Thirteen pounds of brined and smoked pork is definitely something to be inspired by. Turns out the new tagline for the delicious protein holds true. But before we could discover the wonders of the formerly known other white meat, we started with cocktails and goat cheese/garlic/roasted red pepper bruschetta.
We had some new blood in attendance; Nate the neighbor and John & Mary, longtime friends of the family. It's always exciting to see how the conversation goes with newbies in the mix. We heard about things ranging from 48 hours of no sleep classifying you as clinically insane, a recommendation to go see Young Adult, coincidentally starring a character who makes his own brand of firewater, and how a same-sex couple finds a proper specimen for making a baby (and can now marry in WA if they so choose!!!!!!!!!).
As dishes filled the dining table, so did the hungry bellies. Jess, John, Mary, Nate, Grandpa Pres, Ted, Eddie, Matt and I (Johnnie came in late after a training at work) found our seats and began dishing out the goods. Sauteed bok choy, brown rice, a mixed greens salad and fresh bread stood as filler for the aromatic and soon to be mouth-watering smoked pork chops that took center stage on my plate and I'm sure most others.
The conversation rolled along as the food disappeared bite by bite. Somehow we got on the topic of airline travel and John told a funny story about witnessing a couple debating over whether to give up their seats and get free tickets. He saw it as a simple decision to give up the seats/catch another flight making their arrival time change by an hour/get vouchers to anywhere. She disagreed, stating that she'd already called her mom to pick them up and didn't want the hassle. What would you do?
We wrapped up the meal with a slice of cake and scoop of vanilla ice cream for Jessie's kitchen. But it wasn't just any cake and ice cream on our plates. It was Grandma Corrine's Applesauce Cake from the Blue Binder! Ted said he didn't remember the cake by name, but after taking a bite he was back in mom's kitchen as the flavors sparked the memory of her baking. Grandpa joked that he should remember, but he didn't. When it comes to dessert, he's happy however it gets placed in front of him. Yum.
Morgan unexpectedly stopped in and after a nibble of pork and some catching-up, took off with a couple pounds of pork and a bunch of it's-almost-your-birthday cake. Happy Birthday Morgan!
After an 11-hour day, Johnnie joined in the mix. Before she sat down to a plate, she gave me a box of basement goodies for Brad & Vanessa. This sparked a conversation about our love of The Brick. It was actually the second mention of the oldest bar in the state that night, insert story about Ted, Eddie and Mildew's younger days of campin' and drinkin' here...Anyway, Johnnie had the brilliant idea of planning a Roslyn adventure to camp at Salmon la Sac and go drinking at The Brick. It is now here on record. It will happen!
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