Family Gathering

That banner says Celebrate.  Baby Sis asked what we were celebrating.
The answer is everything.  

This weekend both of my sisters were in town, so we celebrated with a family dinner.

Baby Sis and Middle Sis

I slaved over hot charcoals I grilled some tuna, shrimp, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers; steamed some broccoli and carrots; and made some quinoa.

My mother made a delicious salad with fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes, basil and goat cheese. 

(To be clear, the goat cheese was not fresh from the garden. 

We thankfully don't have any cheese goats in the garden. Not at this time, anyway.)

She also made a gluten-free cake (for Baby Sis) and a sinfully delectable heavenly chocolate ribbon cake.

Chesapeake Bay Father

The tuna was simply outstanding. How we acquired it is an interesting story.

An abandoned house on our lane was recently purchased by someone who is fixing it up with the intention of flipping it.  My father offered to cut the man's grass--free of charge--since he drives right by on his way to cut grass for an elderly neighbor. He says it only takes about twenty minutes and it's no big deal, really.

The man fixing up the house also owns a seafood operation at Cricket Hill.  In exchange for the grass cutting, he gives my father free seafood (!) every week.  

This week's tuna was the best yet. Hands down.

(We've also received received heavenly rum cakes courtesy of the elderly neighbor.  It's a great system we have here, this barter system, and is one of the thousands of reasons I love living next door to my parents in Mathews.)

Chesapeake Bay Mother

My mother was thrilled to have all three daughters and both grandchildren under the same roof.  

(The last time the three of us were together was the latter part of the vacation week down in North Carolina, and my mother had already gone back home by that point.)

My two favorite people on the planet: Daughter and Son

"In truth a family is what you make it. It is made strong not by the number of heads counted at the dinner table but by the rituals you help family members create, by the memories you share, by the commitment of time, caring and love you show to one another, and by the hopes for the future you have as individuals and as a unit."

 - Marge Kennedy

"Other things may change but we start and end with the family."

- Anthony Brandt

"Families are like fudge.  Mostly sweet with a few nuts."

- Unknown

"I love it when my family gets together and shares good wine food, good stories and lots of laughter. We're all nuts and we're all sweet. Mostly."

- Chesapeake Bay Woman