SOCIALIZING WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS

A sudden phone call and we're off...one minute we're just sitting there relaxing and thinking about what to watch on TV or write on my blog, and then a call comes asking us out to share a few drinks and a bite to eat.  No hesitation on our part, we're ready to go at a moment's notice!

Such as it was last Friday, Judy's sister called and asked if we wanted to eat at Carrabba's with the family.  Does a bear ____ in the woods!  We're there!

Of course we were one couple light, with Charlotte and Gary off touring the north west, but the rest of us carried on the tradition of gathering as often as possible.

Carrabba's is one of the group's favorites, so there was no question that the food would be good, it was just a matter of deciding on what to order.  It's hard to make a choice when everything we've tried there has been both an olfaction and gustation treat!

I had never tried the Italian rib dish called Ribs Agrodolce, so I tried it and now I have a new favorite!  The dish is baby-back-ribs braised in red wine with fresh herbs, finished on our wood-burning grill and served with housemade chips!  It is so yummy!

I took a photo of the rib plate, along with Neena's Chicken Parmesan, coated with our Italian  breadcrumbs, sautéed and topped with pomodoro and mozzarella, Judy's Lobster Ravioli, ravioli with tender Maine lobster in a white wine cream sauce!  It was all so good!

I ordered water, since the Knights and I had earlier burned some time waiting on the Dragons to shop at Parkside Grill, where it just happened to be Happy Hour!  We ordered 2 or 3 Yazoo drafts, which came with 2 or 3 free ones!  We had a lot of fun remembering the Yazoo's we had in Nashville after an AC/DC concert a couple of years back. 

After the "happy hour" treats, we walked from there up to Carrabba's and met the Dragons.

Then there was this past Tuesday when my friend Gary called and asked me to meet him at Harriman's Los Primos for...what else, food and drinks!  Gary still works, so I met him, Wendell, and Nathan there at around 6.  Gary's wife was out of town, so he wanted some company and we all were more than glad to oblige him.

You could never guess Wendell's age meeting him, or looking at this photo of him and his daughter Cindy (who just dropped by), but he is 84!  I noticed when Nathan was showing him his iPhone that Wendell didn't even need glasses...as a matter of fact, I've never seen Wendell wear glasses.  Good genes are amazing!

I had my usual, Chicken Fajita Nachos, which consists of corn tortilla chip's topped with moist and tender strip's of chicken, onions, and peppers, (sauteed with Fajitas seasoning mix) topped with melted monterey jack, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos!

I normally go for a margarita a Los Premos, rather than the Dos Equis, which tends to fill me up too quickly.  We also usually sit outside, providing the weather is nice, but even then it's sometimes hard to hear a complete conversation due to the passing trains!  Los Primos sits right next to the tracks, and the squeaking of steel wheels on steel track often makes for some lip reading practice!

However, we don't mind, it's all pure South, and pure Harriman, and we'd have it no other way.

This group usually does a lot of reminiscing about the "good 'ol days"; about the things each of us did and should have gotten into more trouble than we did, and about the Princess Project that's dear to our hearts.  It's always a good time and we always enjoy each others company.

I had to turn one of these impromptu meetings down today because I woke up to some dizziness.  But no fear, they will carry on without me and, of course, there will be another day soon.