CRAWFORD, Texas – President Bush spent part of his Thanksgiving Day on his Texas ranch phoning 10 members of the military to thank them for their service.
But spoke to members of the U.S. armed services, Coast Guard, Army, Navy and Air Force, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq and one on a ship at sea, calling them "patriots."
The president also planned to spend time with his family, eat turkey and dressing and maybe watch the Dallas-Denver football game.
Spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president "wished them all a 'Happy Thanksgiving' and thanked them behalf of the American people" and that he "told them they were all patriots and asked them to pass along his wishes to their fellow service members."
The president also took a bike ride with Chief of Staff Andy Card.
Bush and his wife, Laura, are spending six days here. Twin daughters Barbara and Jenna — who are celebrating their 24th birthday Friday — rode with them Tuesday on Air Force One.
Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, were also on the guest list for Thursday's dinner, along with Laura Bush's mother, Jenna Welch.
Jenna Bush, who along with her sister turns 24 on Friday, brought along boyfriend Henry Hager. Perino said a few other family friends would be there, too.
Also along for the holiday are the first family's Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, and their cat, India.
Besides the roasted free-range turkey and fresh-milled cornbread dressing, the menu included pan gravy, chipotle maple whipped sweet potatoes, roasted asparagus and red peppers, green beans supreme, fruit ambrosia, fresh yeast rolls and orange cranberry relish. Dessert was two kinds of pie — Texas pecan and pumpkin.
The free-range turkey may have been the most distinctive item on the Bush Thanksgiving table. Most turkeys sold in the United States are raised indoors, while free-range birds are allowed to roam outside.
Meanwhile, a traditional Iraqi meal that included salmon, lentils and rice with almonds was on the menu for more than 100 anti-war protesters who spent Thanksgiving in a grassy lot about a mile from the Bush ranch.
"We'd be eating turkey and watching football at home, but this war needs to be stopped," Giulia Mannarino of Wind Ridge, Pa., said Thursday while eating in a tent with her husband.
Bush arrived in Texas on Tuesday and plans to stay through Monday morning, when he departs for a two-day trip focused on border security that includes stops in Arizona and El Paso, Texas.
FOX News' James Rosen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox