2010 Summer Party

Summer Party @ the Jo Lin Club is an annual tradition. It started almost 10 years ago with the girls getting the families together so they get to know each other. It then became an annual thing. It usually starts with finding a agreeable date early in the year so everyone can mark their calendars, then a month or two of menu planning.

The start of summer is the end of the crawfish season and if all possible, we put on a Cajun crawfish boil. When the kids were younger, they would woo-and-ahh over them. I still remember one year the crawfish got away and we sent the kids all over to catch them. Now the kids want to take them home as pets. OK, so few less crawfish to eat but more memories for the kids. Yes, crawfish does pretty well at home.

One other highlight is our annual wine tasting thanks to Sandra's generosity. Funny how we never got better with our wine notes but we sure get a kick out of wine sampling.

Jason did a good job with the drinks this year. He is getting better at it. Plenty of soft drinks, water and good beer. James drove to Tomales Bay yesterday morning to pick up oysters and was shucking oysters all day. Patty's family is the king of hors-d'oeuvre and it's a elaborate family production. Not only Patty's husband and girls make them, they serve them too. Wow!

Sandy, Julia, Linda and Julie always make sure there is enough food to feed everyone from morning to night. They prepare plenty to replenish hungry tummies in a 12-hour stretch. I usually have to beg them to take the leftovers home. We did good this year though, not much leftover. I guess we are finally getting it.

What has been a little get together among girls is now a family function. Kids grow, wrinkles deepen but friendship stays.

Summer Solstice 2010

First day of summer: yes, the longest day of the year. This is the build-up,boys and girls, from the first day of spring. Notice that we have been getting a little bit more light each day until today, the pinnacle in terms of daylight? After today, less light each day until we're back to the dark, pitch-black 5pm... Boy, what a party pooper I am.

This summer has been slow coming. We got rain through most of Spring. Weather has been mild even in the inlands. Ladies still wear scarves although I can't tell if it's fashion or the cool temperature. People seem to be more subdue, less bounch in their steps... Not sure if it's the poor economy or the cold temperature.

But remember, we only get one shot of summer each year. Make it work! Enjoy what we have today.

Who Speaks Wine III

Un Toast! It's a joy to share a bottle of good wine with those who enjoy and appreciate it.

Cousins came over for our crawfish party on Saturday (5/29/10). My boy cousins enjoy drinking wines -- not that we know anything about them -- so I opened a 1981 French red along with two Californian so we can sample. The old French stole the show of course.

Can't remember how I ended up with it but it has been on the rack for a while. A quick google search revealed nothing. But what the heck, it's a 1981, pretty impressive enough for sake of conversation. Just think I haven't even graduated from high school in 1981. It was a life time ago.

How does it smell? How does it taste? The first pop released Gennie from the bottle after a long 30 years.... The aroma was wonderful but it tasted a little sour and bland at first. Let it breathe, I said, trying to sound like I knew what I was saying. And yes, the flavor did develop later. It became fuller and more layered. Like all good things, it takes time... Heck! how would you feel after being cooped up for almost 30 years?

Of course, we did the woos and ahhs as usual.

Talk about woos and ahhs... I have this bias about California wine. Somehow it has more wows and the ahhs than any other wines. To me, California wine is exciting and powerful from the first pop. (Is that speaking wine?) Who has time to wait it out???

Regardless where the wine is from, the important thing is sharing the moment with the ones you cherish. That's what it counts. Cheers to all!

Goodwill Hunting - II

AWESOME FINDS EVERYWHERE! The strange thing is I always find exactly what I'm looking for.

Perk Perk Away. I love coffee percolators. The sound of coffee perking along with coffee aroma building up are what we wake up to in the mornings. Do you know that coffee percolators are very sturdy appliances? Our house has probably only gone through two since my teenage years. The one we have now is almost 10 years old. Although it still perks away, I have been thinking of buying another one as a backup - JUST IN CASE. I figure I'll wait for the 20% off Bed and Beyond coupon. But, HA! Guess what I found last weekend? Yes, a almost brand new shiny percolator for $12.99 and it was still in its original box. Best of all: made in the USA! A hand written date on the warranty card showed that this baby was originally purchased in 1996. Wow, history too!

Look at Me!! As I happily toted the percolator around the store, I spotted another neato thing that RK has been looking for. A compact meat slicer in a box that looked like from the late 80s or early 90s. RK and I gave it a good look over: hmmm... dirty for sure, but all parts there... the blade still sharp... made in Germany, and most importantly, YES, it still works!! For $5.99, what's there to lose?

So both of us got our toys for the week. I cleaned up my percolator and it was beautiful. RK's meat slicer looked perfectly brand new after a good wash and it worked flawlessly.

Yes, Goodwill is a good place for treasure hunting. You find all sorts of stuff. How about a brand new Le Creuset Square Grill Pan for $9.99??? I just saw one in the store the other day for $90.00. I'm still scratching my head why a brand new top of the line cookware would be tucked away in bunch of old pots and pans. But, who is complaining?

Happy hunting, people!

A Chunk of 2010 is Gone

Ugh!  Can't believe it's April 30th.  1/3 of 2010 will soon be history.  Where did the time go?  Seems like everyone I know agrees that time flies and no one can explain why or how.

What's memorable in the first 1/3 of the year?  Rain.  It seems that it is has been raining forever.  Not  heavy rain but enough to keep the umbrella at hand -- since November 2009.  Oh well, we do need the water, so really can't complain.  But, for God sake, it's spring.  Why do we still have our coats, hats, scarves and boots?

It's has been fairely quiet.  All things considered, it's not a bad thing at all.  Let's keep it this way.