(Oops!) Food Rituals 6/23

(This post from girlfriends' gathering got lost in drafts box so here it comes now.)

On our last full day at the river, we schedule two celebrations, two on one day because we postponed them with our Scarlet O'Hara attitude of tomorrow.

Coconut cream pie with meringue honors the birthday of a girlfriend missing Concan to attend softball tournaments in support of her granddaughters. We clink forks to celebrate, as is our custom.

In late afternoon we sip Madeira and dunk fingers of pound cake, beginning a new tradition for this group inspired by our travels. To reduce the amount of crumbs in our glasses requires good timing of quick hands and quicker lips.

As of late, we sometimes think of such joyful ceremonies as part of girlfriend maintenance. The relationships we share bless us with much to celebrate, every moment together an occasion.

Families Party Games 6/29

Youngsters stay in motion playing one game after another, and occasionally adults get a chance to participate. Favorites are baseball, volleyball, soccer, and the exciting predator and prey, but the play system also gets a workout.

Some of us think the party might end after fireworks, but kiddos descend to the basement to start a movie. The only two grandparents (us) begin to fade, and the party ends for two travelers from Texas.

Families Party 6/29

With tables indoors full of food and backyard full of games, daughter and husband host an early July 4 party. Mounds of flowers in the patio area add to the summer ambience. Activities alternate with play, eat, play, eat, play, eat, play, fireworks, eat, play. We stay busy! This post is mainly eat, next one mainly play.

First we have snacks, then burgers, hot dogs, and lots of salads and fruits. Eating continues (after more games) with strawberry shortcake, cheesecake, and ice cream treats.

And We're Off! 6/29

After a delay in the airport of 30 minutes, then an hour, then another half hour once we board the plane, we begin pulling away from the gate, some of us wondering whether we are truly underway and whether we really want to be.

The reason given at the gate is weight restriction. Too much weight! The decision is to remove cargo, remove checked luggage, and allow only 69 passengers to board. Any volunteers to stay behind and take a later flight? Not us! The party in Minnesota starts at 4:00, and we are already off schedule to be fashionably late. Luggage will also be on later flights and delivered to us wherever we are.

With boarding passes for Zone 1, we make it on the plane and get more details from a motherly flight attendant intending to reassure us but not totally successful. The overriding problem is the heat. Yes, the heat. Seems that planes, especially smaller jets, have difficulty acquiring sufficient lift to take off on warm, humid days; similarly, maneuverability is affected. A quick Google confirms that planes require lighter loads and longer runways. Also, airlines have rigid formulas for each plane to compute data and determine a safe takeoff. My first hope is that whoever is working with those numbers had a marvelous math teacher.

Finally the plane begins to back away from the gate as we learn that our baggage has been reloaded and is going with us. What? And now taking off is not jeopardized?

Some of us (not saying any names) hold our breaths as the plane screeches a start down the runway, races with blazing speed to the end, and tilts up just as the clopping sounds and rattling are at a peak. The ascent is rough and shaky but steady, and by the time we rise above clouds, white knuckles ease and all is forgiven.

At the airport our bags arrive quickly, the rent car is ready, and we drive familiar roads to check in to our suite for the week.

After all, there is a party that has already begun without us!

Banker Birthday 6/27

We surprised our fabulous bank lady with a party the morning of her birthday. With her husband and grandsons there, the event was also a family celebration. Bank customers stopping by to do business joined the fun.

River Nights

The porch is perfect for a final sip of something before bedtime. Careful pouring ensures no drop wasted.

Needing a bit more light, friend uses one of the solar landscape lights to illuminate the way to her chair. We think she resembles the Statue of Liberty determined not to spill her wine.

On our last night together, the sky treats us to a super moon.

Laurel Tree 6/22 Sat.

Table for six for lunch at 11:30! We arrive on time after taking a longer route almost through Sabinal to avoid road construction between Garner Park and Utopia. My sister joins us from Hondo.

Five of us order the beef because we had salmon last night; sis selects the salmon. (Somehow we can't find a photo with sis in it.)

Let the courses begin!

After lunch we tour the grounds and admire the veggie garden, greenhouse, raised beds, old containers repurposed to grow herbs, giant oak trees, and other charming landscape gems.

Friday 6/21 River Time

No schedules and no clocks needed, our only concern is a fridge loaded with food. How will we ever make a dent in all those groceries? Susan has created a brilliant Excel sheet for conservative menus and shopping and has assigned responsibilities, a measure of control sure to invite roguery. We are blessed and cursed with the expansions.

To ponder ways to deal with the abundance, our morning plan of attack is to make a couple of pitchers of milk punch and head for the river. For the first two photos, I am behind the phone camera, next my Austin friend.

Talking about all that food arouses appetites, so we fix lunch of salmon, roasted sweet potato cubes, and spinach salad. The salad dressing recipe calls for bacon grease and we use the amount specified, no scrimping. Adding fresh fruit to our plates erases any damage, don't you think? And where did that pie go?

The evening's excitement comes from EMS flashing lights and a rescue helicopter. A renter from next door attempts to climb the bluff across the river. His companions watch, including his wife. Inebriated, twenty-seven years old, and wearing Crocs, he nears the top, slips, crashes downward, bounces on rocks, slides over old goat paths, and hits the bottom. Estimates of his fall vary from 50 to 150 feet, since observers have been drinking past the point of accurate judgement. After receiving a 911 call, first responders jump to action and bring their vehicle as close as possible. The copter lands across the river near Comanche Crossing, picks up its human cargo, and rushes toward San Antonio. The river night returns to summer normalcy. The next day's report gives his condition as broken pelvis, broken ribs, many scrapes, cuts and bruises. A fool lucky enough to live another day!

6/20 Girlfriends Arrive

Lots of excitement today waiting for girlfriends to arrive, some by 2:30 and the last one at 4:00. After cocktail hour down at the river, we feasted on brisket, corn casserole, and okra-tomato gumbo. Dessert was a buttermilk coconut pie made by yours truly. Never at a loss for fascinating conversation, we are well on our way to spectacular days together.