Sunday breakfast get together, the day after Casey's wedding, at our house...

The day after the wedding, Sunday, June 24, 2007, was supposed to be a clean-until-you-drop day, but since we were enjoying the company of Sharlene's mom, Donna, with step-father Gary, and Sharlene's brother Eric, all from out of town, and the company of our oldest daughter Jacquie, and her charming boyfriend, Dave, all of these folks from out of town as well, so we decided to host a Sunday breakfast get-together at our house. Naturally, the bride and groom were invited, before they left for their honeymoon, and family friend Matt, and bridesmaid Nicole, who seemed to enjoy each other's company the night before.

Left: Sharlene Dave chat, while Jacquie fries the bacon. Who said that Jacquie can't cook? Right: Nicole and Matt enjoy each other's company, in the living room of our house.

Naturally, I was up and at 'em, many hours before the guests were scheduled to arrive at around 11 in the morning, as I was just beginning the huge job of cleaning up the back yard, the patio, arranging all of the tables and chairs, taking down the small canopies, and generally getting everything back into order. Meanwhile, Sharlene was in the house, busily removing food left over from the night before, rearranging furniture, cleaning, tracking down and murdering uninvited flies, and lots of other inside stuff that you have to do after a wedding ceremony.

We'd rented 80 chairs, and 4 large heavy, bulky, rectangular tables, and several round tables, all of which would be a daunting job to move by myself. Not to mention the rented canopies, that we'd used to shield the caterers from the sun, were of a pop-up variety, yet quite foreign to me, and I didn't have a clue of how to take them down. I started on one of them, got it about half way down, and couldn't figure out how to proceed out of the hole that I'd dug myself into. Not to worry though, as Sharlene promised me that Jacquie knew how to disassemble the canopies, and that Dave would help me with the tables and chairs.

Left: Jacquie puts bacon on the table, as her uncle Eric, and step-grandfather, Gary, look on. Right: Sharlene is making muffins, as Dave looks on with interest.

I wasn't disappointed, as when Jacquie and Dave arrived, they gladly pitched in to help me. Dave and I moved all of the tables from the lawn into a central spot on the patio, and Jacquie had the canopies packed up and ready to go in less than five minutes. Then, Jacquie, Dave and I moved the remaining chairs on to the patio, neatly stacked them, and went inside to enjoy a good breakfast, and some outstanding company.

Sharlene is an outstanding cook, and she excels when she is required to cook for a crowd, and we had a small crowd for our late morning Sunday breakfast. Besides Sharlene and I, we had the bride and groom, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Pelfrey, Sharlene's mom and step-father, her brother Eric, Jacquie and her boyfriend Dave, family friends Matt Walker and Nicole Conry, and our grandson Paris, who seemed to be engaged in his own activities. That's an even dozen people, so that means the meal works out to something like this: 2 packages of bacon, two 2-pound packages of Potatoes O'Brien, two dozen eggs, and a loaf of bread. Not to mention a couple of pots of coffee, and a gallon of orange juice, and two dozen cornbread muffins.

Left: Sharlene brings a fresh plate of muffins to the table, as the feeding frenzy is about to begin. Right: My step-father Gary, to the right of the photo, enjoys his breakfast. Sharlene orchestrated a "mean" breakfast.

Due to Casey's request, the wedding ceremony was largely "dry," but Sunday brunch was quite different. Jacquie, Dave and I had worked hard stacking all of the tables and chairs, and during the time that brunch was being prepared, we opened up the bar, but the drink of choice on this Sunday morning was Vodka Bloody Marys, a favorite of all of us, and an outstanding drink to accompany a late Sunday morning breakfast, to make it a Bloody Mary morning. Jacquie amused me, as she added bean juice to her and Dave's Bloody Marys, from leftover string beans from yesterday's meal. When quizzed about the bean juice, she said it added richness to her Bloody Mary. Whatever!

Normally Sharlene prefers to prepare a large breakfast by herself, but she enlisted Jacquie's help, and believe it or not, Jacquie actually knows how to cook! She acted as johnny-on-the-spot, and as Sharlene's right-hand helper; my role in this affair was bartender, photographer, and host, so I allowed Jacquie to do the work that I normally do. I can do that, especially if it provides me a golden opportunity to visit with people!

Left: Dave and Jacquie enjoy their breakfast. Right: My delicious breakfast. Note the Bloody Mary to the right of the photo, which really hits the spot before, during and after a late Sunday morning breakfast.

By noon, the meal was ready: Bloody Marys, orange juice, toast, scrambled eggs, Potatoes O'Brien, and lots of bacon. It was a meal that would make a vegan cringe, but for normal folks, like we are, between the fantastic company and the delicious food, it made a fantastic Sunday brunch.

After the newlyweds left for the honeymoon, and Sharlene's mom, Donna, and step-dad, Gary, and brother Eric departed for the Bay Area, Jacquie, Dave and Pairs left for Las Vegas, Matt and Nicole went their separate ways, Sharlene and I we left home-alone, just with a messy back yard, and a dysfunctional house to keep us company. And the work goes on... and on... and on...

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