Summer BBQ

Summer days are meant to felt like they last forever (in a good way), and we finally had one of those yesterday. 70s, sunny, easy breeze, not many errands, nothing to do but stay home and entertain friends. So that's what we did.

It was a bit of a last minute decision. We were originally trying to plan a morning brunch at "In A Pickle," a local breakfast nook of some acclaim, with various friends and their various kids. But juggling schedules and then trying to decide whether the 10 of us could actually fit in the restaurant at the same time gave everyone an ice cream headache, so Natalia had the good idea of inviting everyone over to our place for an evening BBQ. Much more manageable; everyone much more happy. Including me.

This gave me most of the day to clean, worry about what I was going to throw on the grill (hint: meat!), go food shopping, clean a bit more, and then begin cooking.

My trusty Weber charcoal grill enjoys cooking steak. I decided to feed it well, and headed to Whole Foods for a couple good ones (I chose the non-local meat because it cost $2/lb less, though I had yuppie pangs of guilt as I did so). I also picked up a couple of grass-fed beef hamburger patties (about $3.50 each, imported from Nebraska...not many local options for grass-fed beef at the Newton Whole Foods), veggie burgers, hot dogs, corn, etc. etc. etc. The usual suspects.

I had enough time upon returning home to make my much-improved guacamole, which included a generous amount of cilantro, some tomatoes, and roasted red peppers among other ingredients (H/T to my friend Lesley, who suggested cumin in her recipe). I even had time to whip up a quick mango salsa. Both were chilling in the fridge as friends Pete, Elisabeth, and their toddler Tai arrived. Andres woke from his nap soon after, and about 10 minutes after that we had adults talking nicely and eating snacks while toddlers nicely played with trucks and entertained a baby.

The party moved outside, allowing me to begin grilling and the kids to play basketball. Neighbor Sean heard the commotion and headed over, which delighted Andres...two reckless boys to play with? Now that was a jackpot! Pete took his camera for a spin and shot the three boys in action, while Natalia and Elisabeth actually carried on a conversation while watching a subdued Celia. We were then joined by friends Tom and Madhabi with their daughter Juniper in tow.

Before long all the adults (including Sean's dad, who came over for some steak) were sitting down and eating while the boys continued to run around like...well, like toddler boys. (The girls, Celia and Juniper, were playing quite nicely on the porch.) Going up and down the porch stairs was of considerable interest to the Gang of Three. The evening eventually dissolved into a festival of toy-throwing, backwards-bike racing, and general mayhem. Pete captured most of it on his camera; I would have taped more on my Flip, but I was enjoying just watching the three kids interact.

Throwing toys with reckless abandon.

The gang after a fun evening.

Pete, Elisabeth, and Tai headed home just after sundown, or about 3 minutes after the absence of natural light trumped Pete's ability to shoot outdoors. Everyone 5 and under was tired at this point--running, eating, running, throwing things, and making mischief do take a toll on even the most exuberant toddlers. So we said our goodbyes and settled into a quieter routine: getting Andres changed and in his PJs, and letting Celia and Juniper play quietly in the living room.

I was happy that Pete brought his camera--he's a great shooter, and far too humble about his abilities. He had intended to take some umbrella portraits of the kids earlier in the day; his strobe setup broke somehow, though, so those did not happen as planned. In the quiet evening hours I borrowed/stole his idea, set up my own gear, and got some cute pics.

Madhabi and Juniper.

Sharing!

Then, finally and mercifully, it was bedtime for everyone. The house cleared out, we cleaned up, and it was quiet. A long day lived well winding to a close.