poplar road

A belated Happy BC Day, everyone! I had a two day work week this week - waiting for my next assignment now - so I have no excuse not to post the photos from our wonderful long weekend. There are fewer than usual, as I was either run off my feet or completely relaxed, and therefore hardly ever picked up the camera.

The preparations were exhausting, and overall we didn't get much sleep, but this was definitely one of the quieter, more relaxing UNniversary weekends we've done. We missed all the children, though! Their excitement and laughter brings something special to our event - it was like not having children around at Christmas. Next year should be back to normal, and then some! But we had fun, and the weather, finally, was nearly perfect.

Our local guests who joined us Saturday night included a 2-year-old cherub named Elle, and she had learned some new words for the occasion: "Garden Party". It definitely had more of a garden party feel this year, a little less rough around the edges. I'm especially pleased with my decorating splurge, the colourful paper lanterns with LED lights. After work on Tuesday, I went back and bought a few more for next year. I'm hopeful that by next July, when party prep gears up again, we'll have much less to do in the yard because so much work got done this year to make our space as welcoming as possible. Three of our visitors weren't here last year to see the major landscaping changes from last spring, and they were all very impressed. Thanks for that, we're so glad you enjoyed our place - and of course, the food. If you couldn't make it, here's what you missed.

I think we were talking about straw hats. Photo by Dagny.

We spent most of our time just sittin' around.

Dan insisted he didn't need to try the satay dipping sauce.

I loved the salad rolls, in spite of the cilantro.

New with the pork, scratch-made baked beans.

Smoky, yummy pulled pork and brisket.

One of the big changes to the plan this year was the new "International" menu, and I tried to get my camera out at every meal to capture the food, but as you can see I missed half of them. Friday night we had the most mouth-watering dinner: freshly made kalamari with Richard's Greek yoghurt tzatziki, Greek-style ribs with oregano, garlic and lemon, and his Mediterranean pasta salad with rotini and feta. We all voted for larger servings of the kalamari next year.

Saturday morning Richard made his delectable corned beef hash, and Chris made two kinds of eggs: scrambled shiny, and scrambled almost to green. I am as particular about my eggs not being cooked too much as Dagny is about them not being cooked too little. We were all well stuffed, so it was a good thing Richard planned for a light lunch: Vietnamese shrimp spring rolls and grilled ginger chicken, both with homemade Indonesian satay sauce. That was a hit, but next year we may skip lunches entirely, which is what happened on Sunday - we never ate the Indian butter chicken, one of Richard's new favourites, because we were still stuffed from Saturday night's pulled pork and sundae bar, and Sunday morning bennies.

Some of us had leftover salads - including Richard's awesome grilled veggie and tortellini salad in my case - for lunch on Sunday instead, and everyone did their part to make sure the last of the ice cream in the soft serve machine didn't go to waste as we enjoyed the breezy, sunny afternoon. The neighbour's grandson came by to help too.

Sunday night was Mexican, and I'd be hard pressed to say which of the three dinners was best. We had tortillas warmed on the grill with chicken barbecued in our homemade blend of Tex-Mex spices, smoked paprika-spiced black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, yellow peppers, and canned jalapenos, my guacamole, and store-bought pico de gallo because Richard didn't have the hours it takes to make his from scratch and the Lunds weren't here this year to appreciate it. And of course all the cheese and sour cream you could want, not to mention more ice cream sundaes for dessert.

Monday morning we had blueberry pancakes and I think Richard said we polished off 5 pounds of bacon, which considering by then we had only 8 of us around the table, is a lot of bacon. Mmm. And then everyone helped take down all the canopies and pack up leftovers to take home, so Richard and I still had energy to debrief and make notes after everyone left before we collapsed for a nap as usual. Such a short holiday, but so much fun! See you next year!

Poached eggs for Sunday am bennies.

Eggs benedict with ham and hash browns.

Richard trades his chef hat for his uncle hat.

Cheers!

Good morning, campers. Actually, they aren’t up yet – except maybe the ones in tents. Despite forecasts to the contrary, I woke up at 4am to the now familiar sound of showers, and dashed outside to rescue anything caught in the wet. Lovely.

Luckily someone else had been there before me, perhaps before they retired for the night, and put most of the chairs and baby Olson supplies under the canopies. The Sesame Street book talked to me when I picked it up, so I guess that’s a good sign.

I found a puddle in my cushy camp chair, a couple of soggy rolls of paper towels and other items at the uncovered fringes of the outdoor kitchen, and moved several damp chairs and other things under cover to hopefully dry out by morning. The rain has already stopped, and we only got about half a centimeter, but I’m peeved that showers didn’t show up in our forecast, as we could have prevented all our things from getting wet. At least I moved my new paper lanterns under cover before I went to bed!

Since my early morning exercise woke me up completely, I’m enjoying one of Richard’s delectable brownies from the best ever brownie mix from Costco (thanks to the Lunds’ friend Ottawa for introducing us to these at Marrowstone!) and catching up on one of the last pre-party tasks I didn’t get done by Friday afternoon. Posting the pics of all our preparations. Richard and I have been working every evening and long hours on weekends on projects in the yard and shop, as well as planning menus, seating, decorations, etc, to get ready for this weekend, and I think the lack of sleep and bad backs were worth it. We were really in the weeds Friday morning, but it all came together. I didn’t quite get everything done in my garden, but overall, the place looks great. And the food… Richard has outdone himself. But more on that later.

First on the list – flowerbed rehab.

It took me a weekend – much better.

Under the tarp, mulch awaited shoveling into beds.

Cleared the patio to make room for these.

I started expanding these beds in May.

My back wasn’t up to getting the flowers planted Friday.

Thank goodness for the weed trimmer for tough spots.

Here’s an appealing shady spot. Fixed that.

Visions of French country dining but no time for a tabletop.

We had to buy apricots – ours are still green.

I had to show you this photo from a couple of weeks ago. I was pruning my roses when movement inches from my nose made me look up past the mass of branches I was removing below my office window. Don’t know how I missed it before, but the size of this nest was incredible. I had to admire the papery quality, all the folds and whorls, so delicate. But these black and white wasps are among the most aggressive, likely to sting. One person has already been stung this weekend – by the more common yellow leatherjackets (is the name because they dive-bomb like fighter pilots?) – so I don’t feel quite so guilty about destroying this beautiful thing.

Busy bees ourselves, we had quite a stressful week trying to finish major projects on Sunday and evenings after work, and although we both had Thursday as well as Friday off, it wasn't quite enough time. Next year, the 5th UNniversary, which will involve more work for Richard as we'll have a larger group of guests (only 13 of us this year), we're hoping to convince one of our guests to come up early on the Thursday. One extra set of hands (and muscles) would be a huge help. Everyone pitched in as they arrived on Friday night, and by nightfall nearly everything was done, but with the smoker malfunction at 1:30am keeping Richard and I up, we both got only two hours sleep that night. It was a 22 hour day for me and I felt it yesterday. But Saturday was spent mostly relaxing in the sun with great food and company and everybody pitched in on meal prep and cleanup, so I think it was a success. A surprise guest who'd never been here before was very impressed so that was a nice pat on the back for Richard and I. We will do it again next year, with a few helping hands.

And now it's time to prep for Sunday breakfast and see if the chairs have dried out. I see blue sky!

Another area that needed some work.

Petunias, check. The toilet didn’t go 'til Friday – thanks, Chris.

Thursday AM, locked out and in the weeds!

Lots to cut down, pick up, set up, and put up. Like lights.

These were thankfully already prepped for Rick’s stag.

Kitchen, check. Now we’re ready – let’s eat.

Outside the snow is Vancouverish enough to stick to every twig and leaf, a fresh three inches that started while we were at an office Christmas party last night to add to the icy stuff that hasn’t left since the first fall on November 18th. It’s prettier now, but by this afternoon it could be a muddy bog out there, ugh.

To beat the winter blues, I’ve just spent a few hours this weekend back in the height of summer, enjoying the photos from our UNniversary 2010 gathering. (That’s yours truly at left.) 2010 has been an extremely busy year for us with projects at home, travels for holidays and visits with friends, and overtime in our challenging jobs. I have a lot on my plate this weekend (reapplying for my job, cleaning and decorating my house for the holidays, helping Richard with basement renos), but the guilt over not getting my blog updated is killing me, so while it’s still pitch black and silent – up at 5 again today for some reason – I thought I’d at least get the UNAnny pics up.

This year’s UNEvent was wonderful, a great turnout of our friends again despite the distance and even busier lives on the part of our guests and their growing families. The odd summer rains held off long enough for a great day at the river on the Saturday and a special construction project Sunday, and made for a lush new lawn to entertain our friends on. (I never did do a proper reveal of our new landscaping, but pay attention to these photos and you’ll get the gist.) Richard’s food was one of the highlights as usual, and since I spent most of Saturday in the river myself, joined in on badminton, and tried to spend some quality time with all of my surrogate nieces and nephews, I didn’t pick up my camera as much this year except when the food came out. And I admit I wasn’t last in line for dinner every night this year, either! Or dessert…. Did I mention we got a soft serve ice cream machine for the occasion? Two words: sundae bar. Mmmm.

Early risers Kahlyn and Anika in the Saturday AM hush.

Our landscaping facelift was a hit. Look, a lawn!

A flat spot for badminton, and the girls saw a perfect stage above.

Washing station: the guys built a sink, complete with hot water!

Most of our guests made up here Friday afternoon and evening, which is a treat for us both because we get a little extra help with preparing the yard and the outdoor kitchen, and we squeeze in a few more hours of visiting. Rob helped me set my new solar lights around the garden to light our new stone steps, and someone had the great idea to string Christmas lights around the canopy over the cooking/serving area. We had burrito night on Friday as usual, which keeps nicely for any late arrivals who didn’t get dinner on the road. Somebody helped Richard make the requisite salsa, but I was outside greeting a steady stream of guests and missed the work in the kitchen. Later a night-owl few of us chatted around the patio table, catching up and waiting for Chris and Dagny’s arrival, last of the Friday-nighters.

Lightweight that I am after a full day like that, I was in bed before they made it here, so it wasn’t until morning that I saw their surprise – the new addition to Richard’s outdoor kitchen, at left. Gorgeous, and just the right size to fit in between the grill and fryer. No more carrying giant pots of boiling water out the kitchen and across the deck! Thank you, Chris!

As usual on the Saturday morning, excitement has me out of bed early, tidying up the kitchen and making sure the early risers find the coffee pot and supplies. The first ones up are always the parents, chasing after their young ones who haven’t quite got their bearings yet. After four years of holding this gathering with most of the same families each time, with kids of similar ages, I’m always so thrilled that the kids can see each other again after a year has gone by, and settle back into the friendships of the past summer so quickly. And they grow so fast! I watched the big sisters position their little brothers with props and lines to say for an impromptu play – the pier of rock and gravel sticking out into the lawn from the upper part of the yard just begged to be a stage – and remembered summers with my cousins on the Island, doing much the same thing. (I’ll help get the play off the ground next summer, girls!) I can’t express just how much we value having everyone come together at our home, and knit our circle of friends that much closer together. Of course, most of you just come for the food!

Lunch on Saturday is a simple affair, then off to the river.

Hot dogs, salads, raw veggies, and a fridge full of bevvies.

The rascals found the stash of vanilla cream soda.

Kahlyn and Bob’s vehicle is roomy enough for extra river-goers.

A smoky day was nicer at the river.

River mud isn’t quite as good as beach sand, but it’ll do.

Cute swimsuit, Lulu piglet!

Ben makes a splash.

Baby says, “Let’s chill”.

Baby says, “Let’s eat!”.

Our neighbours join us for pulled pork night.

Spice rubbed pork, smoked for hours, finished in the BBQ.

With Chilliwack corn and caramelized onions.

Hm, potato, coleslaw, Mediterranean, or veg & tortellini?

Richard forgot to write down the salad recipes again.

Our local guests arrived – welcome, UNAnny newbies!

Our outdoor setup gets better and better.

New places to sit… and climb?

Saturday night is our pulled pork dinner, where our campers from the coast (a small group this year) are joined by local guests. At left, the sundae bar makes UNniversary newbie Jen a very happy pregnant lady. I think she’ll be back next year! (Congrats and welcome to baby Logan at Thanksgiving, by the way.)

Richard added smoked brisket to the menu this year, and Pam brought fresh Chilliwack corn. I was done my photos and waiting in line when I saw Warren, whose family drove out from Vernon to spend the day with us, struggling feebly to rescue his corn on the cob from the vat of butter it had fallen into, LOL. Although I think Marcus, above, takes the trophy for best corn enjoyment of the evening. Richard outdid himself with the food as usual, although his excellent grilled veggie and tortellini Taste of Summer Salad had to be reinvented, because although it was a huge hit last summer, he forgot to write down the recipe. I found every photo I had of it so he could identify what was in it!

I tried very hard not to over-eat this year. I managed only one helping of the pulled pork, but then the soft serve machine got going…. Richard found the used machine on a sales trip up north, and picked up soft serve “milk” at the local dairy in Kamloops. The first run was too soft thanks to the hot day, but at the end of the night it was working just fine for second helpings. And again after burger night Sunday, and as our guests packed up on Monday morning… Yum.

Josh is doubly wide-eyed at the Sundae Bar.

The soft-serve machine is brilliant!

From sundaes Saturday night, to pancakes Sunday AM.

A lazy Sunday morning watching the kids.

Danaeya and Olivia get wings, and find a perch.

Andrew’s thinking, I’m gonna kick big sister’s butt.

A hilarious water fight ensued.

I think the big sisters are winning.

Bob wades in – look out!

Rick crawls his 4x4 – a mini copy of Big Bird.

Sunday night we enjoyed burgers, more salads and fresh cut fries.

One last project, in a thundershower: new steps to the deck.

Monday, everyone packed up after breakfast – see you next year!

By the way, since we've already had people ask, next year's BC Day holiday falls on August 1st, so mark your calendars for the 2011 UNniversary, Friday, July 29th to Monday, August 1st. And in the meantime, enjoy the bustle and colour of your preparations for Christmas. After 9 hours to get this post up, I'm going back to doing just that. After I take a photo of all this new snow. Cheers!

Here is the first installment of my photos from our fantastic long weekend “UNniversary” campout. I’m a little short on sleep and super busy, so I’ve put together just Saturday breakfast and lunch so far. It was really, really hot (40 degrees on Sunday afternoon as we headed to the river, for example) so everybody just sat around in the shade keeping cool and talking most of the time – not a good weekend for a stroll around the Wildlife Park or sports that didn’t involve getting wet! So the food was what brought everybody together – with big smiles all around. The boys got the grill and deep fryer going, the serving area set up and the canopies overhead for shade, and we were off and running. I think we were better organized than last year, and everybody pitched in wonderfully, so feeding everyone went pretty much without a hitch. And Richard outdid himself on this year’s menu. Everyone gave it a thumbs up!

Why would anyone spend one’s precious vacation hours camped out in somebody’s back yard? That’s the question that seemed to come up a few times in the past month, as we began extending our annual invitation to our long weekend “UNniversary” campout to new guests both from the coast and locally. Certainly as I was trying to paint a picture of the weekend for my colleagues at my new job on campus, the expressions of puzzlement on their faces made me look at our UNEvents with fresh eyes.

When I was a child, camping meant stuffing our old VW pop-top van with all our vacation supplies and catching some sleep at barely-remembered campgrounds on our way across the country from Vancouver to Winnipeg to spend summers with my grandparents. I only have vague memories of actually pitching a tent in the woods somewhere, but I still treasure one night as a girl at my best friend’s house, when a casual sleepover was transformed by putting up the family’s cavernous manila-yellow canvas tent on the back lawn. Our whispers and stash of brightly coloured candy were interrupted by a typical North Vancouver downpour in the middle of the night that sent us dashing inside, leaving the tent to record the hilarity in sticky rainbow-coloured splotches on the floor.

You can have adventures in your own back yard, and wonderful moments of laughter, excitement and true relaxation that keep you going when you return to the daily grind. That’s what we try to create with our UNEvents, something more than just a backyard barbecue on a sunny long weekend. It may look like an overblown backyard food fest from the photos, but I for one felt like I packed a year full of visits into those three short days that phone calls and the odd dinner get-together just can’t achieve.

I made more of an effort at recording our UNniversary with the camera this year, and I know many of our guests did too (many thanks especially to Bob, who quickly showed me a few essential features of my own camera!). It may take me some time to pick out the best and share them here, but before the march of images begins, I wanted to say how much Richard and I love sharing this weekend with everyone, how happy we are at how well it went this year and how grateful we are that so many of you spent long hours in your cars to spend the weekend camped out in our weedy, sun-baked, work-in-progress back yard, despite extreme heat and holiday traffic and other challenges. You are a wonderful group of people, and if we could pull off this event once in every season, instead of once a year, just to see you more often, we would!

Watching the three little girls, Anika, Olivia, and Daneaya, (and their mischievous little brothers, too) playing together so well, I remembered many times as a kid when I’d meet my parents’ friends and their kids at their homes across the province, many seen only once a year at most, and think how vivid the memories of those children and places still are, and in the background of those visions, how happy my parents were to see their far-flung friends again, if only briefly. I find it hard to express how I feel to see the same patterns again, only expanded so that our friends and their children are becoming friends with each other on this one weekend a year. It’s kind of a nostalgia for the future, isn’t it, to look forward to many UNEvents for years to come, with old friends and new ones. Thanks and big hugs to all of you who shared the weekend with us, a resounding “we missed you” to those who couldn’t make it, and don’t forget to put us on your calendar for next year! We’ll be here.

Our annual long weekend camp-out (the UNniversary as Richard has shortened it) kicks off with the arrival of about 15 guests in time for dinner tomorrow night. We're exhausted from preparations - yard work, shed reno, grocery shopping, cleaning, and cooking - but buzzed with excitement to see everyone. Richard just finished a pot roast rubbed with Mexican spices, and several roasting chickens are next in the morning, to be shredded ready for burritos with all the trimmings. We still need to make Richard's Road Trip Salsa and chocolate chip pecan cookies, just to name a few, and a whole lot of other things need to be set up in the yard before people begin to arrive, so we're off to bed and rising early to do the heavy labour before the heat drives us inside. Thank goodness for AC or we'd never get a thing done in the afternoons. Looking forward to spending an afternoon with everyone at the river - maybe the water won't be quite so chilly this year given it's been above 30 for most of the last 6 weeks! Anyway, I won't get my prep photos up before the weekend, just ran out of time, so look for highlights of Richard's yard project along with the weekend's festivities (ie food) sometime next week. Happy long weekend, everybody!

Thanks to all our guests who’ve posted comments on the UN-Event so far. If you’re just catching up now, note that this is part 3 and there are lots of other photos in parts 1 and 2. I’m still hoping a few more of you will send photos our way, but these are the last batch from us.

Part III: Friends

Despite the focus on the food, the best part of the weekend for us was seeing so many of our friends together, some of whom were just getting to know each other. In case you missed the introductions, I’ll try to put names to all the following photos, as I did in a few cases with the last two posts. What a great group of people our friends are! I personally am feeling more grounded, relaxed, optimistic and loved after our long weekend together—thanks for being here for us. Those of you who feel like sharing, please post a comment or two. Richard would love to hear suggestions for next year’s menu (see Part I) and I’d like to hear what activities people enjoyed most, so we can plan for next August!

Chad gets his & Maria’s bikes ready to go Sunday morning.

Always the photographer – but Maria took it easy this holiday.

Maria, Adrie and Dagny enjoy our ‘new’ patio furniture.

Richard levelled areas for tents. Too bad 10x12’ was too small!

Barbie checks out the other shady spot by the campers.

Dan, Barbie, Chris & Dagny chill out after lunch.

Ben and Adrie enjoy their milkshakes by the fire.

Now, what were Rob, Richard and Dan up to in the garage?

Kahlyn, beading Anika’s canopy – wish I’d got a photo of it.

Ah hah, I caught young Erik sitting still for a second!

I tried one of those so I know why Andrew’s smiling.

A Pacific tree frog fascinated the three 2-year-old boys.

Sharon and Cynthia, surprised by a 4x4 on their toes.

Rick and Josh watch the bikes and remote-controlled truck.

Is Ben practicing parenting, or cross-dressing?

Adrie’s thinking, next year I'll have a 5-month-old!

Friends and neighbours around the campfire.

Richard and I are happy campers. Thanks, everyone!

What a difference between this weekend and last! Yesterday we had a massive thundershower that dumped a torrential amount of rain, and in the middle of the day I had the overhead light on in the kitchen, it was so gloomy. Thank goodness the showers forecast for last weekend barely sprinkled our Friday night campers and then dried up. We had beautiful weather the rest of the weekend. Shade was a little hard to find in the afternoon–we’ll work on that for next year.

With most of our guests arriving after lunch on Saturday, it was a quiet morning, and then our afternoon arrivals had to set up their campers and tents. After our pulled pork dinner it wasn’t long before someone lit the campfire and we sat out late, talking and star-gazing. Sunday morning Richard got to use the commercial grill, starting the day off with blueberry pancakes. It ended up being a really full day… Most of the following are from Sunday afternoon, on the river.

Part II: Fun!

After breakfast we said goodbye to Chad and Maria, who continued on their weekend bike trip, and Rob who had to get back to his regular work week in Washington State. Then while Pam, Cynthia, Bob, Dagny and I played some badminton out on the new concrete in front of the barn, the rest of the guys were inside, starting assembly of Richard’s 2-post hoist. Matt, who spent all of Saturday wiring the lighting, ran electrical for the hoist while everyone else put the thing together. The other gals found shady spots to sit and talk or read, and watch the kids play in the hammock. The kids were our clocks, letting us know when it was time to cook up the wings for lunch and head to the beach.

We spent the afternoon on the river, with the twins’ boat and kayak, and Dan’s amphibious Predator. By the huge smiles all around, I’d say people had a good time. Chris is very glad the boat was well used, because on their way home, someone stole it when they stopped in Merritt!

After dinner, we sat digesting our burgers and shakes, and the guys continued with the hoist installation. I couldn’t believe how bright it was in the barn with all the lights Matt finished wiring. Richard said he was too tired to express his happiness, but he looked pretty pleased as the hoist lifted the guys into the air. We squeezed a lot into one day, and yet everyone lingered by the fire for a few more laughs before bed.

So glad Pam and Rick brought their badminton set!

What are they all looking at? Ah. Toys.

Ben, Matt, Richard, Adrienne, Chris, Dagny, & Cynthia.

A day right out of an Impressionist painting.

Bob and the kids in the Olson boat – wave to Mom!

All the kids got a ride down the river.

Too cute. Look hun, crocs float!

Sharon, always with an eye on Olivia and Andrew.

Ben and Matt take the kayak for a spin.

Look at that smile!

If the water’s so warm, why are they screaming?

Bob says, “So you want a funny photo?”

Dan made quite a splash with his amphibious Predator.

Then Chris gave it the Olson touch – and drained the battery.

Andrew really wanted to join dad Pat up there.

Last thing Monday morning, up went Mechano!

Now that we've taken stock and nearly finished our cleanup, here is a short list to recap:

Lost: 1 boat

Found: 1 beading needle

Missing: 1 down duvet

20 lbs of chicken wings

15 lbs of french fries

and more than 90 bottles of water

Left over: 5 dozen eggs

about 60 ice cream bars

and a lot of bread

Total happy campers: 19 adults and 6 kids!

Our first anniversary of the UNWedding, dubbed the UNAnniversary, was a huge success. Everybody had a great time, Richard got to stuff us full of his favourite comfort foods, and there was just the right number of people so that, as we hoped, we had time to truly connect with everyone. And our guests made this gathering so easy to pull off, jumping in to help with the food prep, cooking and cleanup. By the time everyone left us Monday afternoon, there was hardly a thing to clean up. (Thank goodness – at that point we both had a nap!)

Because I had to swing right back into work mode alongside finishing the remaining cleanup, and we were surprisingly exhausted (not from the visit but from weeks of preparations), it’s taking a while to select my photos and get this post written. I took over 400 photos, unbelievably, not to mention those from Bob and Dagny so far, and my short list narrowed that down to 60! Meanwhile Richard says everyone has been nagging him to get pictures posted… So, I’m going to do this in three parts.

Part I: The Food

After our annual trip to visit the Lunds in Washington for July 4th, it occurred to me that we could make meals over the long weekend even easier for everyone by following the Lunds’ example. This year, instead of each family taking responsibility for a meal, they bought all the food and we all pitched in to cover the bill. It worked out much easier for us, as we can’t take food over the border and normally pay ridiculous prices for produce when we get there. For our UNEvent, being at home means we have everything we need to cook for a crowd (more than most people!), so we set a menu for breakfasts, lunches and dinners for three days and all our guests left their own food, cooking gear and coolers at home.

It worked out wonderfully. Chef Richard beamed from ear to ear as he used the grill and deep fryer, which Chris worked on all Saturday evening to convert to propane for our outdoor kitchen. Our chafing dishes made it easy to feed our crowd of 25 without things getting cold. Richard kept notes and calculated how much it actually cost compared to what everyone paid per meal. You all paid $6 a meal; next year it will be $7.50, and we’ll plan it so we don’t end up with a freezer full of ice cream and bread. (Not that I’m complaining about the ice cream!) We promise to have lots more onions, mushrooms, and Dole tropical fruit juice. Least favourite item? Coke Zero. Nobody was watching their waistlines!

There’s nothing Richard loves better than feeding his friends, and apparently you all love to eat, so it was a recipe for a fabulous weekend. More on fun and friends in the next two posts, but following are highlights of the food. All you busy people who couldn’t make it can sit there and salivate, and mark your calendars for next August. Those of you who stuffed yourselves to bursting this weekend, we’d like you to post comments on your favourite food or dining moment, and let us know what you’d like on the menu for next year! We’re looking forward to your comments.

Friday morning, our cooking zone still looked like this!

Half a truckload of gravel made it more kitchen-friendly.

Chef Richard was up early Saturday to set up.

Chris got us the grill and fryer and fixed them up.

Our outdoor kitchen in action: wings!

More equipment: the potato cutter made perfect yam fries.

Happy campers Dan, Barbie, Sharon, Cynthia, & Bob.

Sunday's dinner: burgers, fries & shakes.

Andrew loved his milkshake. Pic by Dagny.

Monday morning, everyone helped with the leftovers!

August was a VERY busy month for us since the UnWedding long weekend, and I'm stunned that Labour Day long weekend has come and gone already. Sorry for the delay in getting party pictures posted. Richard and I were a little too busy to take any ourselves. Many thanks to Bob, Gudrun and Dagny whose great photos are featured here. If you've got some good shots of the party, the trip to the Wildlife Park, or the food – surely someone photographed Richard's food?? – please e-mail them soon!

Since I don't have photos of the food yet, I'm going to do another post soon with more party details, and will show some of the Wildlife Park images Bob took, they're amazing! The party on Saturday was a blast, and it was so nice to wake up Sunday, eat a decadent breakfast (cheesecake) while our guests wandered in and out, and then spend another day with most of you. After the Wildlife Park we went for a dip in the river at the local swimming hole, and had another big dinner on Saturday's leftovers. So hard to say goodbye to you all Sunday night/Monday morning, but what an unforgettable weekend!

The day dawned cool and sunny, perfect weather.

The UNbridesmaids decorated the tables beautifully.

I took a moment to chat and relax at lunch.

Great to see our friends getting to know each other.

Three of the eight visiting princesses.

Cute face, killer aim with a squirt gun.

Uncle Rick, where'd my slurpee go?

Richard's salsa and some sushi kicked off the foodfest.

Party favours: bubble mix, paper fans, & water pistols.

Now it looks like a dining hall!

One great toast after another…and prime rib, turkey roll,

smoked salmon, salad bar, sundae bar, cheesecake…

We set the stage with music, flowers and candlelight,

and then out came the squirt guns.

I missed this battle, distracted by cheesecake, mmm.

Richard had so much fun!!

Thank you everyone who made it (50 people including kids, wow). It was wonderful to look around the room and see so many of our loved ones. So wonderful in fact that Richard choked up too much to finish his speech. I think he put most of what he wanted to express into his food, though, don't you agree?

We're so happy you had a great time. We sure did! So much so, in fact, that we're going to make the August long weekend an annual event, a sun-soaked long weekend camp-out BBQ open house, without the UnWedding part, of course. (I think Richard has the menu planned already!) We hope those of you who couldn't make it can join us next year. We missed you. I can't thank everyone enough for coming, for helping out, for making this event truly magical.

The Un-Wedding preparations are going well! Cleared out the barn, dug a trench and put in plumbing, gas and electrical, filled the trench with several truckloads of sand, covered the area around the barn with several truckloads of gravel, tamped it flat, and painted the barn's interior. Lots of stuff still to do this weekend to get this place in shape but most of the party organizing is done. Fifty of our family and friends start arriving as of Thursday, most Friday night and Saturday morning. The long-range weather forecast is now saying cooler at 26 degrees, with some cloud and possibly showers! And here we were worried it would be 40 degrees and burn us all to a crisp. With luck it will be 26 and blue skies. It's a gorgeous day today and time to get outside. Can't believe there's only a week to go. We can't wait to see everyone!

My sweetie dug himself a hole.

With a little help from friends and family.

So much for our so-called lawn.

Does it look like a dining hall yet?

Voila, camper parking!

All painted, wired, and just about ready to go. Yay!