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Memorial Day has somehow become the unofficial start to summer in the US, and for the last six or seven years, my family has hosted a cookout party at our home on this holiday. It started out as an excuse to do something on a day when we otherwise wouldn't be doing anything, because my wife had worked all weekend. Its now becoming a bit of an institution, with many of our neighbors making their long weekend plans around it.
This year, we actually managed to get a little ahead of ourselves, and most of our preparations were completed Sunday afternoon, so there was very little in the way of last minute scrambling Monday morning to finish getting things ready. Attendance was about the same a usual, about 60 people, half adults and half children. We served up about 8 lbs of hamburgers, 5 lbs of hot dogs and 10 lbs of chicken, with almost no leftovers! The dishes brought by our guests were as varied as their backgrounds, and it was all delicious.
The kids loved the new swimming pool. I think the only time when there weren't at least six kids splashing in the water was right after my wife started up her cotton candy (otherwise known as candy or fairy floss in other parts of the world) machine. Between the pool, the trampoline, the two (yes, two!) frozen drink machines (with a total of four flavors), and the cotton candy, is it any wonder my wife is popular with our children's friends (if not always their parents...).
The weather was definitely summer-like, sunny and hot, and most everyone sat out on the deck and enjoyed the day. For once, I managed to get the right amount of meat off the grill during the first round, so I was able to walk away from the grill relatively early, and mingle with the guests without having to stop to cook more meat.
The last guests left just before seven, and our very tired daughters ate a light supper, listened to me read for about a half hour and were soon sound asleep. Yesterday was a taste of the summer vacation to come in about three weeks, and it was clear that my daughters can't wait.
This year, we actually managed to get a little ahead of ourselves, and most of our preparations were completed Sunday afternoon, so there was very little in the way of last minute scrambling Monday morning to finish getting things ready. Attendance was about the same a usual, about 60 people, half adults and half children. We served up about 8 lbs of hamburgers, 5 lbs of hot dogs and 10 lbs of chicken, with almost no leftovers! The dishes brought by our guests were as varied as their backgrounds, and it was all delicious.
The kids loved the new swimming pool. I think the only time when there weren't at least six kids splashing in the water was right after my wife started up her cotton candy (otherwise known as candy or fairy floss in other parts of the world) machine. Between the pool, the trampoline, the two (yes, two!) frozen drink machines (with a total of four flavors), and the cotton candy, is it any wonder my wife is popular with our children's friends (if not always their parents...).
The weather was definitely summer-like, sunny and hot, and most everyone sat out on the deck and enjoyed the day. For once, I managed to get the right amount of meat off the grill during the first round, so I was able to walk away from the grill relatively early, and mingle with the guests without having to stop to cook more meat.
The last guests left just before seven, and our very tired daughters ate a light supper, listened to me read for about a half hour and were soon sound asleep. Yesterday was a taste of the summer vacation to come in about three weeks, and it was clear that my daughters can't wait.
