So did a passel of art faculty, English faculty, grad students, and
secretaries. Then there were the area artists and at least one art
dealer, to boot. That's not counting our frinds from Wichita, who
pulled up as stuff was being set up. Many spouses, partners, squeezes
and shack jobs came as well. I'm not sure, but I think one or two
partners of convenience attended too. Those who RSVPed totaled 71.
More than that came. (Grad student's you know.) Some drank beer.
Some drank wine. Some drank sodas. Some drank water. Some drank a
combination of the above. Some brought beer. Some brought wine.
Some brought sodas. Some brought a combination of beverages.

I think I have more wine now than before the party. I certainly have
two bottles of good champagne I didn't own 36 hours ago.

Zach (the caterer) was a real trooper. So was his wife, Adrian.
The'd been cooking since 7 a.m. when they arrived at 5 p.m. to set up.
He brought a toy pirogue and set up a Cajun food display with chiles,
garlic, bags of bens and rice, etc. He and Adrian set out bread
loaves and salads on a table in the kitchen. Salads were green,
pasta, and mandarin orange.

Then he set a huge pot of seafood gumbo on the stove. Big, it was.
But the pans of jambalaya dwarfed the gumbo pot. Somewhere he'd
squirrelled away pans of bread pudding with whiskey sauce, awaiting
the proper moment.

I'd earlier set out a plate with jamon serrano and sliced figs, along
with a cutting board with an assortment of cheeses, including manchego
and gruyere and Brie. Baskets of crackers, too.

We had coolers on the patio with bottles of water, cans of soda, and
bottles of Abita Turbo Dog beer.

Zach told me he'd made the roux for the gumbo Thursday, but he thought
it had gotten bitter. Didn't really burn, but maybe a touch too dark
anyway. He knew I have South Louisiana connections, so he tossed the
bitter roux and made another one. It was two roux gumbo, and it was
really good. Really good. The jambalaya was nice, too. Smokey from
the seasoning meat and chock full of chicken. But, man, that gumbo!
About 6:45, we called the throng to the feed trough. The gumbo was
wonderful. Rich and lovely with shrimp and chunks of crab meat.

The crowd was big enough that at times the noise of the converstations
was nearly deafening. Buncha yakkers. I played music (Blossom Deary,
Nick Lowe, The Flatlanders, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros), but
nobody noticed, I'm afraid.

On the whole, I'd say the event was a success. And we have enough
leftovers that we won't have to cook for several days.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Michael Odom > wrote in
:

> So did a passel of art faculty, English faculty, grad students, and
> secretaries. Then there were the area artists and at least one art
> dealer, to boot. That's not counting our frinds from Wichita, who
> pulled up as stuff was being set up. Many spouses, partners, squeezes
> and shack jobs came as well. I'm not sure, but I think one or two
> partners of convenience attended too. Those who RSVPed totaled 71.
> More than that came. (Grad student's you know.) Some drank beer.
> Some drank wine. Some drank sodas. Some drank water. Some drank a
> combination of the above. Some brought beer. Some brought wine.
> Some brought sodas. Some brought a combination of beverages.
>
> I think I have more wine now than before the party. I certainly have
> two bottles of good champagne I didn't own 36 hours ago.
>
> Zach (the caterer) was a real trooper. So was his wife, Adrian.
> The'd been cooking since 7 a.m. when they arrived at 5 p.m. to set up.
> He brought a toy pirogue and set up a Cajun food display with chiles,
> garlic, bags of bens and rice, etc. He and Adrian set out bread
> loaves and salads on a table in the kitchen. Salads were green,
> pasta, and mandarin orange.
>
> Then he set a huge pot of seafood gumbo on the stove. Big, it was.
> But the pans of jambalaya dwarfed the gumbo pot. Somewhere he'd
> squirrelled away pans of bread pudding with whiskey sauce, awaiting
> the proper moment.
>
> I'd earlier set out a plate with jamon serrano and sliced figs, along
> with a cutting board with an assortment of cheeses, including manchego
> and gruyere and Brie. Baskets of crackers, too.
>
> We had coolers on the patio with bottles of water, cans of soda, and
> bottles of Abita Turbo Dog beer.
>
> Zach told me he'd made the roux for the gumbo Thursday, but he thought
> it had gotten bitter. Didn't really burn, but maybe a touch too dark
> anyway. He knew I have South Louisiana connections, so he tossed the
> bitter roux and made another one. It was two roux gumbo, and it was
> really good. Really good. The jambalaya was nice, too. Smokey from
> the seasoning meat and chock full of chicken. But, man, that gumbo!
> About 6:45, we called the throng to the feed trough. The gumbo was
> wonderful. Rich and lovely with shrimp and chunks of crab meat.
>
> The crowd was big enough that at times the noise of the converstations
> was nearly deafening. Buncha yakkers. I played music (Blossom Deary,
> Nick Lowe, The Flatlanders, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros), but
> nobody noticed, I'm afraid.
>
> On the whole, I'd say the event was a success. And we have enough
> leftovers that we won't have to cook for several days.
>
>
> modom
>
> "Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
> -- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
>

Michael, this sounds like it was a very successful and enjoyable event,
and the food sounds divine! OMG, I haven't thought of Blossom Deary in
years. I'll have to pull out some old vinyl!

--
Wayne in Phoenix

unmunge as w-e-b

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 00:16:18 GMT, Wayne > wrote:

>Michael Odom > wrote in
:

>> The crowd was big enough that at times the noise of the converstations
>> was nearly deafening. Buncha yakkers. I played music (Blossom Deary,
>> Nick Lowe, The Flatlanders, Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros), but
>> nobody noticed, I'm afraid.
>>
>> On the whole, I'd say the event was a success. And we have enough
>> leftovers that we won't have to cook for several days.
>>
>
>Michael, this sounds like it was a very successful and enjoyable event,
>and the food sounds divine! OMG, I haven't thought of Blossom Deary in
>years. I'll have to pull out some old vinyl!

I don't know about anybody else, but I had a good time. Well, I know
that D enjoyed herself, too. And our Wichita friends, who stayed the
night, said thet liked the event, also. They were great -- just
barged ahead into a crowd of people they'd never seen before. Turns
out one Wichita budy studied printmaking with somebody who was the
student of another guest.

Blossom D's music has been re-released on CD. The disk I spun was "My
Gentleman Friend" on the Verve label, and I misspelled her surname.
It's Dearie, not Deary. Regardless, she made music that perfectly
complements our "Atomic Age" house in style and substance. "You
Fascinate Me So" is very nearly a perfect song.

The previous lady of the house was the highest paid hoofer on Broadway
in 1948. She met the man of the house (an architect and scion of a
locally "important" family) at a USO show and moved here with him
around 1952. Broadway to Cow Hill must have been a heluva transition.
She taught tap dance and synchronized swimming to local starlet
wannabes in the 50s and 60s.

Somehow, Blossom Dearie seems apropos chez Odom. If only somebody had
noticed last night!


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore

Michael Odom > wrote in
:

> On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 00:16:18 GMT, Wayne > wrote:
>
>>Michael Odom > wrote in
m:
>
>>> The crowd was big enough that at times the noise of the
>>> converstations was nearly deafening. Buncha yakkers. I played
>>> music (Blossom Deary, Nick Lowe, The Flatlanders, Joe Strummer and
>>> the Mescaleros), but nobody noticed, I'm afraid.
>>>
>>> On the whole, I'd say the event was a success. And we have enough
>>> leftovers that we won't have to cook for several days.
>>>
>>
>>Michael, this sounds like it was a very successful and enjoyable
>>event, and the food sounds divine! OMG, I haven't thought of Blossom
>>Deary in years. I'll have to pull out some old vinyl!
>
> I don't know about anybody else, but I had a good time. Well, I know
> that D enjoyed herself, too. And our Wichita friends, who stayed the
> night, said thet liked the event, also. They were great -- just
> barged ahead into a crowd of people they'd never seen before. Turns
> out one Wichita budy studied printmaking with somebody who was the
> student of another guest.

Another bit of evidence that it's a small world! And I can't imagine
anyone not enjoying everything you presented.

> Blossom D's music has been re-released on CD. The disk I spun was "My
> Gentleman Friend" on the Verve label, and I misspelled her surname.
> It's Dearie, not Deary. Regardless, she made music that perfectly

Yes, it certainly is. It looked strange at first, but I just let it go,
not thinking it was wrong.

> complements our "Atomic Age" house in style and substance. "You
> Fascinate Me So" is very nearly a perfect song.

My first albums were, "Give Him the Ooh-La-La", which I think was
released was '57 or '58, and "Blossom Dearie" which preceded it by a
year or so. I've got half a dozen other albums, including "My Gentlemen
Friend", "Broadway Hits", and her Christmas album, of which I forget the
name.

> The previous lady of the house was the highest paid hoofer on Broadway
> in 1948. She met the man of the house (an architect and scion of a
> locally "important" family) at a USO show and moved here with him
> around 1952. Broadway to Cow Hill must have been a heluva transition.
> She taught tap dance and synchronized swimming to local starlet
> wannabes in the 50s and 60s.

What a fantastic "house history"! What fun.

> Somehow, Blossom Dearie seems apropos chez Odom. If only somebody had
> noticed last night!

Indeed, it does. Their loss! :-)

> modom

--
Wayne in Phoenix

unmunge as w-e-b

*If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it.
*A mind is a terrible thing to lose.

On Sat, 28 Aug 2004 20:40:38 -0400, Nancy Young >
wrote:

>Michael Odom wrote:
>
>> On the whole, I'd say the event was a success. And we have enough
>> leftovers that we won't have to cook for several days.
>
>Sounds like a great day, and I couldn't be happier that you went for
>the caterer. Congratulations on your success.
>
>nancy

Thanks! Any delusions that I could have cooked for that throng
vanished in the first half an hour of the event. I didn't even talk
with a lot of them. There was no chance to in the crush of the
evening.


modom

"Dallas is a rich man with a death wish in his eyes."
-- Jimmie Dale Gilmore