeymoon'' and promptly fell in love with the place.

"We said then, `One of our wildest dreams would be to come back here.

Wouldn't that be incredible?' '' Mrs. Bryan related. "But when my husband was screened for command we knew that Iceland had an opening, and because we had been there before we were sure that's where we would go.'' So sure, in fact, that they even psyched Franklin up about revisiting his birthplace.

"Imagine our astonishment, then, when we got Bermuda! We are just loving it.

Each day is a new adventure, and sad as we are about the Base (winding down), we're delighted that we have two years to work towards it.'' Busy as she is with the traditional duties of a Base commander's wife, Pati Bryan has been actively getting acquainted with Bermuda and its people.

"Our relationship with Bermudians is something to envy,'' she said. "In many postings, life is better on base than off because the nationals don't like having us around. In Bermuda, life is almost better off base.'' Certainly Duke, the family's golden retriever, has no complaints. Apart from the sheer size of his "yard,'' he's appropriated on one of the best beds in the house for R and R! PATI BRYAN'S CRANBERRY RELISH 1 lb. raw, frozen cranberries, OR 12 oz. fresh cranberries 4 red, unpeeled apples, cored 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice 1 cup sugar GRIND cranberries and apples in food grinder or processor. Add pineapple and sugar. Let sit at least one hour. That's it! Delicious over ice cream or cake, or as a relish if you like something sweet with your dinner.

SETTING THE SCENE -- Mrs. Pati Bryan, wife of United States Naval Air Station commanding officer, Captain Tim Bryan, prepares for a dinner party in the private dining room of Longbird House, the couple's official residence on Base.