By now it’s no secret that Helga & Richard really know how to throw a party. By Friday
afternoon one could really feel the excitement of anticipation in the air. Many people
had been there for a day or so and those that hadn’t, mostly arrived Friday afternoon.
The weather was perfect with crisp clear air and blue skies and I don’t think I have ever
seen the lake look quite so blue. Friday evening we had light snacks and people got
acquainted over some libation and munchies. Meanwhile Richard and niece Rita started
to prepare “Babe” the Pig for the next day’s festivities. There was a lot of preparation
to roasting a pig, and Richard and Rita really knew what they were doing. A pig roast
is quite involved and all the various phases of preparation drew spectators.
There is something else I would like to briefly mention and that is, we all arrived to new gleaming granite tile counters in the kitchen installed by Steve Stanton and Ray Muglli. The job looks great and it really brightens up the kitchen. I didn’t find out until later in the weekend that the job had been completed only the Thursday night before. That’s really cutting close, guys. Anyway, stay tuned for more news from Ray about the kitchen. Now back to our Luau Program.
Later Friday evening, Ray organized an excursion to the Crystal Bay Club to see Tony Furtado in a free concert. Don’t worry, I had never heard of him either, but Ray said he had actually paid to see him once. So about fifteen people pilled in several cars and went up to see the show. Tony was a one-man guitar and banjo act. He had lightning fingers and sang sandpaper vocals. He played with blistering speed and great precision. There was a substantial crowd besides Après people, and all were quite impressed with Tony’s style and ability. As I watched it reminded me of the guy in NY City, who asked someone “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?”. The New Yorker answered, “Practice”. Tony certainly was practiced. Meanwhile, back at the Lodge there was plenty of living room chat and some stayed up ‘till past 2:00 AM. In fact, I think I was one of them.
On Saturday, surprisingly, people were up fairly early, except for a few sleepy exceptions, and all chattering over breakfast and planning their day’s activities. Discussions included many Tahoe time diversions like biking, tennis playing, beach going, hiking and kayaking. Ed and Ray ran a hike to five lakes and eleven went on that excursion. Then others just shopped, and you know who you are.
Meanwhile Richard and Rita were hard at it. They were stuffing Babe with onions, spices lots of garlic. Then they sewed her up, bathed her in marinade with garlic and fresh rosemary, and Babe was ready for the roaster. By the way, Richard built his own roaster and has it set up quite nicely. It has a large coal bed, a hood and a variable speed shaft so Richard can control the cooking. Richard spent most of the day brushing Babe with marinade using a basting brush on a five-foot extension. The fire was so hot it the basting extension was barely long enough. It was hot work and Richard needed beer.
By mid afternoon, people started to come back from their various activities to get cleaned up and get ready for the Luau evening. While Richard and Rita went about their cooking chores, Helga supervised all the other aspects of getting ready for the luau. The tables and benches were set up on the parking lot while salad, vegetables and rice were being prepared in the kitchen. Others scurried about putting out the hors d’oeuvres for happy hour. Ed Martin blended Mai Tais and the party was off to a fine start. Many participated in getting things ready, but I really want to mention Bonnie Patterson, who was on crutches from a resent foot operation. Bonnie dutifully spent most of the afternoon chopping piles of ingredients (Have I mentioned garlic yet?) to make an enormous batch of salsa. She really stuck with it and saw the job through in typical Bonnie style. Many kudos to Bonnie.
I don’t really remember what time it was, but at some point everything was ready. Richard and Rita had gotten Babe off the roaster and set up to carve. It didn’t take long for everyone to get through the food lines and get down to some serious eating. Everyone really enjoyed the feast and the conversations at the table. After dinner, the party went way into the night in typical Après style. Richard’s roaster was brought into the parking lot from the BBQ area and turned into a fire pit for all to enjoy. Even though the days are warm, the nights can cool off nicely, and the fire was just right for enjoying a Tahoe evening. Some of our neighbors came over and we all stood or sat around the fire and talked. What more could you ask for.
Sunday morning we had an eggs-benedict brunch before many packed up for the trip back. By early afternoon all was quiet at our terrific lodge. It was a great weekend and one we will all remember for a long while. Thanks to Helga and Richard for a truly memorable event.