The Empty Nest Bar and Grill, home of Bill, Landi and a number of questionable dogs, hosted the August Birthday social last Sunday afternoon which oddly enough actually was one of the Dog Days of August. Go figure. Each guest was enthusiastically greeted, sniffed and licked by at least one dog, and sometimes all three. For no reason in particular, this ritual was repeated numerous times at random intervals throughout the evening.
The theme of the social was ‘Luau’ so most guests came in proper Hawaiian attire. Steve and Whit strutted their stuff in grass skirts. Many guests brought food items associated with a Luau and everyone came with the right party attitude because we party with a purpose. In this case, it was the celebration of our August birthdays!
The food began with a wonderful fruit platter. There was a plethora of food. Landi made her jacked up deviled eggs and some cajun greenbeans. Pulled pork with barbeque sauce and dry rubbed ribs (yes…they are Hawaiian) were also on hand. There was an amazing German potato salad, and a very nice rice dish. Hawiian meatballs were enjoyed by many. Someone out did themselves with the baked beans. There were two kinds of slaw, and a second potato salad too. Desert was a cake that I am told is very good. I can’t eat cake, but this isn’t about me. It’s about the food. (Note: Who ever brought the cake, ping me. We have your cake dish thing.) It is pretty clear that no one lost weight on this day. Eventually, nearly everyone took advantage of the pool to cool off some. Although skinny dipping is allowed, none of the guests took advantage of that opportunity.
The Krewe represented very well, and we had a number of guests present. One of Duane’s guests was familiar with the area in Arkansas that Bill is from. It turns out that she may have been delivered by Bill’s father at St. Bernards’s Hospital in Jonesboro. Bill and Landi’s guests (Doug and Deniese) commented on how friendly everyone was. Garrison Brothers Bourbon was sampled and enjoyed by many.
The party began at 4:00pm and went until roughly 9:00pm. Landi has been saving take-out containers for most of her life just for this event. She brought many of them out and everyone was able to take home a variety of leftovers. Many thanks to everyone for the help cleaning up. The garbage was taken out, the dishes were rinsed, and what needed to be carried into the house magically found its way in there. From Bill and Landi’s perspective, it just doesn’t get any better than this.
