Happy Birthday for Pat!

June 24, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

Whew! After a busy and fun-filled week, we were happy to find a few days to relax and recharge. Monday and Tuesday were quiet as Mike & Susan headed back to Illinois early in the morning and everyone else was back to the work week. Since we have enough "cookout" food to last the rest of the summer, we did up some hot dogs on the grill on Monday, with chili and diced onions this time (Geri's Famous Sauerkraut being all gone). Tuesday night, Al treated us to dinner at the Pond House Restaurant in Hartford's Elizabeth Park, a nice BYOB experience. Most of us had their "Tasting Tuesday" special (Watermelon Salad, Asian Brisket, Margarita Pie); the Calamari and Sweet Potato Fries appetizers were good as well.

Wednesday I did some shopping for RV maintenance items. Al has graciously volunteered to help with the routine "preventative maintenance" activities on Friday (gotta love the 4-day work week). I picked up the needed nine gallons of oil and a desiccant cartridge for the air dryer system; I have all the other filters "in stock" in the spare parts bay. In the meantime, Geri, Melisa and Jesse all went to the new Connecticut Science Center, a very hands-on type of museum in downtown Hartford. For dinner, Geri did a great job with Pork Medallions and Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Grilled Asparagus. Mmmm. After dinner, we played a round of Push-Pull Rummy, which Pat still thinks she won.

Today was Pat's birthday, so there were gifts, flowers, and cake. While we were deciding what to do about dinner, Geri made a great Guacamole recipe that she'd gotten from our friend, Eva, when we visited them in California earlier this year. This, of course, called for Margaritas (or, as they're locally known, "George-a-ritas"). Tired of waiting for a decision on dinner, Geri heated up some pulled pork we'd brought from Alabama, and we had that on the deck (not letting a passing shower dampen us, even if we didn't find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow) until the bugs drove us inside. Mike & Lynne stopped by and we visited until most everyone was tired. Al and I started watching the Red Sox game, but by 10:45 I was ready to call it a night. Good thing, since the game ended up going 11 innings!

 

Over to Melisa & Paul's

June 20, 2010
Tolland, CT

Since Mike & Susan had brought their motorcycle (trailers from Illinois), Al organized a bike ride for today. They left in the morning, picked up Paul at Pete's house in Marlborough, then headed for the Connecticut Shore, catching up with Al's friend, John. I gave them a few texts so they could dodge the isolated showers, and they made it back via Hartford without getting wet. After loading Mike's bike back on the trailer, we all headed over to Melisa & Paul's place in Tolland for another nice dinner and some relaxation. Al, Paul, and I watched the sun set over the pastures from chairs in the front yard. Pat & Al and Mike & Susan called it an early night since work and the return trip to Illinois, respectively, was waiting for them in the morning. Geri & I hung out past our bedtime, getting home close to midnight, but it was good to catch up with Melisa & Paul and see the great job he did in remodeling the kitchen at their place.

Click here for more pictures...

Another family visit - from Boston

June 19, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

Geri's niece, Cindy, recently relocated from Santa Barbara to Boston (yes, everyone tells them they're going in the wrong direction but her husband, Mike got a good job offer so off you go), so they came down with their daughter, Jennifer, for the day. We had another full house, with Geri's sons Peter (with Josh & Belle) and Chris (with Christine and Lindsay, and their dog "Pepper") stopping by in addition to all the family members from Friday. We had a great visit, did some burgers and hot dogs on the grill, and generally enjoyed a beautiful, sunny (for a change) day.

Click here for more pictures...

As with many of our get-togethers, this one had two shifts. In the evening, Mike & Lynne stopped by, mike carrying 6 pounds of steamers and two dozen oysters. Their daughter, Alyson, brought them back fresh from Rhode Island earlier in the day. Note to self: get seafood from Rhode Island over Costco every time. Al did up the clams on the grill and I broke out the oyster knife (always have the right tool for the job). Were those oysters ever good! Fresh and clean, with just a hint of the ocean, they didn't need any "doctoring up", although some people still used the hot or cocktail sauce. Mmmm.

Mike and Susan arrive from Illinois

June 18, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

Catching up from where we left off: yes, it did rain on Wednesday, but not as much, as hard, or as long as expected. So much for forecasts. We chopped up the last of the mushrooms we brought from Pennsylvania and Pat made a nice hearty Mushroom Soup for dinner, which was excellent.

Thursday was a slow day, as Geri and I weren't moving too quickly in the morning. We did some shopping in the afternoon, and Geri, Pat and Melisa all went off to some sort of "jewelry party" in the evening. Kinda like the old "Tupperware parties", just different "stuff", I suppose. Al mowed the lawn and I put together some meatball grinders, finishing up the ones Geri made and froze before we left AZ. With an OK sauce and some decent provolone, one-and-a-half each and we were stuffed. We headed around the corner to the German Club for a brew and called it an early night.

Today was a quiet day for the most part. Al and I made a Costco run to pick up littleneck clams and mussels for dinner, and Geri's oldest son, Mike, and his wife, Susan arrived late in the afternoon. They live in southwestern Illinois and have been doing their own "family tour", visiting South Carolina and Virginia before getting here.

It's become a tradition to have seafood when Mike visits, since his options are limited where he lives. We possibly overdid things, though, with 15 pounds of clams and about 18 pounds of mussels. Al and I fired up our outdoor stove and we cooked (except for the clams that were confiscated to be served raw) and dined al fresco. Pat also made some beef tips that went over well. Melisa, Paul & Jesse came over, Geri's son, Paul, was there, and Mike & Lynne stopped by, and Al's friends John & Ted made an appearance so we had a full deck. And a good time...

Waiting for the rain to return

June 16, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

After on-and-off showers for the better part of the last week, things finally cleared up a bit and yesterday was quite nice. Of course, that means that we're due to get more rain today! I just checked the weather radar and it looks like it'll start raining within the next hour. That's no problem since I'd planned today as a "catch up" day. Catch up on the blog and photos. Catch up on bills. Dust off the to-do list. Good stuff for a rainy day. The next few days are supposed to be nice, and we have a few more family events planned for the weekend, so things will be hopping. We're looking forward to it!

More great dinners

June 15, 2010
Broad Brook, CT

Well, we're certainly eating well here in CT. Yesterday, Al grilled us lamb chops with his "Famous" Mushroom-Port sauce. The loin chops were quickly seared on a hot grill, and the sauce, made with an oyster-shiitake-maitake mix and some 20-year Tawny Port, was a great addition. Geri made a large batch of "Grandma Reds" (pan-roasted potatoes, fingerlings this time) and a zucchini hit the grill as well. With a Louis Martini Sonoma Cabernet from Al's cellar, it was a fine meal. Geri had planned to make peach-brie quesadillas for dessert but ran out of time, so Pat quickly turned it into a peach-strawberry pie that was excellent.

Tonight, we had a couple of special treats. First, Geri made her "Famous" Chicken & Brie with Bowtie Pasta (a recipe from Barbara & Jim). Second, Mike & Lynne came over with the first bottle of their homemade wine, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Third, they brought along their friend, Beth, and her little Yorkie, Petey. Merlin and Maya Lynn enjoyed the doggie company and we had another great dinner.

"Yep, just like I expected it to taste!"

Beth finds that the way to Merlin's heart is with Blueberry Pie!

We're not getting a lot done during the day, but we're certainly enjoying the evenings!

Catching up with the more family members

June 14, 2010
New Britain, CT

Today, we caught up with family members that we haven't seen in quite a while. Last week, I got an email from my cousin, Ric, letting me know that there was a Connecticut trip planned on their end, soo we made arrangements to get together for lunch. Ric and his wife, Susan, and mother, Doris, were all in CT for a wedding and had some free time, so we met at the restaurant at the Stanley Golf Course, which was about equidistant. They had lived in Cheshire, CT, for years before relocating to Georgia several years ago. We saw them at their daughter, Kate's, wedding two years ago, but didn't really have time to visit so this was a great opportunity. We talked for several hours, well past the end of lunch, and we'll try to get over to their place just northeast of Atlanta the next time we're in the Southeast.

 Ric, Susan, Geri, George, and Doris