Saturated Saturday

My Wife in Full Party Orchestration Mode

I am currently in the heavy recovery mode after a fabulous Saturday party to welcome home my son from his Central Asian adventures.  The weather was a real challenge with temperatures in the 90s and humidity near 100% but this group was not to be denied. We had a great mix of family, friends, and friends of friends.  My wife lived up to her reputation as party planner extraordinaire, was assisted most ably by one of my early arriving sisters.  We started in the late afternoon and went well into the night.  To end all speculation the biggest question of the night was answered when my sister’s sister in law did brave the 35 miles from Rhode Island to join us.  We were all astounded by her bravery at attempting such an epic journey.  She promptly declared that she was a genius despite all evidence to the contrary.  This must be a consolation prize for not winning the most favorite child designation.  Both of my sisters were at the party which hadn’t happened in over a year and I really enjoyed spending time with them – getting to feel like more a family again.  My sister brought one of the acclaimed Rhode Island doughnut cakes which my son cut with the ceremonial sword.  Those who had yet to partake of this delicacy were soon extolling the here before chronicled flavor extravaganza.  Some of the more hardy souls went out and had a volleyball game in the blistering heat.  After dinner most of the group took part in a traditional whiffle ball game which included some serious trash talking; especially between my son and cantankerous friend.  I’m hard pressed to remember a day when I had so much fun surrounded by some of the best people in the world with everybody just having a great time.  There were people from a variety of sources some of whom had never met before but the group just gelled into a perfectly fun group.  As I moved through the party I would stop and talk with people from all aspects of my life and never failed to enjoy the conversation.  As night fell the mosquitoes descended in a truly amazing quantity and we moved inside to continue the conviviality.  My brother in law gave us a running commentary of the wrong moves the Red Sox manager was making and his assessment was borne out when the Sox lost yet another game they should have won.  Nothing however could put a damper on the night, saturated not just by the humidity but more thoroughly by the feelings of fellowship and good spirit.  I’m blessed, now to the cleanup.

The "Genius" Recounting Her Epic Trip

My Son Executing the Doughnut Cake

Family Surrounding My Son

Best Part of Party - Being with My Two Sisters