2017 Part 3 - June

When I left off last time at the end of May, I was consoling new grandson Ian who was trying to regain feeling in his feet after a brief forced-wade into chilly Lake Huron. We pick things up back in GPW.

June

As usual, we kicked off the summer social season by inviting everyone we know to a picnic in our backyard. The weather was nice, the deck and the yard were in prime shape, the burgers and dogs were laid in, and the beer and soft drinks were iced down. So let's see who made it this year.

First a shot of the hosts, enjoying a cold one and a quick snack before the crush.

Our guest of honor was (big surprise) little Ian. Here he is, tiny tootsies totally t'awed out, with his escort.

Leisurely through late afternoon the guests rolled in, each bearing a culinary delight and a festive aura. Here Jim and Mary have settled in for a little pre-glow with Cathy, Matt, Ian and yours truly.

The Dyles and Kims were there soon after, complete with a sizable lump swaddled around Taryn. That would be little Toby, the Dyles' first grandson.

And so on. Each new guest was warmly greeted by those already in attendance in the formal reception area (also known as our multipurpose room, or more commonly as...the driveway).

As guest of honor, Ian met and offered a smile to each arrival (this activity significantly expanded his known universe of people in the world).

I assumed my normal party position, keeping out of everyone's way and enjoying the ebb and flow of people, foodstuffs and libations (for more on proper behavior when your home is overrun with merriment see my previous post Hosting; you too can work less and enjoy it more).

Here Grandma is assisting Ian with his greeter duties (perhaps foreshadowing a little ambidexterity, note that Ian has shifted to left-handed waving, now that his right hand - weary from greeting so many new acquaintances - is hanging limp by his side).

And even the most enthusiastic of greeters needs a little quiet time, with his favorite giraffe.

As the afternoon unfolded, a number of stimulating conversations broke out on a variety of picnic-related issues. Like this one where Christine is explaining to the hostess and the chef the Feng Shui guidelines for organizing types of meat on a gas grill (the rules are slightly different for charcoal grills; it's important to get your karma right were food is concerned).

In this shot Linda Mathews, Kit Kuhlman and Miranda Reinhart are chewing on that old deck chair leg-crossing controversy, right over left or left over right? Some say it may be a generational thing.

 

Here we have Deandra and Jeff Reinhart and Christine, all platinum members of the Coco dog care cartel, comparing notes from recent sitting experiences. Jeff, also known in dog circles as "the bad man", is seeking some feedback on how he might improve his image.

Here we have Brian Bauer and Pat Rouan, both members of the Spinner Executive Council (a local amateur golf therapy group), debriefing me (off camera) on my traumatic experience at the Gailes Links Course the previous fall, during our annual retreat. They're hoping to restore my enthusiasm for Herculean challenges in time for next fall's traumatic experience. Note the concerned looks. They're both princes (or maybe marquises, you know like that guy De Sade).

In this scene Linda Crandall is making a public appeal for assistance as she has misplaced her wine glass. Mary and Deandra are engrossed in a conversation about appropriate picnic outfits - skirt or capris - and perhaps the leg-crossing thing as well.

Here Linda is briefly overcome as Jim (our in-house Mr. Fixit) has located and refilled her glass for her (although he failed to inform her that he found the glass in Coco's crate).

In this shot, Laura and Mary are closely following the ongoing conversation about my links course dementia taking place just to their left in the pavillion (garage). From their grimaces you can tell that they know the dialog is at a critical juncture.

And here we have a shot from the hidden garage-cam (tucked discreetly in the handle of a weed whacker). Brian, as lead therapist, has just about got me ready to commit. But I'm not quite there yet, as you can see from the death grip I have on my Bud Lite. I think this is the point at which I was asking about emergency counseling services available at the course (known in golf therapy circles as the 19th hole) should they be needed.

Meanwhile, back at the security checkpoint, our safety officer is hard at work trying to rub the taste of a little pinot noir off her tongue.

Back at the picnic, the tension mounted as we neared grill time. Below, Kit and Miranda are burning off a little energy in a multigenerational bean bag toss challenge. Note that Miranda has adopted the seldom used Queen Elizabeth twisted wrist delivery.

In this shot Nancy is checking entry bracelets to make sure none of the locals have crashed the party just in time for dinner. We've never had that problem, but protocol is protocol.

This is a rare shot of chef Jim during his pre-grill interview. He was confident going into the main event of the day that his flipping wrist would hold up through the arduous cheeseburger phase, and that he had recruited a sufficient cadre of bun managers and table delivery runners to keep up with demand. You gotta love a guy who leaves no stone (or in this case brat) unturned.

In this final pic of the great pot bunker paranoia caper (as it has since become known), Pat has joined Brian to close the deal (I committed to another round at the Gailes in the fall). The clincher was Pat agreeing to shank one into the unplayable rough every time I do in a show of solidarity. It was a touching moment.

As is our custom, photography was suspended during the dinner hour so no one would lose their place in line for Robyn's baked beans - we always seem to run out of them early in the bacchanalia.

After dinner, the crowd seemed to mellow, stuffed with grilled meats, the beans, assorted salads and desserts, finger food, and a fresh round of libations. I must say though simple in nature, the menu at our annual food fest is to die for. Everybody brings their favorite stuff, and then there's the consummate grilling. It's better than a Leave It to Beaver marathon.

Here's a post-dinner pic of Linda Mathews and Robyn Mullinger (the bean queen). Among other things, I think Linda was welcoming Robyn to the sisterhood of grandmothers.

And speaking of grandmothers, here's a shot of Grandma Nancy facilitating Ian's greeting of little Toby, still swaddled to mother Taryn. Not a lot of words were exchanged, but there seemed to be a connection.

To wrap up our tour of the annual family picnic, here are a few more shots of the happy hoard making the most of the moment. First up Linda and Kit, doing their Joe (or Josephine) Cool impressions.

Here I'm spreading the word about my upcoming Gailes Links course adventure to the Reinhart clan, letting them know how I love a challenge and can't wait to stand on the first tee and gaze out at the narrow fairway and undulating green and gigantic gnarly head-high bunkers where you can lose your cart let alone a golf ball. Okay. Okay. Maybe I was just asking Jeff if he would hit my tee shots for me. Jeff, who is now an associate member of the Spinner Executive Council and quite familiar with my personal relationship with the Gailes, just said sure. And hit Pat's cell phone number on his speed dial.

Little Ian was also feeling the buzz of party central, reflecting on his greeter performance and worrying about remembering everyone's name.

Christine, family morale officer, spent a little time comforting the poor lad and assuring him that being extremely cute solves a lot of problems in life and he ought not to worry.

In this shot we have core members of the next generation catching up on millennial issues. That's Cathy with her back turned on the left, Taryn (and Toby's pate), Toby's papa Sam, Ian's papa Matt, and Sara Zak with her back turned on the right. Sara is one of Cathy's oldest friends, Neighborhood Club soccer team mate, schoolmate, college roommate and veteran of a couple of Burk family vacations. I must note here that Nancy and I have always felt that the best thing about our annual picnic is how many members of the next generation (and now third generation) make the effort to come back each year and renew relationships. And we certainly love seeing and and following the lives and careers of these kids who have been hanging out around our house since elementary school.

In this final shot from the picnic, hostess Nancy and chef Jimmy are reviewing comments from the customer satisfaction focus groups held during the day and reveling in another successful event. I think the future of this tradition, now in its fourth decade, is secure. 

After the picnic, we settled in for some other pretty typical June activities, like picking Maple tree helicopters out of the gutters. These guys are slow but thorough, and they work cheap.

A trip to Toledo to visit our friends John and Patricia Wast and take in a Mudhens game (this one featuring my sister Cindy's favorite ex-Tiger Matt Tuiasosopo, known as Tuey to his fans).

Then there were these guys who descend on our community with abandon each June. We're just thankful that they usually wait until after our picnic to make their unwelcome appearance. Their only redeeming virtue is that they disintegrate and disappear on their own within a matter of a few days, as mysteriously as they come.

We did have some lake time in June, highlighted by a visit from our Tennessee friends, Jan and Miguel Rodriguez. Miguel loves to cook, so he brought with him all the makings for a boiled dinner. I should clarify that Miguel doesn't really cook. Rather, he creates culinary art. Here he is poised for action.

Beginning to weave his masterpiece.

His partner, in the kitchen and all things, Jan. 

The boil-ees, as it were. Snug and soaking in this family heirloom known as the Ipperwash corn pot.

The customary cocktail hour, spanning that interlude between meal creation and meal consumption.

The scene of the anticipated gluttony, spread with newspapers and appropriate tableware.

The delivery.

And voila! Let the feast begin! Need I say, it was fab.

So June came to an end as it began - friends, food, frivolity -  and a couple of Tums.

This wraps up Chapter 2 of my 2017 review. See you soon for the second half of the year.