Back To Darien For The Day After A Great Time on Long Island

With Henry, my brother in law and his son David

It's 7:00 and I am once again sitting in my hotel room, having coffee, as we are taking our time, something unusual for me, before driving back to Darien this morning.  Let's hope the Long Island traffic is not too bad on a Sunday morning.

Yesterday was another great day with the Kartagener family, and Evie's three sisters.  We did not  get started very early yesterday because of the wild night Friday, the wedding and all that followed as I wrote yesterday,  So, we got over to Claire and Henry's house around noon.  Henry's family, many from the West Coast, have been there for a week because many have their roots on Long Island.  So, we basically spent the day and part of the evening hanging out in their lovely backyard, replete with a swimming pool, an outdoor bar, and a shaded grassy area where non stop bean bag games took place.

Kartagener Backyard

We got to know Henry's side of the family much better after an afternoon and evening of eating and drinking and playing bean bag.  Plus there were a couple of babies around, to amuse and play with if you were bored with adult talk.  Claire had an amazing spread for breakfast and lunch; I made myself a lox and cream cheese bagel, which held me over till dinner, a couple of briskets with cole slaw, a family favorite for good reason.  Evie's sister Elaine and family left about 2:00 as they had to get home to Chicago by car, as the kids start school on Monday.

Evie and Claire's daughter Stacy, with Jake and Grace

The Gang Enjoying A Late Afternoon German Brandy

I have to admit to starting drinking much earlier than usual, why not on a sunny day with pool and friends and this continued on and off the rest of the day, ending with bottle of snake wine from Vietnam, with a whole snake and scorpion in the bottle.  Fortunately, I did not partake but a couple of the younger family members did to their dismay.

We hung out at the bar after dinner, having rum and cokes or high balls, ginger ale and bourbon as my parents called them, feeling better and better about the day, the evening, the family.  About 8:00, my brother in law Henry, after a day of drinking became so nostalgia about family that he said, "If I arrange a safari to Africa next summer for family, how many are in?" That's all it took and now he has a group of twenty eager relatives, willing to go next August. Nothing like alcohol to loosen the tongue, make you regret what you have said the next day! By the way, Africa travel is his business, so he's going to check on the cost some time in the next month for a two week excursion to Kenya and let us know about the possibility... exciting.  His son David, also part of the business, showed Evie and me a slide show of the various places we would be staying if we went and it looks amazing, much different from my tour of southern Africa in 1996, when we traveled in a converted truck, pitched our own tent, cooked our own meals, with a group called Wrong Way Tours.  I think it cost me 900 dollars for three weeks, as I said cheap.

Snake Wine from Vietnam

We left about 9:15, said our good byes to everyone because we are leaving from the hotel this morning for Darien, and thus ended two wonderful days on Long Island, one a great wedding, the next a relaxing, fun day with family at the Kartagener home.  Claire and Henry are great hosts, to say the least, and we stayed with them last April in Scottsdale for a week, also a great time.  We are fortunate to have great families on both sides, that we continue to enjoy each others company.  Enshallah.