Whew! Two months worth of planning, dozens of trips to the markets, working to get the yard ready, building horseshoe pits and cornhole games, blowing up hundreds of balloons, making game boards, reserving chairs, getting drinks delivered, ordering and picking up ice, converting ounces to grams, forming up hamburgers, and three straight days of cooking pasta, baked beans, rigatoni, perogies, hotdog chili, chopping cabbage, mixing salads, etc….! Mary and I were able sit for just a minute and remember why we wanted to share some food and fun with our friends.
As we have reported, a few months ago Mary and I decided that we would try to host a big American style barbecue picnic. The idea took hold and we started making more and more plans and working to prepare to serve one hundred or so of our friends. We wanted the mix to be about half ex-pats and half Ecuadorians. We wanted to have lots of food, drinks, and desserts and we wanted to have lots of fun activities.
Mary worked for many years in food management jobs and has planned and catered wedding events with hundreds of guests and I come from a large family that often gathers for family reunions, so the task did not seem too daunting at first. Several weeks ago we began to realize that number one – Mary used to have a commercial kitchen and staff to help her and, number two – we were quite a bit younger then. Luckily many friends pitched in and saved the day and our two aging bodies held up just enough to pull off a grand celebration of life and friendship.
Friends of ours from Crucita saw us in a Portoviejo super market a couple of weeks before the event. We were both pushing loaded baskets that day getting some of the paper supplies and beverages we needed. Believe us – this was not an isolated occurrence as we cleaned out several store shelves over the last two months.
Our dining room served as a staging/storage area for almost one month as supplies built up. Mary had boxes with all of the material for different dishes separated and created a daily list of chores that needed to be done to keep on schedule. This is what the room looked like after almost all of the food had been prepared and most of the condiments and paper products had been moved outside.
A big concern for us was seating and shade. Luckily Ramon knew of a place where we could rent chairs. We rented about one hundred chairs, bought two large awnings, and our friend Juan set up six large beach umbrellas he generally rents to beach goers. Javier spent the day here Friday and Saturday tirelessly working to set up the yard, cut up cabbage and onions, and clean up.
We have a friend named Cedulado who has large music amplifiers and he and his family came early to set up the music equipment. Ramon found a large vat that could be filled with ice to keep the drinks cold and he and his family worked to help set up the seats and the drink area. Ramon also brought by a large grill to supplement our barbecue outfit. By noon the yard was ready and looked like this as guests started to arrive.
A friend named Tony offered to man the main grill for the hamburgers, sausages, and hot dogs that needed to be grilled that day. We rigged up the large grill next to our grill and cooked on that then used the side smokers to keep our grill warm to hold the cooked meat until serving time. Our friend Lisa arrived a day early and pitched right in making signs and helping in much of the final stages. Rich and Tom came over a day or two early to mix up the baked beans and to assist in other preparations. Friends loaned us crock pots and we used our large roaster oven to keep the beans, pulled pork, hot dog chili, and other hot dishes warm. Laquita and Mike loaned us several tables. Even with two six-foot long tables and the side table we made using our new saw horses as a base, the serving area was just barely large enough to hold all of the food!
Just before the serving started I slipped in with our good friend Javier to slice up the smoked ham.
After that the feast began and Mary and I were able to enjoy watching friends from England, Spain, France, Argentina, Germany, Canada, the United States, and (of course) Ecuador enjoy the day to help us celebrate God’s goodness and the bounties with which we have been blessed.
Ecuadorians and Ex-pats alike joined in playing games that were new to them and eating food they had either not had before or had not eaten for some time (like the ham, pulled pork, perogies, baked beans, and hot dog chili which are not generally available here in Ecuador) and the party rolled on. Many of our guests brought various desserts which were served up after the main meal. Cedulado kept the music going with a great blend of English and Spanish songs, Tony kept grilling up burgers, everyone joined in on various games, and a good time was had by all.
We took a few pictures early on, but then were too busy to get many photos during the event. Thankfully Glenn, Lisa, Ruben, Laquita, and Daniel shared some of the photos they had taken. The following slide show represents a sampling of our friends pictures of our friends having fun in the Ecuadorian sunshine.
We had a few things happen to complicate the day – like the bathroom door latch sticking shut twice trapping Javier and then Tom before Daniel helped me remove it entirely and two of the bean bags landing on top of the roof in errant shots – but, overall the day went very well. San Clemente weather cooperated with a cool morning for set up and a warm sunny afternoon.
By the time the sun went down the music switched to mostly latin dance music and several people formed a big circle dancing into the night. I know the next photo is dark, but look closely and you will see the love of my life dancing away with the ladies long after I was ready to call it a day.
God has been so good to us this year! As we count our many blessings, foremost for me would be Mary’s recovery from her heart procedures last January allowing her to continue blessing each of my days with her love and companionship here where…
Life is good in Ecuador!
Gracias por su BONDAD. Qué momentos tan bellos.
San Clemente vivirá agradecido a Ustedes.
Un abrazo.
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This was a fun way for us to thank those who have been kind to us. Thanks for the hugs!
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This looks like the party of a lifetime! What a fantastic way to celebrate your friendships. You even had a hand washing station! Happy Thanksgiving from Nicaragua.
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We figured we needed a hand washing spot for those who had played horseshoes and then wanted to eat. Help to cut down the lines at the bathroom. Mary thought of everything and we were so glad it came off well.
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Thank you!
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It was a great day and a good way to build relationships between gringos and Ecuatorianos.
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What a party! Looks like you really did it up right! Happy thanksgiving!
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Only way it could have been better would have been to have you and Diane here to share the day with us. Miss you guys!
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‘Twas a great gathering – good music, good food, great vibe between everyone there! Thank you so much for allowing me to fall out of the sky and meet your circle of friends!
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Wasn’t it funny that you knew a few of these people? Everyone seemed to enjoy your company too. Thanks for taking so many pictures. We hope to see you again soon.
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That was good stuff, John in Ecuador. I quite enjoyed the barbecue report! Man what a gathering, and such a tremendous feast. Whilst I’ve never done anything quite to that scale, I do know the satisfaction felt in your heart upon serving people. And cooking for them. That photo of you and your lady repairing there, watching the party carry on kind of says it all. The Lord designed us to fellowship with one another, and I do declare you’ve got that procedure down pat!
Happy Thanksgiving John and Mary!
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Thank you, my good friend. You said it all when you mentioned that the good Lord intends for us to fellowship and serve one another. It was a great day and we were all happy, but earlier in the day (and in the weeks preceding) we wondered if perhaps we might have bitten off a little bit more that we could chew. Thank God for good friends who stepped up to help and we managed to pull it off.
For me, the joy of watching all of the ladies dance in the circle after dark gave me the most joy. It reminded me of an old song, “The Lasses Who Dance ’til the Morning” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdjtFQM-75o
Hope all is well with you and your new little one. God Bless!
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