The Big Retirement Shebang

Party decor - we could not have asked for more beautiful weather --
though a little more shade would have been welcome.

Although Steve doesn't actually perform his last day at the office until the 15th of July, we wanted to celebrate his retirement while his parents were with us. With that in mind, on the 28th, we invited friends to join us and our family (including my Aunt Winkie and my brother Doug) for a barbecue party.

Doug and Aunt Winkie

On the day before the party, I'd had another injection into my foot to diminish the growth on my nerve. Not only do these injections hurt at the time (thank God I learned how to do Lamaze breathing!), my foot is tender and achy for the next 24 hours or so. That meant that I was ill-prepared to do the last-minute food preparations for the party. Mercifully, Steve's parents and my Aunt Winkie came to the rescue -- chopping, dicing, paring, boiling, and mixing until their own hands and feet were aching.

Because we knew that Kane would be completely overwhelmed (and demanding) during the day's events, we took him over to his foster-mother's apartment for the day.

Coincidentally, Steve's nephew is a musician with the Airliner Blues Band. Earlier this spring they had a Kickstarter to raise funds for their second CD release. We sponsored them and, as part of that sponsorship, received a free house party. We set up a very small stage in the corner of our yard that is usually occupied by our hammock. The music was fantastic!

Mubarak Farah is the lead singer and keyboardist. (Steve's nephew Keith is in the background.)

We were very glad we had invited our neighbours to enjoy the festivities -- most of them (excepting those whose fence we tore down) came and enjoyed the afternoon.

We were so happy with how many of our friends and loved ones joined us, some for a short visit as they were double- or triple-booked, but some came and stayed, including this fun crowd.

I have no idea why I've placed my hand on our friend's knee. I may have had one or two glasses of wine by then.

We've been gathering for breakfast every other Saturday morning for more than a year now!

All in all, it was a marvelous day