SUPERBOWL PARTY BEGINS.

The Super Bowl, I understand, can cost you $25,000 for a fancy box with tickets. On the low end, it costs $35 to park and food is expensive. All that money has given way to Tail Gate Parties and home style Super Bowl Parties. My oldest son, Ken,  began a tradition of super bowl parties with some of his high school buddies. He was the organizer and made artistic invitations, and kept the tradition going without missing a year for about 25 years now. Traditionally, no women are allowed. The guys have their irreverent pet names, and old raunchy stories and jokes that make it off limits. It begins on Friday before the game with a dinner and about five hours of poker. Saturday morning, they usually have breakfast and golf. Then Saturday afternoon is more poker and more food. Then Sunday, they watch the game together and eat a lot. Well, that used to be the case. In recent years, they return home to watch the game with their families. Each year is a bit different.

Hosted at Ken’s this year, he barbecued five different kinds of sausage, Laurie made a quinoa salad and I brought some tamales and beans. But wait, why are we women present? Laurie is headed out for a girls gig with a Lodi friend, a Paint and Wine party in Sacramento. And, I just stopped in and joined them for dinner because I needed to deliver paper work to Doug, who will be headed back to Oregon on Monday. As the guys age, they are getting a bit more tolerant of we women. This is the first time I’ve seen the start of the “big game” even though it has been held at my house, while I’m not there, for at least 3 years that I know of.  They’ve gone to Las Vegas, Chico, Stockton, Farmington, Tacoma, Fremont, Murphys, Pleasanton, Livermore and Arizona, I think!

Hoagie, who is Richard Hogan, used to live neighbors across the street from me. He now lives in Chico. He brought a growler from Des Chutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon.

The handle is very creative and I love the bottle. I want one for my bottle collection!.

Pinkett on the end, to the right is Ken. They are the only two originals. Added later, Darren. Brother Doug, on the opposite end, got invited into the game a couple of years after they started playing. Then, barely visible is Shane, and Hoagie. Shane, Darren and Hoagie are about five or six year newcomers. I had never met Shane and Darren before, though they have played at my house.

They play for the fun and the money. It isn’t high stakes, but the food is good, the pots are nice and the conversation and fun a bit wild.  When Ken lived in Vegas I bought him a set of professional poker chips with his name on them. They are snazzy and look good enough to eat.

The game isn’t so serious you can’t take a lick on the guitar. Or stop and watch some pregame jingles and jangles. Always fun to see the best and worst commercials. Or stuff from previous year relived with a nice big screen close by.

I think in this game, everybody is a winner just for the camaraderie. Laurie and Me, too.

 

 

ASHLAND, KENTUCKY

We moved yesterday and drove through Winchester; planned to stop there for the night.  We got a look at the town and stopped at the Blue Grass Heritage Museum but it didn’t open until noon and we would have had to wait an hour. Got a picture of this unusual dry wall. I’ve never seen one topped with rocks on edge.  You can double-click it to enlarge it.

A nice old clock in front of the museum had the wrong time; I like old clocks.  The day was pretty and we decided to push on for Ashland.

We parked at the Eagles Club Aerie 2329  and found a nice, friendly crowd. I got in a bit of “girl friend” time with two friendly gals, Jenny and Paula. We had a few laughs and they informed us that Ashland is the home of Naomi and Wynona Judd, and Billy Ray Cyrus.

This club gets serious about dart competitions.

They were serving barbecue sandwiches that evening; it was the women’s auxiliary election night.  Paula is the treasurer of the club and encouraged us to have a bite, but we avoid red meat and decided to stick with the salmon I had thawed and eat in the motor home instead.

Our trajectory is to be at Jim’s granddaughter’s graduation in June. But today, I get a massage.

 

 

NEIGHBORS GATHER.

Neighbors always gather at the party animal’s house. That’s Jan, (a non drinker) whipping up a batch of margaritas. Her own recipe is tequila, vodka, rum and sugar on the glass with limeade for the mix. Basically a let’s clean out the liquor closet margarita.

She was shocked when the worm actually “jumped” out of the bottle and into a glass. I guess she thought the worm was somehow guaranteed to stay in the bottle. You have to know Jan. It didn’t taste like a margarita, but it was pleasant to drink.

We snacked on the deck before the main event. Neighbor Brian, a gourmet cook, brought a parmesan tart with tomato and a leaf of fresh basil. Excellent. He is currently playing with mole sauces with chocolate. I’ll miss it since I fly tomorrow.

Jan’s pond is much bigger than mine and she attracts more large animals looking for water, often cougars and even a bear. I told her about wildlife certification and she agreed to apply.

Neighbor Atilla and his daughter Kera played pool. I hadn’t seen Kera since she graduated High School. Now, age 30, she was visiting her parents and joined the party.

Kera’s mother, Patty. Great cooks, all. Maybe that is why we like to party.

I made a salad niciose, without the green beans. There were none in the market. Like the margarita, it is a clean out the fridge kind of salad with olives, baby spinach, arugula, papaya, red pepper, eggs and marinated red potato slices. Hardly true to the original, but no one cared.

Jan’s grandson preserved her a turkey wing from his hunt in Montana. Jan spent a year with her daughter from March 2012 to March 2013.

Before the berry pie, everyone had a turn at pool. Jan and I avoid playing pool together because we can’t take the game seriously enough not to cheat. I never cheat at cards or other games, but I LOVE cheating at pool. Of course, we warn everyone in advance. She reminded me about an obnoxious boyfriend she lived with for a year who was a poker fiend. Her friend Sally brought a second deck, cheated, and took all of his money. At the end of the game, Jan asked, “aren’t you going to tell him?” She smiled and said, “Nope, he deserved to lose.”  Ya’ gotta watch these women.

SUMMERTIME IN MURPHYS

Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Come Independence Day, we celebrate with a  family and friends reunion. Doug spends a couple days mowing and weed eating; raking the horseshoe pit, blowing up inner tubes and a multitude of other tasks to make ready.

Sister Karen set up his chair with a humorous note and identified garbage from recycling.

Preparation counts.

By 11:00 on Saturday, people began putting up their tents.

The adults enjoyed snacking…

while the kids jumped on the trampoline until they were temporarily exhausted and needed a rest.

Squirt guns were  popular items for keeping cool.

Sisters, Bev and Cathy.

By 2:00 everyone was ready for a cooling flume ride.

That is, everyone except our youngest, 4-year-old Abbie who fell asleep on Dad’s lap.

Doug challenged Anthony to swim to him in the swirling current.

The chicken and tri-tip are Doug’s strong forte.

The two best cooks. Norma brought her famous home-made Chili Verde with Peruvian yellow beans and rice.  (To die for.)

To by-pass mosquitoes, we hid inside and played Black Magic for a couple of hours.

The kids got to stay up really late and played on the trampoline with light sticks until everyone was ready to call it a night.  More tomorrow.

INDEPENDENCE DAY FEAST AND FUN

Early in the day,Son Doug prepared the shish-ke-bob and marinated tri-tips and chicken with Hoagie keeping him company. Hoagie, a former neighbor came with his 14 year old daughter.

By one o’clock, everyone had moved to the flume for a pleasant float.

Clark stayed behind and did the barbecuing.

Wet and cool and hungry, it was time for some serious feasting and games.

The food, contributed by all was outstanding.  We gathered 44 family members, relatives and friends for this yearly event in Murphys.

Then the games began. There were horseshoe players and the watchers. A bit of volley ball on the side. The kids played on the trampoline, had squirt gun wars, and in general kept themselves happily occupied.

Adopted Daughter Karen has been the Bocce Queen for many years and lost her title this year. (That’s Karen in the middle.)

A new champ emerged among the younger set. Grandson Owen did 368 double bounces on the trampoline.

By nightfall, five tents were up, the house was wall to wall bags and shoes. Ice chests took up large portions of the decks. Everyone comfortably fed and worn out, was up for a small display of fireworks.
Kris reminded us it was Independence Day, and sang a patriotic song.

For an album of more pictures, click on the following link.
http://picasaweb.google.com/1579penn/7310FeastAndFun#