An Autumn Clambake On Chautauqua Lake

After The Clambake And Fireball Whiskey!

Thanks, Barb And Jim, For Another Great Clambake

7:19

8:21

Well, it looks like a miserable morning here on the lake although it's still dark. It's 6:54 for and I have been up for an hour, listening to the wind howl, the rainfall,  the wind chimes ring and as yet, there's not a speck of light in the sky. Unfortunately, it's too windy to kayak so I am stuck with a walk around the neighborhood,

Yesterday turned out to be nice until around 4:00 when the clambake began.  The day began well with a great paddle down to Whitney Bay, then the usual, cleaning out the refrigerator and gathering the trash.  Evie was busy in the kitchen, beginning the prepping for the appetizer for the clambake, a buffalo chicken eggrolls, a recipe I found online which sounded good.  We wanted to go to Home Depot to semi finalize our carpet purchase, so we stopped at the Transfer Station on the way, dropped off the trash, then returned samples to Stone Mountain and explained their carpets and installation was just too expensive.  In other words, they cannot compete with a huge box store like Home Depot. They understood and we left feeling slightly guilty but hey, the difference between the two was just too much.  We told Home Depot we wanted to take the weekend to finalize the color, so we will be going back on Monday and order the carpet,  It was good to finally make a decision to buy a carpet.

We were home by 1:00 and I had the leftover stir-fries for lunch and watched the first half of the Ohio State game, mostly boring until the last few minutes.  I then went back to my Daniel Silvan novel, napped briefly and decided to mulch some leaves in our front yard.  Evie, meanwhile, had put together the eggrolls and they were ready to bake just before we were to leave for the clambake.  I mulched just the front yard and it took me around 20 minutes, an easy way to get some exercise.

While Evie baked the Buffalo chicken eggrolls, I showered and got ready for the bake.  Evie decided to cut each eggroll in half and put a spoon full of blue cheese dressing on the end.  That way they could easily be picked up and there was no need for dipping.  People seemed to enjoy them and wanted the recipe.

Barb, Evie, Susan, Peggy, and Jen, Family, and Friends

Barb, Debi, And Daughter In Law, Megan

Betsy, and Moi

Tom And Julie, My Yoga Teacher And Former Woodlawn Resident

It was a mostly neighborhood and relative clambake so we knew just about everyone.  Jim and Barb were the organizers, and we had it in Debi and Bud's huge garage because of the rain.  We were able, however, to also stand outside under the awning, warmed by the bake and drink beer, keeping Jim company.  The water took a while to boil so we ate later than we expected but that wasn't so bad because we could enjoy the appetizers and drink more beer.  About 7:00, thirty of us sat down to a feast of clams, chicken halves, potatoes, and coleslaw.  The garage was a perfect venue, routine for fall clambakes,  and everyone enjoyed it.

Dancing In The Garage

Joe Photo Bombing Evie And Debi

After the clams, we had great desserts and sat around drinking beer until Debi brought out the Fireball Whiskey and the night perked up, the music came on, and the dancing began, mostly the gals, with the exception of a quick acrobatic dance by our neighbor, Joe.  Clearly, we were having fun and it lasted until 11:00 when everyone started to head home.  It was a fun night and as always, it was good to get together with neighbors, their friends and families.  Over the years, we have gotten to know most everyone through these once or twice a year gatherings.  We feel fortunate to be part of it.