In preparation for a gathering at our house on Sunday, Rich had gone to Binny's Liquor Store for ingredients to make a Sangria that we loved when we ate at the Columbia Restaurant in St Augustine, FL last fall. He also brought home a surprise for me...a bottle of expensive bourbon whiskey. I don't drink very often and have never enjoyed whiskey but this is very special because my maiden name is Pogue and I had never heard of Pogue Bourbon Whiskey!
I had the honor of first sip...it was more like a whiff of a sip of a tiny sip but it took my breath away and I was afraid it was burning the skin off my throat. Like I said, I rarely drink and never anything that strong. I love seeing our name on those random and rare times that we run across it because it is certainly not a common last name.
On Sunday, our local nephews with their families and Greg & Jenny all came to our house. Rich had made three versions of salsa, his specialty, in addition to the Sangria. I made enchilada casseroles and we had Monster Cookies and ice cream sundaes for dessert which the kids loved! Dave traveled to Poland with Marianne at the end of April so we got to see the photos he took. Like all families with young children and two jobs they have busy lives so it was great that we found a time to enjoy their company while we were at home.
Oliver, Nick, Zoe, Sophie
Dave and Lisel (Rob's wife) each helping their kids get served
Rob and Dave; Kristen (Dave's wife) and Lisel
Jenny and Greg
Monday evening we drove to Yorkville for an evening with our Double Pinochle group. These couples have been a big part of our lives for a dozen years or more. We dropped out of this group when we started spending so much time away from home, since it can be a challenge to find subs. They are one couple short right now so we had the pleasure of playing with them this past three months. Let me introduce you to some of our favorite folks.
Carla and our host, Dave
Larry, Audrey, Tony
Nance, Jack, Jim, Mary
Our host, Georgie
Great friends, great fun, great food but not so great cards for me!
Marianne had a previous commitment so couldn't join us for our get together on Sunday. She came out for a while on Tuesday afternoon to visit the girls...and us too!
But wait, that's not all. Tuesday night was my monthly Hand 'n Foot card group. There are eight of us in this group which means the world to me. With just a couple of changes in members, we've been together ever since we all built our homes here fifteen years ago. This was my last night however as a regular member. Since I'm gone so much of the year now, and Helen has been subbing for me all along, it just seemed fair to step aside and let her become a regular member. She has been subbing for Joan in the summer so I'll still get to sub for her in the summers when I'm home.
Sandee and Sue
Nance and Helen
Phyllis (our host) and Carla and Alice
Great friends, great fun, great food AND great cards for me! I had the top score so took home the top prize...$4.00! I do miss these great friends and always look forward to catching up with them when we come home. We've invited them out to AZ but we'll see if any of them actually come.
Other than all that socializing, we've been busy cleaning out closets, buffets, cabinets, etc gathering stuff to take to our house in AZ. Yesterday afternoon the final section of counter for the linen alcove in our master bath was delivered to Lowe's. We picked it up and Rich installed it...that project is now complete! We didn't expect to be quite this busy in retirement!
Lovin' Life, Family, & Friends
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